Aquatic Toxicology and Aquaculture: Questions and Advances

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2023) | Viewed by 7313

Special Issue Editors

Department of Science and Technological Innovation, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Viale Michel 11, 15121 Alessandria, Italy
Interests: environmental pollution; ecology; ecotoxicology; bioindicator; biomarker; biomonitoring
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Department of Science and Technological Innovation, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Viale Michel 11, 15121 Alessandria, Italy
Interests: system biology; environmental biotechnology; aquatic toxicology; molecular ecotoxicology; “omics” sciences
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy
Interests: comparative physiology; animal model physiology; biophysics; functional genomics and bioinformatics; aquaculture
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The aquaculture sector records constant growth trends globally triggered by the progressive increase in the world population and the consequent growing demand for food. The increase in aquaculture activities is also closely linked to other issues, such as increased environmental pollution, climate change, and invasive species.

This Special Issue aims to focus on the problems and progress of aquaculture and aquatic toxicology. In particular, the topics include:

  • Innovation in sustainable aquaculture;
  • Farmed seafood safety;
  • Relation between aquaculture and marine pollution;
  • New emerging pollutants (nanomaterials, micro/nanoplastics, per and poly fluoroalkyl substances -PFAS, etc.);
  • New methodologies for detection of marine pollution;
  • Aquaculture and climate change;
  • New bred “invasive” species and impact on marine ecosystems;
  • Aquaculture of freshwater bivalves;
  • Applications of biofiltration to water remediation.

Submissions are invited for both original research and review articles.

Dr. Antonio Calisi
Prof. Dr. Franćesco Dondero
Prof. Dr. Tiziano Verri
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • aquatic toxicology
  • aquaculture
  • biofiltration
  • marine pollution
  • nanoparticles
  • emerging pollutants
  • invasive species
  • new methodologies

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

27 pages, 8312 KiB  
Article
Water and Sediment Quality Changes in Mangrove Systems with Shrimp Farms in the Northern Ecuadorean Coast
by Eduardo Rebolledo Monsalve and Lita Verduga Vergara
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(13), 7749; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13137749 - 30 Jun 2023
Viewed by 966
Abstract
The environmental quality of mangroves is influenced by multiple factors, among which shrimp aquaculture currently plays a major role. This study describes the alterations of natural conditions of mangrove systems that house shrimp farms in the northern Ecuadorean coast. Water, sediment quality and [...] Read more.
The environmental quality of mangroves is influenced by multiple factors, among which shrimp aquaculture currently plays a major role. This study describes the alterations of natural conditions of mangrove systems that house shrimp farms in the northern Ecuadorean coast. Water, sediment quality and the structure of benthic assemblages of four sectors with different proportions of mangroves and shrimp ponds are described. The samples were collected at the confluence of mangrove drainages or tidal creeks, as well as in the modified drainages for shrimp farm infrastructures towards navigable channels, during the dry and rainy seasons. Shrimp farm drainage water had a 17% higher dissolved oxygen concentration and 2.5 times higher total ammonium and phosphorus compared to mangrove drainage water. The sediment in the latter decreased their total organic matter and nitrogen content by 44% and 53%, respectively, slightly increasing the pH level and increasing the ammonium content by 93%. Furthermore, the redox profiles were different between the types of drainages. The soft-bottom benthic assemblages involved 56 species in the study area and exhibited a variety of sectoral structures, with better indicators of ecological status in sectors with fewer shrimp farms. Finally, improvements are suggested for monitoring the environmental quality of shrimp farms in Ecuadorean mangrove systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aquatic Toxicology and Aquaculture: Questions and Advances)
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12 pages, 2832 KiB  
Article
Assessing the Efficacy of Coagulation (Al3+) and Chlorination in Water Treatment Plant Processes: Inactivating Chironomid Larvae for Improved Tap Water Quality
by Haerul Hidayaturrahman, Hyuk Jun Kwon, Yumeng Bao, Shaik Gouse Peera and Tae Gwan Lee
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(9), 5715; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13095715 - 05 May 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1228
Abstract
In response to the finding of chironomid larvae in tap water, South Korea’s water treatment system has stepped up water quality monitoring. However, due to the challenging nature of larval behavior, effective elimination remains difficult despite the use of various purification techniques such [...] Read more.
In response to the finding of chironomid larvae in tap water, South Korea’s water treatment system has stepped up water quality monitoring. However, due to the challenging nature of larval behavior, effective elimination remains difficult despite the use of various purification techniques such as coagulation, sedimentation, filtration, and disinfection. Based on it, the aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of coagulation and chlorination in inactivating chironomid larvae and investigate their behavior. The coagulation experiment tested how the behavior of the larvae changed in water with a high turbidity level of ±100 mg/L and 2 mg/L Al3+ as a coagulant, compared to water with a lower turbidity level of ±30 mg/L and 1 mg/L of Al3+ as a coagulant. The larvae were exposed to various doses of chlorine (0.5–20 mg/L as Cl) in 500 mL beaker glasses. The behavioral activity of the larvae was observed at different time points for 5 days. It was found that chironomid larvae exhibit different responses to exposure to coagulant and chlorine, with coagulation causing the formation of flocs that cover the larval body as a protective measure. Conversely, exposure to chlorine causes a decrease in activity and growth, leading to the death of the larvae and subsequent melting. The results showed that the first instar larvae dead after 48 h of exposure to coagulation treatment, while the first instar larvae exposed to chlorination experienced mortality after a mere 5 min of exposure to 10–20 mg/L as Cl. The larvae can still grow and transform into pupae and adults, especially during the third and fourth instars, even after exposure to coagulant and chlorine with low dosage. These findings suggest that the floc generated during coagulation must be thoroughly cleaned, as it may contain larvae that can persist and develop further. Furthermore, the presence of larvae during the chlorination process highlights the need for alternative, more effective oxidants to be utilized in place of the conventional chlorine treatment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aquatic Toxicology and Aquaculture: Questions and Advances)
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18 pages, 2534 KiB  
Article
Is the Slag Heap of a Former Ferrochromium Plant a Significant Environmental Hazard?
by Magdalena Wróbel, Angelika Pieśniewska, Farhad Zeynalli, Kacper Kapelko, Beata Hanus-Lorenz and Justyna Rybak
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(3), 2001; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13032001 - 03 Feb 2023
Viewed by 1190
Abstract
This study assessed the possible impact of a former ferrochromium plant in Siechnice (Lower Silesia, Poland) on water reservoirs and living organisms. The metal concentrations (Zn, Cu, Pb, Fe, and Cr) in the sediments were determined, along with ecotoxicological studies that were conducted [...] Read more.
This study assessed the possible impact of a former ferrochromium plant in Siechnice (Lower Silesia, Poland) on water reservoirs and living organisms. The metal concentrations (Zn, Cu, Pb, Fe, and Cr) in the sediments were determined, along with ecotoxicological studies that were conducted on both the sediments and the surface water of three water bodies that border the slag heap. The samples of the sediments and water were taken at different distances from the landfill area. The studies also covered a human health risk assessment. The highest concentrations of all the studied elements were observed in the sediments taken from the water reservoir closest to the landfill. In the case of the sediments, a 30% death rate for Heterocypris incongruens (Ostracodtoxkit F) was recorded at the same site. Additionally, at this site, the ecotoxicological studies on the surface water revealed the highest mortality for Daphnia magna (Daphtoxkit F magna) and the lowest values of LC50 for algae (Algaltoxkit). The health risk assessment of the sediments was estimated by calculating the noncarcinogenic health risk using the hazard quotient (HQ) and hazard index (HI), and the carcinogenic risk was calculated using the excessive risk of cancer development (ECR) measurement. The hazard index (HIing) for Cr exceeded 1 for children, which suggests that possible adverse health effects might occur for humans. The ECR values calculated for Cr and Pb were above the range limit of 106. The value for Cr was the highest for the sediments from the closest water reservoir to the landfill for both children and adults. Studies prove that the water reservoirs located near landfills pose potential ecological risks, and the risk is the highest where the distance is the shortest from the slag heap. In prospective human health risk assessments, the sediments from the closest water body pose a potential carcinogenic health risk to humans, especially to fish consumers, i.e., the residents of neighboring areas who might experience severe health problems from the intake of Cr and Pb through fish consumption. Significant steps should be taken to reduce Cr concentrations in the sediments to minimize the risk of human health adverse effects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aquatic Toxicology and Aquaculture: Questions and Advances)
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15 pages, 2757 KiB  
Article
In-Gel Assay to Evaluate Antioxidant Enzyme Response to Silver Nitrate and Silver Nanoparticles in Marine Bivalve Tissues
by Candida Lorusso, Antonio Calisi, Gianluca Sarà and Francesco Dondero
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(6), 2760; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12062760 - 08 Mar 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2813
Abstract
Silver is back in vogue today as this metal is used in the form of nanomaterials in numerous commercial products. We have developed in-gel electrophoretic techniques to measure the activity of the antioxidant enzymes catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GPX), [...] Read more.
Silver is back in vogue today as this metal is used in the form of nanomaterials in numerous commercial products. We have developed in-gel electrophoretic techniques to measure the activity of the antioxidant enzymes catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GPX), and used the same techniques in combination with HSP70 Western blot analysis to evaluate the effects of nanomolar amounts of silver nitrate and 5 nm alkane-coated silver nanoparticles in tissues of the marine bivalve Mytilus galloprovincialis (Lam.) exposed for 28 days in mesocosms. Our results showed a negligible effect for nanosilver exposure and dose-dependent effects for the nitrate form. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aquatic Toxicology and Aquaculture: Questions and Advances)
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