In Korea, the new permission criteria for industrial effluents based on Daphnia magna acute toxicity tests will be gradually implemented starting from 2011. Thus, in this study, toxicity assessment and identification using a marine species (Tigriopus japonicus) and the freshwater species (D. magna) was comparatively investigated. Effluent from an acid mine drainage treatment plant showed acute toxicity toward both organisms due to low pH, which was removed by neutralization of the effluent. Additionally, evaluation of the effluent of an electronics company revealed that Cu was attributable to the observed toxicity, and the effluent was more toxic toward T. japonicus than D. magna. Moreover, effluents from a metal plating factory were acutely toxic toward D. magna (6.50 TU), while they were not toxic against T. japonicus. Toxicity identification revealed that the high level of Cl⁻ (12,841mgL⁻¹) was the cause of toxicity. Thus, the effluents had no effect on the marine species, T. japonicus. These findings suggest that a marine species rather than a freshwater species is more desirable for toxicity assessment of industrial effluent discharged into the saltwater, and thus should be considered in the legislation of toxicity-based discharge limits in Korea.

Flow cytometry was used to examine immune responses in haemocytes of the green-lipped mussel Perna viridis under six combinations of oxygen level (1.5mg O₂l⁻¹, 6.0mg O₂l⁻¹) and temperature (20°C, 25°C and 30°C) at 24h, 48h, 96h and 168h. The mussels were then transferred to normoxic condition (6.0mg O₂l⁻¹) at 20°C for further 24h to study their recovery from the combined hypoxic and temperature stress. Esterase (Est), reactive oxygen species (ROS), lysosome content (Lyso) and phagocytosis (Pha) were reduced at high temperatures, whereas hypoxia resulted in higher haemocyte mortality (HM) and reduced phagocytosis. For HM and Pha, changes were observed after being exposed to the stresses for 96h, whereas only a 24h period was required for ROS and Lyso, and a 48h one for Est. Recovery from the stresses was observed for HM and Pha but not other immune responses.

The potential of 2,2′,4,4′-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE47) and its related hydroxylated analogs (2′-HO-BDE28, 6-HO-BDE47, 4′-HO-BDE17, and 4′-HO-BDE49) to modulate estrogen/thyroid/androgen receptor-(ER, TR, AR), mediated responses were investigated by use of reporter gene assays. Exposure to 1 or 10μM, 4′-HO-BDE17 significantly up-regulated expression of Luc, whereas other four chemicals did not induce Luc expression under control of the ER. Anti-estrogenic potency was observed for 4′-HO-BDE17 (IC50=1.14μM)>6-HO-BDE47 (IC50=2.65μM)>2′-HO-BDE28 (IC50=9.49μM)>BDE47 (IC50=21.11μM). No anti-estrogenic effect of 4′-HO-BDE49 was observed. Both 4′-HO-BDE17, 4′-HO-BDE49 resulted in greater responses of Luc expression induced by T3. BDE47, 2′-HO-BDE28, 6-HO-BDE47 did not show any effect on the expression of Luc induced by 5nM T3. 6-HO-BDE47 (IC50=0.34μM)>4′-HO-BDE17 (IC50=1.41μM)>BDE47 (IC50=3.83μM)>2′-HO-BDE28 (IC50=29.22μM) exhibited anti-androgenic potency, while 4′-HO-BDE49 did not show androgenic transcriptional activity.

Entanglement with plastic debris is a major cause of mortality in marine taxa, but the population-level consequences are unknown. Some seabirds collect marine debris for nesting material, which may lead to entanglement. Here we investigate the use of plastics as nesting material by northern gannets Morus bassanus and assess the associated levels of mortality. On average gannet nests contained 469.91g (range 0–1293g) of plastic, equating to an estimated colony total of 18.46 tonnes (range 4.47–42.34tonnes). The majority of nesting material was synthetic rope, which appears to be used preferentially. On average 62.85±26.84 (range minima 33–109) birds were entangled each year, totalling 525 individuals over eight years, the majority of which were nestlings. Although mortality rates are high, they are unlikely to have population-level effects. The use of synthetic fibres as nesting material is a common strategy among seabirds, but the impacts of entanglement warrants further investigation.

In recent years, with the development of society and economy of Qingdao, environment and ecosystem problems, for instance, red ties, become more and more serious in Jiaozhou Bay, China, because of the increasing pollutants discharged into it. In order to solve these problems, an eco-hydrodynamic model is constructed to estimate the marine environmental capacity of nitrogen and phosphorus nutrients in Jiaozhou Bay, whose simulation results are rational for the bay. According to the model, if the target is set to achieve water quality (grade II) in Jiaozhou Bay, the environmental capacity of dissolved inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus in one year are approximately 7800 and 840tons, respectively. Thus our research offers necessary scientific foundation to the total loads control efforts in this area.

The objective of this study is to develop the marine medaka Oryzias melastigma as a potential marine fish model for innate immune and immunotoxicological studies. Hepcidin plays an important role in innate immune system. Two hepcidin genes (OM-hep1 and OM-hep2) were identified and characterized in the O. melastigma, which were highly conserved with other reported hepcidins. During embryogenesis, significant elevation of OM-hep1 and OM-hep2 transcripts were coincided with liver development in the embryos. In adult medaka, differential tissue expressions of both hepcidin transcripts were evident: high in liver, moderate in spleen and low in non-immune tissues. After bacterial challenge, the two hepcidin mRNAs were rapidly and remarkably induced in liver and spleen, suggesting the two OM-hepcidins in O. melastigma play a complementary role in innate defense. Gender difference in time of induction and extent of the two hepcidin mRNAs elevation in infected O. melastigma should be considered in immunotoxicological studies.

Rhodococcus sp. P14 was isolated from crude oil-contaminated sediments. This strain was capable of utilizing three to five rings polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) including phenanthrene (Phe), pyrene (Pyr), and benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) as a sole carbon and energy source. After cultivated with 50mg/L of each PAH, strain P14 removed 43% Phe, 34% Pyr and 30% BaP in 30 d. Four different hydroxyphenanthrene products derived from Phe by strain P14 (1,2,3,4-hydroxyphenanthrene) were detected using SPME–GC–MS. Strain P14 also was capable of degrading mineral oil with n-alkanes of C17 to C21 carbon chain length. Compared with glucose-grown cells, PAHs-grown cells had decreased contents of shorter-chain length fatty acids (⩽C16:0), increased contents of C18:0, Me-C19:0 and disappeared odd-number carbon chain fatty acids. The contents of unsaturated C19:1, Me-C19:0 increased and C18:0 decreased in mineral oil-grown cells. At the same time, the strain P14 tended to float when cultivated in mineral oil-supplemented liquid medium. The degradation capability of P14 to alkane and PAHs and its floating characteristics will be very helpful for future’s application in oil-spill bioremediation.

Construction cost (CC) is a quantifiable measure of energy demand for biomass production, and low CC is hypothesized to give an alien plant growth advantages and increase its potential to be an invader. Comparison of leaf CC and growth traits between alien and native mangroves in Shenzhen Futian Nature Reserve showed CC per unit mass (CCₘₐₛₛ), carbon concentration and gross and ash-free caloric values of alien mangroves were significantly lower than those of native species, while the height and chest circumference were just the opposite. Alien species Sonneratia apetala had the lowest CCₘₐₛₛ while Sonneratia caseolaris had the lowest CCₐᵣₑₐ, and were 8.99% and 32.17% lower than those of native species, respectively. Conversely, specific leaf area (SLA) of these two Sonneratia species was significantly higher than native species. Lower CC and higher SLA make the two Sonneratia species grow and spread faster than other mangroves and enhance their invasive potential.

Anthropogenic lead (Pb) inputs to the atmosphere increased greatly over the past century and now dominate Pb supply to the oceans. However, the Pb content of sediments across the equatorial Pacific region is relatively unknown, and data exist only for deep sea sites where Pb deposition lags surface water inputs by up to a century. Here we present ICP-MS analyses of Pb of a core from a lagoon at Palmyra Atoll, northern Line Islands, that spans approximately the past 160years. The non-bioturbated sediments of the euxinic lagoon, coupled with rapid rates of deposition, provide a unique fine-scale record of atmospheric Pb supply at a remote Pacific location. These first observations of historic Pb sedimentation in an atoll lagoon reveal a 63-fold increase in Pb flux to sediments during the past century and correlate directly with the North American consumption of leaded gasoline that began in 1926.

Posidonia oceanica is an endemic seagrass from the Mediterranean Sea. It is an indicator of water quality and of the ecological state of coastal ecosystems. The aim of this paper is to test acoustic telemetry for monitoring the position of P. oceanica meadow limits with varied types. After evaluating the accuracy of the system, we present results from a spatiotemporal survey of P. oceanica meadows on nine sites located on the French coast. The method has been demonstrated to be highly efficient for high precision underwater mapping regardless of meadow type, with 1cm accuracy for a distance of 40m between the base and the pointer. A temporal survey led at Cerbere–Banyuls shows a weak global progression of 4m² (progression of 26m² - regression of 22m²) between 2006 and 2010. Finally, we discuss the cost and efficiency of this method, and wether it should be generalized for further studies.