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Molecular mechanisms controlling physiological plasticity in marine mussels under the influence of natural and anthropogenic stress factors
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This thesis project investigated the molecular mechanisms that help Mediterranean mussels cope with environmental stress, including both natural factors and emerging pollutants like microplastics. Understanding these stress responses could help predict how marine shellfish will fare as pollution and climate change intensify.
Marine mussels are exceptionally well-adapted to live in transitional habitats where they are exposed to fluctuating environmental parameters and elevated levels of natural and anthropogenic stressors throughout their lifecycle. However, there is a dearth of information about the molecular mechanisms that assist in dealing with environmental changes. This project aims to investigate the molecular mechanisms governing acclimatory and stress responses of the Mediterranean mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis) by addressing relevant life stages and environmental stressors of emerging concern. The experimental approach consisted of two phases to explore (i) the physiological processes at early life history and the consequences of plastic pollution and (ii) the adult physiology processes under natural habitats. As the first phase, I employed a plastic leachate (styrene monomer), and polystyrene microplastics to understand the modulation of cytoprotective mechanisms during the early embryo stages. Results revealed the onset of transcriptional impairments of genes involved in MXR-related transporters and other physiological processes induced by styrene and PS-MPs. In the second phase, as a preliminary analysis, microbiota profile of adult mussels at the tissue scale and its surrounding water was explored to understand microbiota structures that may reflect peculiar adaptations to the respective tissue functions. The broader experiment has been implemented to understand the variability of transcriptional profiles in the mussel digestive glands in the natural setting. All the genes employed in this study have shown possibilities to use as molecular biomarker responses throughout the year for monitoring the physiology of mussels living in a particular environment and, in turn, more properly detecting changes in the environment. As a whole, my studies provide insights into the interactions between environmental parameters, and intrinsic characters, and physiology of marine bivalves, and it could help to interpretation of responses correctly under stress conditions and climate change scenarios.
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The effect of climate change and microplastics on the physiology of marine invertebrates of economic interest
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This thesis examines how climate change and microplastic pollution interact to affect the physiology of marine invertebrates important for aquaculture. Combined stressors were found to have compounding effects on organisms like mussels and oysters, threatening both ecosystems and food security.
Unraveling the interplay between environmental microplastics and salinity stress on Mytilus galloprovincialis larval development: A holistic exploration
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Researchers studied how environmental microplastics and increased salinity together affect the early development of Mediterranean mussel larvae. The combination caused larval deformities, developmental problems, and changes in gene activity related to shell formation, stress response, and cell damage. These findings are concerning because climate change is altering ocean salinity in coastal areas where microplastic pollution is also heavy, and mussels are a food source that could pass accumulated microplastics to humans.
The multiple responses of Mytilus galloprovincialis in the multi-stressor scenario: Impacts of low pH, low dissolved oxygen, and microplastics
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Researchers exposed Mediterranean mussels to the combined stressors of low pH, low dissolved oxygen, and microplastics for 15 days. While whole-organism functions like respiration were unaffected, the study found significant cellular-level impacts, suggesting that microplastics interact with ocean acidification and deoxygenation to cause subtle but measurable stress in marine invertebrates.
Oysters under anthropogenic pressure: A cellular perspective on the interactive effects of microplastic pollution and climate change
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Researchers exposed oysters to microplastics under combined conditions of elevated temperature and ocean acidification, finding that climate change stressors significantly altered the cellular response to MP pollution. Temperature had a stronger effect than acidification, and combined stressors produced non-additive interactions in immune and oxidative stress markers.
Indication of the impact of environmental stress on the responses of the bivalve mollusk Unio tumidus to ibuprofen and microplastics based on biomarkers of reductive stress and apoptosis
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Researchers compared freshwater mussels from clean and contaminated sites exposed to microplastics and ibuprofen, finding that chronically stressed populations showed altered biomarker responses for reductive stress and apoptosis, highlighting how environmental history modulates pollutant sensitivity.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.