Facing billions of tons of pollutants entering the ocean each year, aquatic toxicity is becoming a crucial endpoint for evaluating chemical adverse effects on ecosystems. Notably, huge amount of toxic chemicals at environmental relevant doses can cause potential adverse effects. However, chronic aquatic toxicity effects of chemicals are much scarcer, especially at population level. Rotifers are highly sensitive to toxicants even at chronic low-doses and their communities are usually considered as effective indicators for assessing the status of aquatic ecosystems. Therefore, the no observed effect concentration (NOEC) for population abundance of rotifers were selected as endpoints to develop machine learning models for the prediction of chemical aquatic chronic toxicity. In this study, forty-eight binary models were built by eight types of chemical descriptors combined with six machine learning algorithms. The best binary model was 1D & 2D molecular descriptors – random trees model (RT) with high balanced accuracy (BA) (0.83 for training and 0.83 for validation set), and Matthews correlation coefficient (MCC) (0.72 for training set and 0.67 for validation set). Moreover, the optimal model identified the primary factors (SpMAD_Dzp, AMW, MATS2v) and filtered out three high alerting substructures [c1cc(Cl)cc1, CNCO, CCOP(=S)(OCC)O] influencing the chronic aquatic toxicity. These results showed that the compounds with low molecular volume, high polarity and molecular weight could contribute to adverse effects on rotifers, facilitating the deeper understanding of chronic toxicity mechanisms. In addition, forecast models had better performances than the common models embedded into ECOSAR software. This study provided insights into structural features responsible for the toxicity of different groups of chemicals and thereby allowed for the rational design of green and safer alternatives.

Because of environmental and societal concerns, new strategies are being developed to mitigate the effects of road salt. These include new deicers that are alternatives to or mixtures with the most common road salt, sodium chloride (NaCl), improved techniques and equipment, and biotic mitigation methods. Using outdoor mesocosms, we investigated the impacts of NaCl and two common alternatives, magnesium chloride (MgCl₂) and calcium chloride (CaCl₂) on freshwater communities. We also investigated the mitigation ability of a common macrophyte, Elodea. We hypothesized that road salt exposure reduces filamentous algae, zooplankton, and macrocrustaceans, but results in increases in phytoplankton and gastropods. We also hypothesized that MgCl₂ is the most toxic salt to communities, followed by CaCl₂, and then NaCl. Lastly, we hypothesized that macrophytes mitigate some of the effects of road salt, specifically the effects on primary producers. We found that all three salts reduced filamentous algal biomass and amphipod abundance, but only MgCl₂ reduced Elodea biomass. MgCl₂ had the largest and longest lasting effects on zooplankton, specifically cladocerans and copepods, which resulted in a significant increase in phytoplankton and rotifers. CaCl₂ increased ostracods and decreased snail abundance, but NaCl increased snail abundance. Lastly, while we did not find many interactions between road salt and macrophyte treatments, macrophytes did counteract many of the salt effects on producers, leading to decreased phytoplankton, increased filamentous algae, and altered abiotic responses. Thus, at similar chloride concentrations, NaCl alternatives, specifically MgCl₂, are not safer for aquatic ecosystems and more research is needed to find safer road management strategies to protect freshwater ecosystems.

Using the marine rotifer Brachionus plicatilis acute toxicity tests, we estimated the toxicity of Corexit 9500A®, propylene glycol, and Macondo oil. Ratios of 1:10, 1:50 and 1:130 for Corexit 9500A®:Macondo oil mixture represent: maximum exposure concentrations, recommended ratios for deploying Corexit (1:10–1:50), 1:130 the actual dispersant:oil ratio used in the Deep Water Horizon spill. Corexit 9500A® and oil are similar in their toxicity. However, when Corexit 9500A® and oil are mixed, toxicity to B. manjavacas increases up to 52-fold. Extrapolating these results to the oil released by the Macondo well, suggests underestimation of increased toxicity from Corexit application. We found small differences in sensitivity among species of the B. plicatilis species complex, likely reflecting phylogenetic similarity. Just 2.6% of the water-accommodated fraction of oil inhibited rotifer cyst hatching by 50%, an ecologically significant result because rotifer cyst in sediments are critical resources for the recolonization of populations each Spring.

The acute and chronic effects of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) on the rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus (B. calyciflorus) were investigated at the organismal and the population level. The acute toxicity of PFOS to rotifers was approximately 2.5-fold greater than that of PFOA. From 0.25 to 2.0 mg L−1, PFOS exhibited higher toxicity than PFOA on the F0-generation of B. calyciflorus, including effects on body size, juvenile periods, net reproductive rate, and generation time. Both PFOS and PFOA exposure induced a smaller egg size in B. calyciflorus, suggesting that these risks can be transferred from mother to offspring. The 28-day population growth studies showed that PFOS and PFOA reduced the population density and increased the mictic ratio. Our results demonstrated that both PFOS and PFOA had adverse effects on B. calyciflorus, not only at the individual level but also at the population level.

The toxicity of atmospheric fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in Atlanta is assessed using freshwater rotifers (Brachionus calyciflorus). The PM-laden quartz filters were extracted in both water and methanol. Aerosol extracts were passed through a C-18 column to separate the PM components into hydrophobic and hydrophilic fractions. Toxicity data reported in the units of LC50 (concentration that kills 50% of the test population in 24 h) shows that ambient particles are toxic to the rotifers with LC50 values ranging from 5 to 400 μg of PM. The methanol extract of the aerosols was substantially more toxic (8 ± 6 times) to the rotifers compared to the water extracts. A sizeable fraction (>70%) of toxicity was found to be associated with the hydrophobic fraction of PM. However, none of the bulk aerosol species was strongly correlated with the LC50 values suggesting a complicated mechanism of toxicity probably involving synergistic interactions of various PM components.

DNA metabarcoding can provide a high-throughput and rapid method for characterizing responses of communities to environmental stressors. However, within bulk samples, DNA metabarcoding hardly distinguishes live from the dead organisms. Here, both DNA and RNA metabarcoding were applied and compared in experimental freshwater mesocosms conducted for assessment of ecotoxicological responses of zooplankton communities to remediation treatment until 38 days post oil-spill. Furthermore, a novel indicator of normalized vitality (NV), sequence counts of RNA metabarcoding normalized by that of DNA metabarcoding, was developed for assessment of ecological responses. DNA and RNA metabarcoding detected similar taxa richness and rank of relative abundances. Both DNA and RNA metabarcoding demonstrated slight shifts in measured α-diversities in response to treatments. NV presented relatively greater magnitudes of differential responses of community compositions to treatments compared to DNA or RNA metabarcoding. NV declined from the start of the experiment (3 days pre-spill) to the end (38 days post-spill). NV also differed between Rotifer and Arthropoda, possibly due to differential life histories and sizes of organisms. NV could be a useful indicator for characterizing ecological responses to anthropogenic influence; however, the biology of target organisms and subsequent RNA production need to be considered.

Aquatic organisms that inhabit coastal environments are generally exposed to multiple mixtures of chemicals. The single and mixture toxicity of nine trace metals (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn) to the rotifer Proales similis were examined at four different salinities (5, 15, 25, and 35 ppt). Chronic toxicity reproductive tests were performed using an application factor (AF) of 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, and 0.4 by multiplying the 24-h LC₅₀ values of each metal. The metal mixture treatments were: T1, As–Cd–Cr–Cu–Fe–Hg–Ni–Pb–Zn; T2, As–Cd–Hg–Pb and; T3, Cr–Cu–Fe–Ni–Zn. The LC₅₀ values ranged between 5 and 4140 μg L⁻¹ in the following order: Hg > Cu > Fe > Pb > Cd > Zn > As > Cr > Ni in low salinity and Hg > Cu > Fe > Pb > Zn > As > Cd > Cr > Ni in high salinity conditions. In all cases, acute toxicity was higher at a salinity of 5 ppt compared to 35 ppt. Chronic toxicity tests indicated that single metal toxicity intensified as the AF increased and as salinity decreased. Regardless of salinity, Pb at 0.4 AF was the most toxic metal. Proales similis evidenced a higher growth in the As treatments (0.1 and 0.2 AF) at 35 ppt compared to controls. Furthemore, the T1 and T2 treatments were the most toxic, and in most cases, they induced a synergistic effect. Antagonism effects were detected in the T3 treatment at 25 and 35 ppt. The present data highlights the importance of the examination of pollution in natural environmental conditions in which many aquatic invertebrates endure.

The focus of the present study was to find the relationship between concentrations of bisphenol A (BPA), 4-tert-octylphenol (OP) and 4-nonylphenol (NP) in zooplankton and seasonal changes in the composition and biomass of particular zooplankton taxa in the Gulf of Gdansk (Southern Baltic) in the years 2011–2012. Assays of BPA, OP and NP in water and zooplankton samples were performed using the HPLC/FL system. High mean concentrations of the studied compounds, determined in spring (405.9 (BPA); 25.7 (OP); 111.2 (NP) ng g−1 dw), can be linked to the high proportion of meroplankton in that season. Rotifera also had an influence on the rise in concentrations of the studied compounds but to a lesser degree, while the lowest concentrations (determined in summer) can be associated with the high participation of Copepoda and Cladocera in zooplankton biomass. It was also observed that juvenile forms can be more susceptible to accumulating endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs). This is indicated by the positive correlation between BPA concentration in zooplankton and the proportion of Copepoda nauplii biomass in spring (r = 0.90; p < 0.05). In most cases, greater zooplankton biomass accumulated higher concentrations and loads of the studied compounds. With biomass growth (to 123.32 μg m−3), the bioconcentration factor also rose (to max 46.1·103), demonstrating that unlike typical hydrophobic compounds the studied EDCs do not become “diluted” in zooplankton biomass. The highest BPA concentrations from all compounds may be connected with anthropogenic sources located in the coastal zone.

The wide ecological relevance of lipid homeostasis modulators in the environment has been increasingly acknowledged. Tributyltin (TBT), for instance, was shown to cause lipid modulation, not only in mammals, but also in fish, molluscs, arthropods and rotifers. In vertebrates, TBT is known to interact with a nuclear receptor heterodimer module, formed by the retinoid X receptor (RXR) and the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR). These modulate the expression of genes involved in lipid homeostasis. In the present work, we isolated for the first time the complete coding region of the Echinodermata (Paracentrotus lividus) gene orthologues of PPAR and RXR and evaluated the ability of a model lipid homeostasis modulator, TBT, to interfere with the lipid metabolism in this species. Our results demonstrate that TBT alters the gonadal fatty acid composition and gene expression patterns: yielding sex-specific responses in fatty acid levels, including the decrease of eicosapentaenoic acid (C20:5 n-3, EPA) in males, and increase of arachidonic acid (20:4n-6, ARA) in females, and upregulation of long-chain acyl-CoA synthetase (acsl), ppar and rxr. Furthermore, an in vitro test using COS-1 cells as host and chimeric receptors with the ligand binding domain (LBD) of P. lividus PPAR and RXR shows that organotins (TBT and TPT (Triphenyltin)) suppressed activity of the heterodimer PPAR/RXR in a concentration-dependent manner. Together, these results suggest that TBT acts as a lipid homeostasis modulator at environmentally relevant concentrations in Echinodermata and highlight a possible conserved mode of action via the PPAR/RXR heterodimer.

Following the recent progress in magnetic nanotechnology, concern over the optimal benefits and potential risks of iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe NPs), has increased. Hence, to minimize the negative impacts of inorganic Fe NPs, we report the phyco-synthesis and characterization of superparamagnetic Fe3O4 NPs via reduction of ferric/ferrous chloride solution (2:1 M ratio; 88 °C) with green macroalga, Ulva flexuosa (wulfen) J.Agardh aqueous extract. The biogenic process is clean, eco-friendly, rapid, and facile to handle. These green fabricated magnetite NPs are characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), particle size analysers (PSA), zeta potential (ZP) measurement, and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM) techniques. The results confirmed that the cubo-spherical, polydisperse of biosynthesized Fe3O4 NPs with an average diameter of 12.3 nm was formed. The antagonistic effects of algal extract, chemo-route and U. flexuosa-derived Fe3O4 MgNPs on selective human pathogenic microbes (i.e. n = 11) resulted in strong antibacterial and moderate antifungal activity. The comparative toxic and reproductive effects of the chemo- and bio-routes of Fe3O4-MgNPs against rotifer B. rotundiformis exhibited low acute toxicity with a lower inducing effect of biogenic nano-magnetite on reduction rotifer reproductive rate than its chemogenic counterpart. In view of the nanoecotoxicity, though the current study covered a wide range of exposure concentrations (10-500 mg/L) of organic and inorganic nano sizes of Fe3O4 in brackish water rotifer, a biotoxicity assay at higher dosage or a comprehensive risk assessment in different aqua-organisms is recommended.