Potentially toxic elements (PTEs) are of major concern due to their high persistence and toxicity. Recently, rare earth elements (REEs) concentration in aquatic ecosystems has been increasing due to their application in modern technologies. Thus, this work aimed to study, for the first time, the influence of REEs (lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium and yttrium) and of salinity (10 and 30) on the removal of PTEs (Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni and Pb) from contaminated waters by living macroalgae (Fucus spiralis, Fucus vesiculosus, Gracilaria sp., Osmundea pinnatifida, Ulva intestinalis and Ulva lactuca). Experiments ran for 168 h, with each macroalga exposed to saline water spiked with the six PTEs and with the six PTEs plus nine REEs (all at 1 μmol L⁻¹) at both salinities. Results showed that all species have high affinity with Hg (90–99% of removal), not being affected neither by salinity changes nor by the presence of other PTEs or REEs. Cd showed the lowest affinity to most macroalgae, with residual concentrations in water varying between 50 and 108 μg L⁻¹, while Pb removal always increased with salinity decline (up to 80% at salinity 10). REEs influence was clearer at salinity 30, and mainly for Pb. No substantial changes were observed in Ni and Hg sorption. For the remaining elements, the effect of REEs varied among algae species. Overall, the results highlight the role of marine macroalgae as living biofilters (particularly U. lactuca), capable of lowering the levels of top priority hazardous substances (particularly Hg) and other PTEs in water, even in the presence of the new emerging contaminants - REEs. Differences in removal efficiency between elements and macroalgae are explained by the contaminant chemistry in water and by macroalgae characteristics.

Samples of dried marine macroalgae (Fucus serratus, Palmaria palmata and Ulva lactuca) have been analysed for trace elements by a novel, non-destructive approach involving a Niton field-portable-X-ray fluorescence (FP-XRF) spectrometer configured in a low density plastics mode with thickness correction. Detection limits for a 200-s counting time ranged from <5 μg g⁻¹ for As and Pb in F. serratus and As in P. palmata to several tens of μg g⁻¹ for Cd, Sb and Sn in all species tested. Arsenic, Cu, Pb and Zn were detected by the XRF in samples collected from a protected beach (n = 18) and in samples therefrom that had been exposed to additional aqueous elements in combination (n = 72) with concentrations returned (in μg g⁻¹) ranging from 3.9 to 39.7 for As, 13.0 to 307 for Cu, 6.1 to 14.7 for Pb and 12.5 to 522 for Zn. Independent measurements of trace elements in the macroalgae by ICP-MS following nitric acid digestion revealed a direct and significant proportionality with concentrations returned by the XRF, with slopes of the XRF-ICP relationships (As = 1.0; Cu = 2.3; Pb = 2.4; Zn = 1.7) that can be used to calibrate the instrument for direct measurements. The approach shows potential for the in situ monitoring of macroalgae in coastal regions that is currently being investigated.

Bismuth is a heavy metal whose biogeochemical behaviour in the marine environment is poorly defined. In this study, we exposed three different species of macroalga (the chlorophyte, Ulva lactuca, the phaeophyte, Fucus vesiculosus, and the rhodophyte, Chondrus crispus) to different concentrations of Bi (up to 50 μg L⁻¹) under controlled, laboratory conditions. After a period of 48-h, the phytotoxicity of Bi was measured in terms of chlorophyll fluorescence quenching, and adsorption and internalisation of Bi determined by ICP after EDTA extraction and acid digestion, respectively. For all algae, both the internalisation and total accumulation of Bi were proportional to the concentration of aqueous metal. Total accumulation followed the order: F. vesiculosus > C. crispus > U. lactuca; with respective accumulation factors of about 4200, 1700 and 600 L kg⁻¹. Greatest internalisation (about 33% of total accumulated Bi) was exhibited by C. crispus, the only macroalga to display a phytotoxic response in the exposures. A comparison of the present results with those reported in the literature suggests that Bi accumulation by macroalgae is significantly lower than its accumulation by marine plankton (volume concentration factors of 10⁵ to 10⁷), and that the phytotoxicity of Bi is low relative to other heavy metals like Ag and Tl.

We investigated how elevated CO₂ affects the responses of Gracilariopsis lemaneiformis and Ulva lactuca to NH₄⁺ enrichments. All algae were incubated under four nutritional conditions (zero addition, 100, 500, and 2500 μM NH₄⁺), and two CO₂ levels (390 ppm and 1000 ppm). The growth, photosynthesis, and soluble protein contents of both species increased under the eutrophication condition (100 μM NH₄⁺). However, the growth and carotenoid contents of the two species declined when NH₄⁺ concentration increased. Under the super eutrophication condition (2500 μM NH₄⁺), all indexes measured in G. lemaneiformis were suppressed, while the growth and photosynthesis in U. lactuca changed indistinctively, both compared with the control. Moreover, under the super eutrophication condition, elevated CO₂ reduced the suppression in the growth of G. lemaneiformis, but decreased the growth of U. lactuca. Nonetheless, G. lemaneiformis displayed much lower growth rates than U. lactuca under the super eutrophication and elevated CO₂ condition.

Fossil fuels, e.g. gasoline and diesel oil, account for substantial share of the pollution that affects marine ecosystems. Environmental metabolomics is an emerging field that may help unravel the effect of these xenobiotics on seaweeds and provide methodologies for biomonitoring coastal ecosystems. In the present study, FTIR and multivariate analysis were used to discriminate metabolic profiles of Ulva lactuca after in vitro exposure to diesel oil and gasoline, in combinations of concentrations (0.001%, 0.01%, 0.1%, and 1.0% - v/v) and times of exposure (30min, 1h, 12h, and 24h). PCA and HCA performed on entire mid-infrared spectral window were able to discriminate diesel oil-exposed thalli from the gasoline-exposed ones. HCA performed on spectral window related to the protein absorbance (1700–1500cm−1) enabled the best discrimination between gasoline-exposed samples regarding the time of exposure, and between diesel oil-exposed samples according to the concentration. The results indicate that the combination of FTIR with multivariate analysis is a simple and efficient methodology for metabolic profiling with potential use for biomonitoring strategies.

The Bosphorus Strait is a dynamic and complex system. Recent evidences showed nitrogen and heavy metal concentrations to follow opposite patterns across the Strait, suggesting a complex spatial organisation of the anthropogenic disturbance in this system. Here, we provide isotopic information on the origin and transportation of dissolved nitrogen along the Bosphorus. C and N isotopic and elemental analyses were performed on specimens of Ulva lactuca and associated epiphytes sampled in five locations across the Strait. Variations in C and N isotopic signatures were observed in U. lactuca, pointing to a decrease in the availability of anthropogenic organic dissolved nitrogen along a north-south direction. Conversely, epiphytes did not show isotopic or elemental patterns across the Strait. These results suggest that preliminary stable isotope surveys in extended costal systems basing on U. lactuca can represent a valuable tool to focus meaningful targets and hypotheses for pollution studies in the Mediterranean region.

Antibiotic use is a well-described practice to promote animal health whether for prevention or treatment. Nonetheless, it can also cause a number of potentially harmful effects that dictate the need to implement regulation to assure a reduction of hazards to the consumers and the environment. Chloramphenicol (CAP) is a broad-spectrum antibacterial excluded from use in animal food production but despite this, reports of illegal use still persist. More recently, awareness has risen that the surrounding natural ecosystems can potentially be contaminated by pharmaceuticals and the extent of their effects in non-target organisms is already under the scope of researchers. To face the demanding new challenges a methodology for the determination of CAP in the green macroalgae Ulva lactuca by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) was developed, optimized and fully validated following the guidelines of the EC Decision 2002/657.

Urbanization leads to the expansion of ephemeral seaweed species and the decline of important perennial, canopy-forming seaweed species. Understanding the mechanisms that lead to these changes is a current challenge. In the present study, laboratory assays and field transplantations were performed with two seaweed species: the perennial, canopy-forming seaweed Sargassum stenophyllum and the ephemeral seaweed Ulva lactuca. Photosynthetic efficiency was assessed using modulated chlorophyll fluorometry. Brief exposure to urban waters does not appear to be a major stressor to the photosynthetic efficiency of either species. However, after 26days of transplantation in urban waters, S. stenophyllum declined, whereas U. lactuca had enhanced photosynthetic efficiency. This difference reflects their divergent abilities to regulate the energy distribution at the PSII and shows that urban stressors alter these mechanisms. Our results provide evidence of the physiological causes for the decline of Sargassum species and the expansion of Ulva species in impacted urban areas.

Biodegradation of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) by marine bacteria is a sustainable approach that leads to the production of different by-products but their toxicity needs to be evaluated. In the present study, polyvinyl chloride degradation products (PVCDP) produced by three marine bacterial isolates (T-1.3, BP-4.3 and S-237) in the culture supernatant were evaluated for toxicity on the germination of Vigna radiata and growth of Ulva lactuca. A total of 24 compounds comprising of benzene, fatty acid, ether, ester and plastic stabilizer (tris (2, 4-di-tert-butylphenyl) phosphate) were identified by GC–MS using diethyl ether solvent extraction from the supernatant. The per cent germination rate of the seed treated with PVCDP showed no significant effect but germination index and elongation inhibition rate were influenced significantly by PVCDP treatments. In seaweed (U. lactuca), PVCDP showed improvement in the daily growth rate. After ten days of treatment with PVCDP, pigment contents were improved in seaweed and PVCDP (2%) of isolate T-1.3 recorded the highest chlorophyll-a and chlorophyll-b.

Outdoor mesocosms with constantly flowing natural seawater were used to test the effects of littered cigarette butts on the filter feeder Mytilus edulis (blue mussel), the macroalga, Ulva lactuca (sea lettuce) and sediment microphytobenthos in a semi-natural marine setting. Either conventional, cellulose acetate, or biodegradable, cellulose, smoked cigarette butts were added at densities of 0.25 or 1 butt L⁻¹. The clearance rates of mussels exposed to 1 butt L⁻¹ of cellulose acetate butts were three times less than the controls. The growth of U. lactuca was not measurably affected by cigarette butts, however the sediment chlorophyll content was significantly less in mesocosms exposed to 0.25 and 1 butt L⁻¹ of cellulose acetate butts. These effects occurred despite constant replacement of seawater indicating how hazardous conventional cigarette butts are to marine life. Biodegradable cellulose cigarette butts had minimal effects on the measured variables but should still not be discarded as litter.