Mercury (Hg) is a persistent and widespread heavy metal with neurotoxic effects in wildlife. While bioaccumulation of Hg has historically been studied in aquatic food webs, terrestrial consumers can become contaminated with Hg when they feed on aquatic organisms (e.g., emergent aquatic insects, fish, and amphibians). However, the extent to which dietary connectivity to aquatic ecosystems can explain patterns of Hg bioaccumulation in terrestrial consumers has not been well studied. Bats (Order: Chiroptera) can serve as a model system for illuminating the trophic transfer of Hg given their high dietary diversity and foraging links to both aquatic and terrestrial food webs. Here we quantitatively characterize the dietary correlates of long-term exposure to Hg across a diverse local assemblage of bats in Belize and more globally across bat species from around the world with a comparative analysis of hair samples. Our data demonstrate considerable interspecific variation in hair total Hg concentrations in bats that span three orders of magnitude across species, ranging from 0.04 mg/kg in frugivorous bats (Artibeus spp.) to 145.27 mg/kg in the piscivorous Noctilio leporinus. Hg concentrations showed strong phylogenetic signal and were best explained by dietary connectivity of bat species to aquatic food webs. Our results highlight that phylogeny can be predictive of Hg concentrations through similarity in diet and how interspecific variation in feeding strategies influences chronic exposure to Hg and enables movement of contaminants from aquatic to terrestrial ecosystems.

Microplastics are a widespread environmental pollutant in aquatic ecosystems and have the potential to eventually sink to the sediment, where they may pose a risk to sediment-dwelling organisms. While the impacts of exposure to microplastics have been widely reported for marine biota, the effects of microplastics on freshwater organisms at environmentally realistic concentrations are largely unknown, especially for benthic organisms. Here we examined the effects of a realistic concentration of polyethylene microplastics in sediment on the growth and emergence of a freshwater organism Chironomus tepperi. We also assessed the influence of microplastic size by exposing C. tepperi larvae to four different size ranges of polyethylene microplastics (1–4, 10–27, 43–54 and 100–126 μm). Exposure to an environmentally relevant concentration of microplastics, 500 particles/kgsediment, negatively affected the survival, growth (i.e. body length and head capsule) and emergence of C. tepperi. The observed effects were strongly dependent on microplastic size with exposure to particles in the size range of 10–27 μm inducing more pronounced effects. While growth and survival of C. tepperi were not affected by the larger microplastics (100–126 μm), a significant reduction in the number of emerged adults was observed after exposure to the largest microplastics, with the delayed emergence attributed to exposure to a stressor. While scanning electron microscopy showed a significant reduction in the size of the head capsule and antenna of C. tepperi exposed to microplastics in the 10–27 μm size range, no deformities to the external structure of the antenna and mouth parts in organisms exposed to the same size range of microplastics were observed. These results indicate that environmentally relevant concentrations of microplastics in sediment induce harmful effects on the development and emergence of C. tepperi, with effects greatly dependent on particle size.

Several monitoring studies have shown that benzoylecgonine (BE) is the main illicit drug residue commonly measured in the aquatic system worldwide. Few studies have investigated the potential toxicity of this molecule towards invertebrate and vertebrate aquatic non-target organisms focusing on effects at low levels of the biological organization, but no one has assessed the consequences at higher ones. Thus, the present study was aimed at investigating the toxicity of a 48-h exposure to two concentrations of BE, similar to those found in aquatic ecosystems (0.5 μg/L and 1.0 μg/L), on the cladoceran Daphnia magna at different levels of the ecological hierarchy. We relied on a multi-level approach focusing on the effects at biochemical/biomolecular (biomarkers), individual (swimming activity) and population (reproduction) levels. We measured the amount of reactive oxygen species and of the activity of antioxidant (SOD, CAT, and GPx) and detoxifying (GST) enzymes to assess if BE exposure can alter the oxidative status of D. magna specimens, while the lipid peroxidation (TBARS) was measured as a marker of oxidative damage. Moreover, we also measured the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity because it is strictly related to behavioral changes in aquatic organisms. Changes in swimming behavior were investigated by a video tracking analysis, while the consequences on reproduction were assessed by a chronic toxicity test. Our results showed that BE concentrations similar to those found in aquatic ecosystems induced oxidative stress and inhibited AChE activity, affecting swimming behavior and the reproduction of Daphnia magna individuals.

Diclofenac (DCF) has been recognized as an emerging contaminant in aquatic environments. Though many studies have investigated the toxic effects of DCF in human and mammals, limited information is available for the responses of genes associated with detoxification metabolisms in non-target aquatic organisms such as fish. In the present study, a small benthic fish Mugilogobius abei, was chosen as the test organism and the effects of DCF on detoxification-related genes at transcriptional level in M. abei were investigated. Partial cDNAs of pregnane-X-receptor (pxr), cytochrome P450 3A (cyp 3a) and alpha-gst were cloned firstly. The responses of cyp 1a, cyp 3a, alpha-gst and p-gp genes and associated microRNAs expressions were measured under different concentrations of DCF exposure (0.5, 5, 50, 500 μg/L) for 24 h and 168 h. Induction of cyp 1a, cyp 3a, alpha-gst, p-gp and pxr mRNA expressions was observed under DCF exposure for different time. Positive concentration-response relationships between DCF concentrations and cyp 1a as well as alpha-gst mRNA expression were observed under DCF exposure for 24 h. The similar trend between pxr mRNA expression and cyp 3a gene expression suggested the role of pxr in regulation of its downstream detoxification genes involved in DCF detoxification in M. abei. The negative correlation between miR-27a and p-gp expression under DCF exposure for 24 h indicated the role of miRNA in post transcriptional regulation on detoxification-related genes mRNAs in M. abei exposed to DCF. Overall, DCF exposure, even at environmental levels, may interrupt the responses of the detoxification genes in M. abei, which may affect the response of the exposed organism to other pollutants. This work provides implications on the bio-monitoring and risk assessment of DCF in aquatic ecosystems by using of local native fish species.

Illicit drugs have been identified as emerging aquatic pollutants because of their widespread presence in freshwaters and potential toxicity towards aquatic organisms. Among illicit drug residues, cocaine (COC) and its main metabolites, namely benzoylecgonine (BE) and ecgonine methyl ester (EME), are commonly detected in freshwaters worldwide at concentration that can induce diverse adverse effects to non-target organisms. However, the information of toxicity and mechanisms of action (MoA) of these drugs, mainly of COC metabolites, to aquatic species is still fragmentary and inadequate. Thus, this study was aimed at investigating the toxicity of two concentrations (0.3 and 1.0 μg/L) of COC, BE and EME similar to those found in aquatic ecosystems on zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos at 96 h post fertilization through a functional proteomics approach. Exposure to COC and both its metabolites significantly altered the protein profile of zebrafish embryos, modulating the expression of diverse proteins belonging to different functional classes, including cytoskeleton, eye constituents, lipid transport, lipid and energy metabolism, and stress response. Expression of vitellogenins and crystallins was modulated by COC and both its main metabolites, while only BE and EME altered proteins related to lipid and energy metabolism, as well as to oxidative stress response. Our data confirmed the potential toxicity of low concentrations of COC, BE and EME, and helped to shed light on their MoA on an aquatic vertebrate during early developmental period.

Increased synthetic chemical production and diversification in developing countries caused serious aquatic pollution worldwide with emerging organic pollutants (EOPs) detected in surface water rising health concerns to human and aquatic ecosystem even at low ng/L concentration with long-term exposure. The Yangtze River Delta (YRD) area serves agriculture and industry for people in eastern China. However, the current knowledge on the occurrence and ecological risk of diverse EOPs which are present in the aquatic environment is limited. This study was to investigate the complexity and diversity of EOPs in surface water from 28 sampling sites, which were selected to represent urban, industrial or agriculture areas in the YRD area. In total 484 chemicals were analyze by a target screening approach using liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS/MS). 181 out of 484 EOPs were detected at least one site in the YRD area, and 44 analytes, mostly industrial chemicals and pesticides, were ubiquitous at all sampling sites. Most EOPs were industrial chemicals with 1H-benzotriazole and organophosphate flame retardants (PFRs) as the chemicals with highest concentrations. For 21 pesticides, mostly herbicides, maximum concentrations of atrazine and isoproturon were above the annual average environmental quality standards of Europe. Amantadine and DEET were the dominant pharmceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in the YRD area. Compared to urban areas (mostly in Qinhuai River), chemical profiles from industrial areas were more complex. Industrial activities likely have a strong impact on the composition of chemical mixtures in surface water from the YRD area. ISO E Super, 4-methylbenzylidene camphor and clotrimazole detected in this study are potentially persistent and bioaccumulative chemicals. Furthermore, results of risk assessment showed that hazard quotients of dimethyldioctadecylammonium, didecyldimethylammonium and octocrylene were higher than one and occur frequently, which indicates possibly adverse effects on fish species in the YRD area.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and their hydroxylated (OH) and methoxylated (MeO) structural analogues have been found widely distributed in aquatic ecosystems, and may exhibit potential adverse effects to humans due to their bioaccumulative behavior through food chain. Fishmeal is an important animal feed applied around the world and is generally of marine origin. However, the levels and sources of PBDEs in fishmeal have not been thoroughly evaluated and their structural analogues have not been reported to date. The present study collected ninety-two fishmeal samples from world main fishmeal producing area to determine 27 PBDEs, 10 MeO-PBDEs and 11 OH-PBDEs. The concentrations of Σ₂₇PBDEs, Σ₁₀MeO-PBDEs and Σ₁₁OH-PBDEs were in the ranges of 0.1–1498 (mean: 75.8), 1.14–881 (37.4) and 1.00–47.5 (8.17) ng/g lipid, respectively. PBDEs were found primarily correlated with the historically commercial production, meaning higher production of certain commercial product in a country, higher corresponding PBDE congeners in local fishmeal. A market shift from penta- and octa-formulations toward deca-formulation was observed. BDE209 was identified as a major congener in fishmeal. Both the MeO-PBDEs and the OH-PBDEs were influenced by fishmeal producing areas (p < 0.001). High MeO-PBDEs were identified in the Southeast Asian fishmeal, which might be due to the suitable environmental conditions for the generation of bromoperoxidase-contained algae in local area. The ratio of two major MeO-PBDE congeners, 6-MeO-BDE47/2′-MeO-BDE68, were generally >1 in the northern hemisphere and <1 in the southern hemisphere in the present study, which was consistent with the results obtained from previous published papers. Both MeO-PBDEs and OH-PBDEs were in accordance with the specialties of naturally produced halogenated compounds.

During the last several decades, persistent organic pollutants and metals cause great concern for their toxicity in organisms as well as for their bioaccumulation and/or trophic transfer through the food chains in ecosystems. A large number of studies therefore have focused on the trophic levels of organisms to illustrate food web structure, as a critical component in the study of pollutant dynamics and biomagnification. The trends in biomagnification of pollutants in food webs indeed provide fundamental information about the properties and fates of pollutants in ecosystems. The trophic magnification supports the establishment of a reliable trophic structure, which can further aid the understanding of the transport and exposure routes of contaminants in accumulation and risk assessments. Recently, efforts to interpret the food web structure using carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios have contributed to better understanding of the fate of pollutants in the ecosystem. However, it is known that this isotope analysis of bulk ones has many weaknesses, particularly for uncertainties on the estimate of trophic levels and therefore of magnification factors for studied organisms, enough to support a regulatory interpretation. In this review, we collate studies that investigated biomagnification characteristics of pollutants in aquatic ecosystems, along with calculated trophic magnification factors. Moreover, we introduce a novel approach, compound-specific stable isotope analysis of nitrogen in amino acids, to establish reliable food web structures and accurate trophic levels for biomagnification studies. This method promises to provide sound results for interpreting the influence of the pollutant in organisms, along with their bioaccumulation and magnification characteristics, as well as that in ecosystem.

The increased use of pesticides during recent years necessitates a reevaluation of the effect of those compounds by extending the range of nontarget species commonly used in risk assessment. In the present work, we thus determined the impact of the pesticides glyphosate, carbendazim, and malathion on the parasite Chordodes nobilii in both natural and reconstituted freshwater as the assay medium and tested the sensitivity of three of this species's ecologically relevant parameters—e. g., embryo nonviablity and the infective capability of larvae exposed for 48 or 96 h either in ovo or after hatching via the infection index mean abundance—to compare those parameters to data from previous trials with reconstituted freshwater. In natural-freshwater assays, at environmentally relevant concentrations, all three pesticides inhibited the preparasitic-stage endpoints; with carbendazim being the most toxic pesticide and the subsequent infectivity of larvae exposed in ovo the most sensitive endpoint. In general, the 50%-inhibitory concentrations assayed in reconstituted freshwater were higher than those obtained in natural freshwater, indicating a certain protective effect; whereas the maximal toxicity of the three pesticides in both aqueous environments was essentially similar. The sensitivity of C. nobilii to these agents demonstrated that this species is one of the most susceptible to toxicity by all three pesticides. These findings with the assay methodology provide relevant information for a future assessment of the risk of toxicity to aquatic ecosystems and furthermore underscore the need to include parasitic organisms among the nontarget species canvassed. We also recommend that in the bioassays in which the risk assessment is carried out, water from a nontarget species's natural environment be used in parallel in order to obtain more conclusive results.

The increased release and accumulation of Bisphenol A (BPA) in contaminated wastewater has resulted in the world wide concerns because of its potential negative effects on human health and aquatic ecosystems. Starting with metal-organic frameworks, we present a simple method to synthesize magnetic porous microcubes (N-doped Fe⁰/Fe₃C@C) with graphitized shell and highly dispersed active kernel via the pyrolysis process under N₂ atmosphere. Batch adsorption experimental results showed that N-doped Fe⁰/Fe₃C@C had high adsorption capacity for BPA (∼138 mg g⁻¹ at pH = 7 and 298 K). Degradation of BPA adsorbed on N-doped Fe⁰/Fe₃C@C was further investigated as a function of BPA concentration, persulfate amount, temperature and solution pH. It was found that potassium peroxodisulfate could be activated by N-doped Fe⁰/Fe₃C@C, and a large number of free radicals were generated which was crucial for the degradation of BPA. The concentration of BPA was barely changed in the individual persulfate system. BPA (10 mg L⁻¹) was almost completely degraded within 60 min in the presence of N-doped Fe⁰/Fe₃C@C (∼0.2 g L⁻¹). When the BPA content increased to 25 mg L⁻¹, the removal efficiency of BPA achieved to 98.4% after 150 min. From the XRD, Raman, and XPS analysis, the main adsorption mechanism of BPA was π-π interactions between the π orbital on the carbon basal planes and the electronic density in the BPA aromatic rings. While the superior degradation was attributed to the radical generation and evolution in phenol oxidation. This work not only proved the potential application of N-doped Fe⁰/Fe₃C@C in the adsorption and degradation of BPA, but also opened the new possibilities to eliminate organic pollutants using this kind of magnetic materials in organic pollutants’ cleanup.