Global warming and ocean acidification are forecast to exert significant impacts on marine ecosystems worldwide. However, most of these projections are based on ecological proxies or experiments on single species or simplified food webs. How energy fluxes are likely to change in marine food webs in response to future climates remains unclear, hampering forecasts of ecosystem functioning. Using ...

Arsenic (As) is a ubiquitous but carcinogenic metalloid element. Shimen realgar mine has the largest As mine in Asia with a mining history of 1500 years, therefore it could induce substantial increase of arsenic concentration in the environment and living organisms, and ultimately into human bodies. The total As in surface soil, sediments and water were in the range of 35-5000 mg/kg, 43-4543 mg...

The bioaccumulations of metals Cu, Cd, Ni, Cr, Co, Mn, Zn and Fe were measured in bivalves, Cerastoderma glucaum, and four species of fishes including Alburnus chalcoides, Liza aurata, Rutilus frisii and Sander lucioperca from various trophic levels of the Caspian food web. The concentrations of Cd, Cr, Co and Ni in most samples of fish were below the detection limits; while the concentrations ...

Coastal lagoons are highly variable and dynamic systems that have been rarely investigated in terms of benthic microbial loop. We present here the results of a comparative study aimed at investigating factors and benthic processes potentially affecting microbial loop functioning in three lagoon systems (Goro, Lesina and Marsala lagoons). The three lagoons were characterised by different geo-mor...

Predators play a fundamental role in prey trophic behaviour, with indirect consequences for species coexistence and ecosystem functioning. Resource quality and availability also influence prey trophic behaviour, with potential effects on predator-prey dynamics. Although many studies have addressed these topics, little attention has been paid to the combined effects of predators and resources on...

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) have been at the forefront of environmental contamination research even before their ban in 2001 Stockholm Convention. Their relation to different compartments environment (biotic and abiotic) has thoroughly investigated. This article aims identify whether benthos could represent a reliable indicator with POPs highlight its potential transfer role between ab...

Experiments were carried out with different Baltic Sea zooplankton taxa to scan their potential to ingest plastics. Mysid shrimps, copepods, cladocerans, rotifers, polychaete larvae and ciliates were exposed to 10 μm fluorescent polystyrene microspheres. These experiments showed ingestion of microspheres in all taxa studied. The highest percentage of individuals with ingested spheres was found ...

We examined the influence of macronutrient (nitrate and phosphate) additions on Ni uptake by phytoplankton (Prorocentrum donghaiense and Skeletonema costatum) and its subsequent transfer to marine copepods (Calanus sinicus and Labidocera euchaeta). Ni uptake by phytoplankton after 24h of exposure was markedly dependent on nutrient conditions, with a higher nutrient quota facilitating Ni accumul...

5 Previous investigations on the military relevant metal, tungsten (W), have paved the way for further 6 exploration of its relevant environmental and biological pathways. This investigation presents the most 7 robust known trophic transfer study of W between plant and animal models. Steady state of W in 8 cabbage (Brassica oleracae) was reached at 114-days with a bioaccumulation factor (BAF) o...

Methylmercury (MeHg) is a contaminant of global concern that bioaccumulates and bioamagnifies in marine food webs. Lower trophic level fauna are important conduits of MeHg from sediment and water to estuarine and coastal fish harvested for human consumption. However, the sources and pathways of MeHg to these coastal fisheries are poorly known particularly the potential for transfer of MeHg from...