International audience | Metals are naturally present in freshwater ecosystems but anthropogenic activities like mining operations represent a long-standing concern. Metals released into aquatic environments may affect microbial communities such as periphytic biofilm, which plays a key role as a primary producer in stream ecosystems. Using two 28-day microcosm studies involving two different photoperiods (light/dark cycle of 16/8 vs 8/16), the present study assessed the effects of four increasing nickel (Ni) concentrations (0-6 mu M) on two natural biofilm communities collected at different seasons (summer and winter). The two communities were characterized by different structural profiles and showed significant differences in Ni accumulated content for each treatment. For instance, the biofilm metal content was four times higher in the case of summer biofilm at the highest Ni treatment and after 28 days of exposure. Biomarkers examined targeted both heterotrophic and autotrophic organisms. For heterotrophs, the 8-glucosidase and 8-glucosaminidase showed no marked effects of Ni exposure and were globally similar between the two communities suggesting low toxicity. However, the photosynthetic yield confirmed the toxicity of Ni on autotrophs with maximum inhibition of 81 +/- 7% and 60 +/- 1% respectively for the summer and winter biofilms. Furthermore, biofilms previously exposed to the highest long-term Ni con-centration ([Ni2+] = 6 mu M) revealed no acute effects in subsequent toxicity based on the PSII yield, suggesting a tolerance acquisition by the phototrophic community. Taken together, the results suggest that the biofilm response to Ni exposure was dependent of the function considered and that descriptors such as biofilm metal content could be seasonally dependent, information of great importance in a context of biomonitoring.

Artificial light at night (ALAN) exposes us to prolonged illumination, that adversely affects female reproduction. However, it remains to be clarified how prolonged light exposure affects oocyte meiotic maturation and quality. To this end, we exposed female mice to a constant light (CL) of 250 lux for different durations. Our findings showed that CL exposure for 7 weeks reduced the oocyte maturation rate. Meanwhile, CL exposure caused greater abnormalities in spindle assembly and chromosome alignment and a higher rate of oocyte aneuploidy than the regular light dark cycle. CL exposure also induced oxidative stress and caused mitochondrial dysfunction, which resulted in oocyte apoptosis and autophagy. Notably, our results showed that CL exposure reduced the levels of α-tubulin acetylation, DNA methylation at 5 mC, RNA methylation at m⁶A and histone methylation at H3K4me2 but increased the levels of histone methylation at H3K27me2 in oocytes. In summary, our findings demonstrate that constant bright light exposure causes oocyte meiotic defects and reduces cytoplasmic quality. These results extend the current understanding of ALAN-mediated defects in female reproduction.

The increasing use of artificial light at night (ALAN) has led to exposure of freshwater ecosystems to light pollution worldwide. Simultaneously, the spectral composition of nocturnal illumination is changing, following the current shift in outdoor lighting technologies from traditional light sources to light emitting diodes (LED). LEDs emit broad-spectrum white light, with a significant amount of photosynthetically active radiation, and typically a high content of blue light that regulates circadian rhythms in many organisms. While effects of the shift to LED have been investigated in nocturnal animals, its impact on primary producers is unknown. We performed three field experiments in a lowland agricultural drainage ditch to assess the impacts of a transition from high-pressure sodium (HPS) to white LED illumination (color temperature 4000 K) on primary producers in periphyton. In all experiments, we compared biomass and pigment composition of periphyton grown under a natural light regime to that of periphyton exposed to nocturnal HPS or, consecutively, LED light of intensities commonly found in urban waters (approximately 20 lux). Periphyton was collected in time series (1–13 weeks). We found no effect of HPS light on periphyton biomass; however, following a shift to LED the biomass decreased up to 62%. Neither light source had a substantial effect on pigment composition. The contrasting effects of the two light sources on biomass may be explained by differences in their spectral composition, and in particular the blue content. Our results suggest that spectral composition of the light source plays a role in determining the impacts of ALAN on periphyton and that the ongoing transition to LED may increase the ecological impacts of artificial lighting on aquatic primary producers. Reduced biomass in the base of the food web can impact ecosystem functions such as productivity and food supply for higher trophic levels in nocturnally-lit ecosystems.

The increase of global light emissions in recent years has highlighted the need for urgent evaluation of their impacts on the behaviour, ecology and physiology of organisms. Numerous species exhibit daily cycles or strong scototaxic behaviours that could potentially be influenced if natural lighting conditions or cycles are disrupted. Artificial Light Pollution at Night (ALAN) stands for situations where artificial light alters natural light-dark cycles, as well as light intensities and wavelengths. ALAN is increasingly recognized as a potential threat to biodiversity, mainly because a growing number of studies are demonstrating its influence on animal behaviour, migration, reproduction and biological interactions. Most of these studies have focused on terrestrial organisms and ecosystems with studies on the effects of ALAN on marine ecosystems being more occasional. However, with the increasing human use and development of the coastal zone, organisms that inhabit shallow coastal or intertidal systems could be at increasing risk from ALAN. In this study we measured the levels of artificial light intensity in the field and used these levels to conduct experimental trials to determine the impact of ALAN on an intertidal fish. Specifically, we measured ALAN effects on physiological performance (oxygen consumption) and behaviour (activity patterns) of “Baunco” the rockfish Girella laevifrons, one of the most abundant and ecologically important intertidal fish in the Southeastern Pacific littoral. Our results indicated that individuals exposed to ALAN exhibited increased oxygen consumption and activity when compared with control animals. Moreover, those fish exposed to ALAN stopped displaying the natural (circatidal and circadian) activity cycles that were observed in control fish throughout the experiment. These changes in physiological function and behaviour could have serious implications for the long-term sustainability of fish populations and indirect impacts on intertidal communities in areas affected by ALAN.

Artificial light at night (ALAN) is spreading worldwide and thereby is increasingly interfering with natural dark-light cycles. Meanwhile, effects of very low intensities of light pollution on animals have rarely been investigated. We explored the effects of low intensity ALAN over seven months in eight experimental bank vole (Myodes glareolus) populations in large grassland enclosures over winter and early breeding season, using LED garden lamps. Initial populations consisted of eight individuals (32 animals per hectare) in enclosures with or without ALAN. We found that bank voles under ALAN experienced changes in daily activity patterns and space use behavior, measured by automated radiotelemetry. There were no differences in survival and body mass, measured with live trapping, and none in levels of fecal glucocorticoid metabolites. Voles in the ALAN treatment showed higher activity at night during half moon, and had larger day ranges during new moon. Thus, even low levels of light pollution as experienced in remote areas or by sky glow can lead to changes in animal behavior and could have consequences for species interactions.

Ocean acidification is known to affect primary producers differentially in terms of species and environmental conditions, with controversial results obtained under different experimental setups. In this work we examined the physiological performances of the coccolithophore Gephyrocapsa oceanica that had been acclimated to 1000 μatm CO₂ for ~400 generations, and then exposed to multiple drivers, light intensity, light fluctuating frequency, temperature and UV radiation. Here, we show that increasing light intensity resulted in higher non-photochemical quenching and the effective absorption cross-section of PSII. The effective photochemical efficiency (Fv′/Fm′) decreased with increased levels of light, which was counterbalanced by fluctuating light regimes. The greenhouse condition acts synergistically with decreasing fluctuating light frequency to increase the Fv′/Fm′ and photosynthetic carbon fixation rate. Our data suggest that the coccolithophorid would be more stressed with increased exposures to solar UV irradiances, though its photosynthetic carbon fixation could be enhanced under the greenhouse condition.

Oil and gas exploration and marine transport in the Arctic region have put the focus on the ecological risk of the possibly exposed organisms. In the present study, the impacts of sea ice, extreme light regime, various polar region-specific physiological characteristics in polar cod (Boreogadus saida) and their effects on xenobiotic distribution and metabolism are studied. A Bayesian belief network is used to model individual fish toxicity. The enzyme activity in the fish liver and other pertinent organs is used as a proxy for cellular damage and repair and is subsequently linked to toxicity in polar cod. Seasonal baseline variation in enzyme production is also taken into consideration. The model estimates the probability of exposure concentration to cause cytotoxicity and circumvents the need to use the traditionally obtained No Observed Effect Concentration (NOEC). Instead, it uses biotransformation enzyme activity as a basis to estimate the probability of individual cell damages.

In this paper we determine whether a realistic mixture of hydrophobic chemicals affects the growth dynamics of a marine diatom and how this effect compares to the effect of temperature, light regime and nutrient conditions. To do so, we examine the specific growth rate of Phaeodactylum tricornutum in a 72h algal growth inhibition test using a full factorial design with three nutrient regimes, two test temperatures, three light intensities and three chemical exposures. Passive samplers were used to achieve exposure to realistic mixtures of organic chemicals close to ambient concentrations. Nutrient regime, temperature and time interval (24, 48 and 72h) explained 85% of the observed variability in the experimental data. The variability explained by chemical exposure was about 1%. Overall, ambient concentrations of hydrophobic compounds present in Belgian coastal waters, and for which the passive samplers have affinity, are too low to affect the intrinsic growth rate of P. tricornutum.

The sun is the primary source of life on the earth. The heating effect of the sun provides a more fruitful environment for mankind. In addition, solar energy in the form of thermal radiation has been utilized for solar thermal applications and space heating. With abundant solar radiation, the emergence of the solar desalination has been emerged as a viable solution for water purification by utilizing solar stills. However, solar-powered distillation is relatively a slow process due to the requirement of bulk heating. To suppress thermal conduction to bulk water, various photothermal materials were employed. However, there are many governing parameters which influence the productivity, including solar intensity, cloud, wind, ambient air temperature, humidity, solar absorption of blackened surface, depth of bulk water, feed water type, angle of condensation surface, water film thickness, underneath the condensing surface, and experiment period. Further, systematic and continuous experiments for extended periods are essential for determining the stability and durability of a solar desalination system. The main objective of this article is to review all the experimental studies conducted for two months at minimum up to 1-year duration. In addition, all the SDSs handled in this study further were examined by solar geometrical factors, including day length (DL) and position of the sun or zenith angle (θz). As a result, the sunshine hours, day length, and the solar zenith angle play an important role in the water evaporation rate. Lower solar zenith angle and longer day length (more sunshine hours) are desirable for higher water productivity.

Permafrost thaw is expected to alter biogeochemistry and hydrology, potentially increasing the mobility of soil constituents. Northern latitude boreal forests where permafrost thaw is occurring also experience extreme changes in day length during the growing season. As the effects of photoperiod on plant uptake of soil constituents or interactions with the rhizosphere are unknown, our objective was to determine these interactions with three plant species from different functional groups. A tree, forb, and grass common to military training ranges in this region were grown in soil spiked with or without lead, antimony, or 2,4-dinitrotoluene and grown under 16, 20, or 24 h of light. Plant biomass, soil constituent uptake, and rhizosphere bacterial communities were compared between treatments. Photoperiod had no effect on plant uptake of any soil constituent or on rhizosphere community, indicating that plants and their associated microbial communities adapted to this environment are resilient to extremes in photoperiod. Lead uptake was not significant in any plant species and had no effect on the rhizosphere. Antimony increased the percentage composition of Saprospirales in the rhizospheres of two of the three plants, indicating an interaction between this bacterial order and antimony. Antimony uptake by white spruce (Picea glauca) was considerable, with a mean concentration of 1731 mg kg⁻¹ in roots, while mean shoot concentration was only 155 mg kg⁻¹, indicating its potential to phytostabilize this heavy metal. Although antimony had the strongest impact on the rhizosphere bacterial community, it was also readily accumulated by the grass and tree.