Iron (Fe) plaque formed on mangrove root increased with wastewater discharge, but the extent was species-specific. For Bruguiera gymnorrhiza, Fe plaque concentration was 0.80mgg⁻¹ root d.wt at Day 0 and increased to 4.59, 6.84 and 7.52mgg⁻¹ at Day 75 in the fresh water control (FW), synthetic wastewater with pollutant concentrations five times of municipal sewage (5SW) and double of 5SW (10SW) treatments, respectively; the respective increases in Excoecaria agallocha were from 0.70 to 2.37, 10.73 and 13.21mgg⁻¹. For Acanthus ilicifolius, similar increase was found in 5SW, but all of the plants were dead in 10SW at Day 75. The concentrations of heavy metals and phosphorus immobilized were positively correlated with the amounts of Fe plaque formed, but the regression coefficients varied among species. The performance of mangrove plants in wastewater treatments was related to the Fe plaque formed and its immobilized wastewater-borne pollutants.

The bacterial communities in the anoxic layer of a heavily polluted microbial mat and their growth on hydrocarbons under sulfate-reducing conditions were investigated. Microbial communities were dominated by members of Alphaproteobacteria (27% of the total rRNA), Planctomycetes (21.1%) and sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB: 17.5%). 16S rRNA cloning revealed sequences beloning to the same bacterial groups with SRB affiliated to the genera Desulfobulbus, Desulfocapsa, Desulfomicrobium, Desulfobacterium and Desulfosarcina/Desulfococcus. The derived enrichment cultures on crude oil, hexadecane and toluene were dominated by SRB. While most SRB sequences of the toluene and hexadecane cultures were related to the sequence of Desulfotignum toluolica, the crude oil enrichment showed a more diverse bacterial community with sequences from the genera Desulfotignum, Desulfobacter, Desulfatibacillus, Desulfosalina, and Desulfococcus. We conclude that the anoxic layer of the studied mats contains a diverse community of anaerobic bacteria, dominated by SRB, some of which are able to grow on hydrocarbons.

To examine the accumulation pattern of organotins (OTs) in relation to the migration of diadromous fish, tributyltin (TBT) and triphenyltin (TPT) and their derivatives were determined in the muscle tissue of both sea-run (anadromous) and freshwater-resident (nonanadromous) types of the white-spotted charr Salvelinus leucomaenis. Ontogenic changes in otolith strontium (Sr) and calcium (Ca) concentrations were examined along life history transect to discriminate migration type. Mean Sr:Ca ratio from the core to the edge of the otolith in sea-run individuals was significantly higher than those in freshwater-resident one. There were no significant correlations in S. leucomaenis between OT accumulation and various biological characteristics. It is noteworthy that TBT and TPT concentrations in sea-run type were significantly higher than those in freshwater-resident individuals, although they are both of the same species. These results suggest that sea-run S. leucomaenis have a higher ecological risk of OT exposure than freshwater-residents during their life histories.

We examined hepatic EROD activity, as an indicator of CYP1A induction, in Barrow’s goldeneyes captured in areas oiled during the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill and those from nearby unoiled areas. We found that average EROD activity differed between areas during 2005, although the magnitude of the difference was reduced relative to a previous study from 1996/1997, and we found that areas did not differ by 2009. Similarly, we found that the proportion of individuals captured from oiled areas with elevated EROD activity (⩾2 times unoiled average) declined from 41% in winter 1996/1997 to 10% in 2005 and 15% in 2009. This work adds to a body of literature describing the timelines over which vertebrates were exposed to residual Exxon Valdez oil and indicates that, for Barrow’s goldeneyes in Prince William Sound, exposure persisted for many years with evidence of substantially reduced exposure by 2 decades after the spill.

Considerable debate surrounds the sources of oxygenated polybrominated diphenyl ethers (O-PBDEs) in wildlife as to whether they are naturally produced or result from anthropogenic industrial activities. Natural radiocarbon (¹⁴C) abundance has proven to be a powerful tool to address this problem as recently biosynthesized compounds contain contemporary (i.e. modern) amounts of atmospheric radiocarbon; whereas industrial chemicals, mostly produced from fossil fuels, contain no detectable ¹⁴C. However, few compounds isolated from organisms have been analyzed for their radiocarbon content. To provide a baseline, we analyzed the ¹⁴C content of four O-PBDEs. These compounds, 6-OH-BDE47, 2′-OH-BDE68, 2′,6-diOH-BDE159, and a recently identified compound, 2′-MeO-6-OH-BDE120, were isolated from the tropical marine sponges Dysidea granulosa and Lendenfeldia dendyi. The modern radiocarbon content of their chemical structures (i.e. diphenyl ethers, C₁₂H₂₂O) indicates that they are naturally produced. This adds to a growing baseline on, at least, the sources of these unusual compounds.

The harmful alga Chattonella marina has caused massive fish kills and economic losses worldwide. However, the fish kill mechanisms by C. marina have not been identified. The present study has confirmed that a significant elevation of blood osmolality is the universal response in moribund fish exposed to C. marina and the possible reasons leading to contradictory reports were identified. Both osmotic distress and respiratory impairment are important mechanisms leading to fish kill by C. marina. The susceptibility of marine fish to C. marina appears to be inversely related to their tolerance to hypoxia, with the hypoxia intolerant goldlined seabream being the most susceptible, and the hypoxia tolerant green grouper being the most tolerant to C. marina. Further studies in the marine medaka (Oryzias melastigma) showed that fish susceptibility to C. marina is directly related to susceptibility of the fish to hypoxia, but not related to its tolerance to hypersalinity stress.

Despite great efforts including bioremediation, the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spills persist in many gravel beaches in Prince William Sound, Alaska, USA. To explore this mystery, a lithium tracer study was conducted along two transects on one of these beaches. The tracer injections and transports were successfully simulated using the 2-dimensional numerical model MARUN. The tracer stayed much longer in the oil-persisting, right transect (facing landwand) than in the clean, left transect. If the tracer is approximately regarded as oils, oils in the upper layer would have more opportunities to enter the lower layer in the right transect than in the left one. This may qualitatively explain the oil persistence within the right transect. When the tracer is regarded as nutrients, the long stay of nutrients within the right transect implies that the oil persistence along the right transect was not due to the lack of nutrients during the bioremediation.

Observations are presented on dilution and dispersion rates of ballast water discharged under normal operational conditions at the semi-enclosed port of Goderich, Ontario. The ballast water was tagged with Rhodamine-WT dye and microscopic magnetically-attractive tracer particles. Maximum concentrations of dye immediately after discharge were diluted to 1–5% of initial ballast tank concentrations, and within 3days had decreased to less than 0.1% of initial concentrations. Inside the harbor, there was 10–20% of the ballast water still present after 2days, consistent with a flushing rate of 0.8–1.15day⁻¹. Magnetic particles were collected up to 7.5km outside the harbor after one day, consistent with a dilution factor of order 10⁵ outside the harbor. The results of this study are discussed in the context of ballast water discharge standards proposed by the International Maritime Organization to minimize the introduction of aquatic nonindigenous species through ships’ ballast water and sediments.

Iron-based nanotechnologies are increasingly used for environmental remediation; however, toxicologic impacts of iron nanoparticles on the aquatic ecosystem remain poorly understood. We treated larvae of medaka fish (Oryzias latipes) with thoroughly characterized solutions containing carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)-stabilized nanoscale zerovalent iron (nZVI), aged nanoscale iron oxides (nFe-oxides) or ferrous ion (Fe[II]) for 12–14days’ aqueous exposure to assess the causal toxic effect(s) of iron NPs on the fish. With the CMC-nZVI solution, the dissolved oxygen level decreased, and a burst of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was generated as Fe(II) oxidized to ferric ion (Fe[III]); with the other two iron solutions, these parameters did not significantly change. CMC-nZVI and Fe(II) solutions caused acute lethally and sublethally toxic effects in medaka larvae, with nFe-oxide-containing solutions causing the least toxic effects. We discuss modes of toxic action of iron NPs and chronic toxic effects in terms of hypoxia, Fe(II) toxicity and ROS-mediated oxidative damage.

The effects of hypoxia on the larvae of two sub-tidal nassariid gastropods, Nassarius siquijorensis and N. conoidalis were compared so as to understand how the species-specific tolerance to hypoxia might have resulted in changes in the abundance and distribution of these two species in the hypoxic Tolo Harbour, Hong Kong, since the 1980s. Respiration rates of N. siquijorensis and N. conoidalis larvae were reduced at 4.5mg O₂ l⁻¹, or below, as compared with the normoxic control. Significant reduction in swimming velocity was also observed for 10-day old larvae which were exposed to <2.0mg O₂ l⁻¹ for N. siquijorensis and <1.0mg O₂ l⁻¹ for N. conoidalis. The 48h LC₅₀ values of N. siquijorensis and N. conoidalis larvae were 0.7 and 1.7mg O₂ l⁻¹, respectively. The results suggested that N. siquijorensis are more tolerant to hypoxia than N. conoidalis.