An intertidal limpet species as a bioindicator: Pollution effects reflected by shell characteristics

Núñez, Jesús; Laitano, Marìa Victoria; Cledón, Maximiliano

doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2011.07.015

Cited by 46 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…On the other hand, PC, located 3.5 km south from the port, is a quartzite outcrop emerging on a beach that can be considered free of such pollution. Moreover, its usefulness as a reference site when assessing port pollution effects has been demonstrated in a previous work (Nuñez et al 2012).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are Mussels Always the Best Bioindicators? Comparative Study on Biochemical Responses of Three Marine Invertebrate Species to Chronic Port Pollution

Laitano

Fernández-Gimenez

2016

Bull Environ Contam Toxicol

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Bivalves have traditionally been considered good bioindicators due to their sensitivity to pollution, among other features. This characteristic is shared by several other non-bivalve species as well, though studies in this respect remain scarce. This work aims to compare biomarker sensitivity to chronic port pollution among three intertidal invertebrate species with good bioindicator characteristics. Mussels' immunological (phenoloxidase and peroxidases) and biotransformation (glutathione-S-transferase) responses were contrasted against those of limpets and barnacles. The three species under study evidenced activity of all the enzymes measured, although with differences. Barnacle Balanus glandula was the most sensitive species showing pollution modulation of the three enzymes, which suggests that mussels would not always be the best bioindicator species among marine invertebrates depending on the responses that are assessed.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are Mussels Always the Best Bioindicators? Comparative Study on Biochemical Responses of Three Marine Invertebrate Species to Chronic Port Pollution

Laitano

Fernández-Gimenez

2016

Bull Environ Contam Toxicol

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“…This scenario of declining populations in the context of accelerating habitat degradation (Nuñez et al . ; Albano et al . ) highlights the need to assess the current status of A. stellifera along its entire distribution and gather the basic biologic data essential for conservation purposes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…The algae U. pinnatifida competes for space and often displaces many benthic species (Casas et al 2004;Farias et al 2012;Meretta 2014) that are important prey items of A. stellifera while P. maculata is a voracious predator whose diet widely overlaps that of this sea star (Meretta 2014). This scenario of declining populations in the context of accelerating habitat degradation (Nuñez et al 2012;Albano et al 2013) highlights the need to assess the current status of A. stellifera along its entire distribution and gather the basic biologic data essential for conservation purposes. Changes in abundance are commonly used as indicators of population health and well-being.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Growth pattern and changes in abundance of the endangered bat star Asterina stellifera

et al. 2016

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The sea star Asterina stellifera has declined during the last decade and is currently abundant only in the southern limit of its former range. We surveyed this population over 5 years to model individual growth and explore the relationship of changes in local abundance with variation in environmental factors and the reproductive status of individuals. Our results show that A. stellifera is a species with slow growth and a relatively long lifespan. Contrary to expectations for temperate species, growth rates were fairly constant through the year and therefore models including seasonal oscillations were inappropriate. The abundance of this species increased significantly from early spring to early summer, likely due to augmented activity and small‐scale aggregation during the reproductive season that affected our estimates of abundance. No significant recruitment occurred during the 5 years studied. The lack of recruitment during long periods and the slow individual growth rates make A. stellifera particularly vulnerable to local extinction. This study was performed prior to the arrival in the study area of the invasive kelp Undaria pinnatifida and side‐gilled sea slug Pleurobranchaea maculata, species that threaten the community structure where A. stellifera lives. Therefore, the information reported here will be essential to assessing the impacts of these exotic species on this sea star population.

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“…Furthermore, Faubel et al (2008), Lopes-Lima et al (2012), Nuñez et al (2012), and Zuykov et al (2013) demonstrated that several metals, fabricated metal nanoparticles, and organic contaminants, can bioaccumulate in low concentrations in the extrapallial fluid, and are able to disturb the calcification of shell by forming distinct structures on the internal shell surface.…”

Section: Metal Pollutionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Application of Long-Lived Bivalve Sclerochronology in Environmental Baseline Monitoring

Steinhardt¹,

Butler

Carroll

et al. 2016

Front. Mar. Sci.

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Assessments of the impact of construction, operation, and removal of large infrastructures and other human activities on the marine environment are limited because they do not fully quantify the background baseline conditions and relevant scales of natural variability. Baselines as defined in Environmental Impact Assessments typically reflect the status of the environment and its variability drawn from published literature and augmented with some short term site specific characterization. Consequently, it can be difficult to determine whether a change in the environment subsequent to industrial activity is within or outside the range of natural background variability representative of an area over decades or centuries. An innovative approach that shows some promise in overcoming the limitations of traditional baseline monitoring methodology involves the analysis of shell material (sclerochronology) from molluscs living upon or within the seabed in potentially affected areas. Bivalves especially can be effective biomonitors of their environment over a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. A rapidly expanding body of research has established that numerous characteristics of the environment can be reflected in morphological and geochemical properties of the carbonate material in bivalve shells, as well as in functional responses such as growth rates. In addition, the annual banding pattern in shells can provide an absolute chronometer of environmental variability and/or industrial effects. Further, some species of very long-lived bivalves can be crossdated back in time, like trees, by comparing these annual banding patterns in their shells. It is therefore feasible to develop extended timeseries of certain marine environmental variables that can provide important insights into long temporal scales of baseline variability. We review recent innovative work on the shell structure, morphology, and geochemistry of bivalves and conclude that they have substantial potential for use as monitors of environmental variability and the effects of pollutants and disturbance.

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An intertidal limpet species as a bioindicator: Pollution effects reflected by shell characteristics

Cited by 46 publications

References 37 publications

Are Mussels Always the Best Bioindicators? Comparative Study on Biochemical Responses of Three Marine Invertebrate Species to Chronic Port Pollution

Are Mussels Always the Best Bioindicators? Comparative Study on Biochemical Responses of Three Marine Invertebrate Species to Chronic Port Pollution

Growth pattern and changes in abundance of the endangered bat star Asterina stellifera

The Application of Long-Lived Bivalve Sclerochronology in Environmental Baseline Monitoring

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