The hepatopancreas of the mangrove crab Neosarmatium africanum: a possible key to understanding the effects of wastewater exposure (Mayotte Island, Indian Ocean)
2021
Mégevand, Laura | Martínez-Alarcón, Diana | Theuerkauff, Dimitri | Rivera-Ingraham, Georgina A. | Lejeune, Mathilde | Lignot, Jehan-Hervé | Sucré, Elliott
Mangrove crabs are ecosystem engineers through their bioturbation activity. On Mayotte Island, the abundance of Neosarmatium africanum decreased in wastewater-impacted areas. Previous analyses showed that global crab metabolism is impacted by wastewater, with a burst in O₂ consumption that may be caused by osmo-respiratory trade-offs since gill functioning was impacted. As the hepatopancreas is a key metabolic organ, the purpose of this study was to investigate the physiological effects of wastewater and ammonia-N 5-h exposure on crabs to better understand the potential trade-offs underlying the global metabolic state. Catalase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione S-transferase, total digestive protease, and serine protease (trypsin and chymotrypsin) activities were assessed. Histological analyses were performed to determine structural modifications. No effect of short-term wastewater and ammonia-N exposure was found in antioxidant defenses or digestive enzyme activity. However, histological changes of B-cells indicate an increase in intracellular digestive activity through higher vacuolization processes and tubule dilation in wastewater-exposed crabs.
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