The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of silver nanoparticles (AgNP) of different sizes toward two primary producer aquatic species. Thalassiosira pseudonana and Synechococcus sp. have been selected as representative models for the lower trophic organisms in marine and freshwater habitats, respectively. Time-dependent cellular growth was measured upon exposure to both AgNP and silver nitrate (AgNO(3)). In addition, AgNP behavior in freshwater and marine waters has been followed by CPS disc centrifuge, in the time frame of AgNP exposure studies, and the kinetic release of silver from AgNP of different sizes was measured by dialysis and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The combination and interpretation of all these data suggest that a shared effect of AgNP and released silver was responsible for the toxicity in both organisms. Furthermore, the toxic effects induced by AgNP exposure in the present study seem to result from a mixture of parameters including aggregated state, size of the AgNP, stability of the preparation, and speciation of the released silver.
Decisions guiding environmental management need to be based on a broad and comprehensive understanding of the biodiversity and functional capability within ecosystems. Microbes are of particular importance since they drive biogeochemical cycles, being both producers and decomposers. Their quick and direct responses to changes in environmental conditions modulate the ecosystem accordingly, thus providing a sensitive readout. Here we have used direct sequencing of total DNA from water samples to compare the microbial communities of two distinct coastal regions exposed to different anthropogenic pressures: the highly polluted Port of Genoa and the protected area of Montecristo Island in the Mediterranean Sea. Analysis of the metagenomes revealed significant differences in both microbial diversity and abundance between the two areas, reflecting their distinct ecological habitats and anthropogenic stress conditions. Our results indicate that the combination of next generation sequencing (NGS) technologies and bioinformatics tools presents a new approach to monitor the diversity and the ecological status of aquatic ecosystems. Integration of metagenomics into environmental monitoring campaigns should enable the impact of the anthropogenic pressure on microbial biodiversity in various ecosystems to be better assessed and also predicted.
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