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Fishes
Special Issues
Effect of Microplastics and Plastics on Aquatic Animals
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Effect of Microplastics and Plastics on Aquatic Animals

A special issue of Fishes (ISSN 2410-3888). This special issue belongs to the section "Environment and Climate Change".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 August 2023) | Viewed by 4076

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Teresa Bottari

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute for Marine Biological Resources and Biotechnology (IRBIM), National Research Country (CNR), Messina, Spianata S. Raineri 86, 98122 Messina, Italy
Interests: microplastics; microfibers; anthropogenic pollution; marine biota; seawater
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Monique Mancuso

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute for Biological Resources and Marine Biotechnology (IRBIM)-CNR National Research Council (CNR), Section of Messina, Messina, Italy
Interests: bacteriology; essential oils; antimicrobial-activity plants; aquaculture
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Microplastic pollution is a threat to marine environments worldwide, from the tropics to the polar regions. Microplastics ingested by aquatic animals can induce toxic effects, including reduced food intake, delayed growth, oxidative damage and abnormal behaviour. Microplastics with the potential to absorb harmful pollutants from the surrounding environment such toxic compounds can lead to carcinogenesis, endocrine disruption and neurotoxicity. The microorganisms adsorbed on microplastics may also act as pathogen spreaders, as the presence of bacteria such as Vibrio spp., Escherichia coli, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Bacillus cereus and Aeromonas salmonicida has been reported on microplastics’ surface.  However, microplastics’ environmental and health impacts are not yet entirely known, and it is still not possible to fully evaluate the risk they represent. This Special Issue will thus present the latest studies investigating the effect of MP pollution on the health of marine animals with the aim of developing a more comprehensive understanding of its consequences.

Dr. Teresa Bottari
Dr. Monique Mancuso
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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. Fishes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2600 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 pollution
  • marine animals
  • microplastic
  • aquatic animal health

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 2137 KiB  
Article
Transcriptomic Analysis Provides Insights into Microplastic and Heavy Metal Challenges in the Line Seahorse (Hippocampus erectus)
by Ying Liu, Dongwei Shang, Yanjing Yang, Pei Cui and Jinhui Sun
Fishes 2022, 7(6), 338; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes7060338 - 18 Nov 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1589
Abstract
Microplastics (MPs) are ubiquitous pollutants that have potentially harmful and toxic effects. MPs are frequently ingested by aquatic animals, as microplastics share a similar size and color to their food. Heavy metals are harmful and difficult to degrade, have a wide range of [...] Read more.
Microplastics (MPs) are ubiquitous pollutants that have potentially harmful and toxic effects. MPs are frequently ingested by aquatic animals, as microplastics share a similar size and color to their food. Heavy metals are harmful and difficult to degrade, have a wide range of sources and an extended residual time from exposure to recovery. Although the effects of MPs and heavy metals on the performance of aquatic species have been extensively studied, the molecular mechanisms of MP and heavy metal (Pb, Cd and Cu) exposure on aquatic organisms remain unclear. Here, the effects of MPs and heavy metal accumulation on the line seahorse, Hippocampus erectus, were investigated at the molecular level using transcriptome analysis. Using gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses, we found that immune, metabolic, and apoptotic pathways were affected in the heavy metal group, whereas the DNA damage repair and metabolism pathways were mainly involved in the MP group. Both types of stress caused significant changes in the genes related to the antioxidant pathway in H. erectus larvae. Transcriptome differences between the treatment groups were analyzed, and sensitive candidate genes (Hsp70, Hsp90, Sod, etc.) were screened. The response characteristics of seahorses to MP environmental stress were also investigated. Using seahorse as a biological model and candidate sensitive genes as a basis, our results provide a theoretical basis for detecting MPs and heavy metals pollution in coastal areas. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effect of Microplastics and Plastics on Aquatic Animals)
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21 pages, 3479 KiB  
Article
Exposure to Polymethylmethacrylate Microplastics Induces a Particle Size-Dependent Immune Response in Mediterranean Mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis
by Dijana Pavičić-Hamer, Ines Kovačić, Tamara Sović, Matea Marelja and Daniel Mark Lyons
Fishes 2022, 7(6), 307; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes7060307 - 27 Oct 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1882
Abstract
The widespread occurrence of plastic has become a significant problem in the natural environment and may give rise to a range of deleterious impacts in biota, particularly where plastic particles overlap in size with that of the particles that are naturally ingested by [...] Read more.
The widespread occurrence of plastic has become a significant problem in the natural environment and may give rise to a range of deleterious impacts in biota, particularly where plastic particles overlap in size with that of the particles that are naturally ingested by filter-feeders. In this context, the effects of two particle sizes (10 μm and 50 μm) of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) on ecologically and commercially significant mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis have been investigated. Mussel health status was evaluated by measuring the condition index and stress-on-stress test during and after 72 h exposure to PMMA microparticles in the 0.1–10 mg L−1 concentration range. The decreased condition and fitness indices in the exposed mussels pointed to significant physiological effects at the entire organism level. The 10 μm and 50 μm PMMA particles were noted to rapidly increase the total haemocytes count in haemolymph, and significantly reduce cell viability at higher concentrations of both particle sizes. The results also indicated a significant increase in levels of vacuolised haemocytes as a result of PMMA exposure. While both microparticles were detected in the haemolymph, only the 10 μm PMMA was observed in the gill tissue and digestive gland by histological cryosections, indicating their rapid uptake, transport, and accumulation in tissue. Lack of accumulation of 50 μm microparticles in tissue may be related to a combination of chemical identity and size considerations, enabling more efficient depuration of microparticles in pseudofaeces. The PMMA particles did not induce significant changes in activity of a range of enzymes involved in neurotransmission and responses to oxidative stress. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effect of Microplastics and Plastics on Aquatic Animals)
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