The multifaceted effects of fluoranthene and polystyrene on the taxonomic composition and associated functional traits of marine meiofauna, by using single and mixture applications

Meher Bellakhal; Sahar Ishak; Nawal Al-Hoshani; Ashraf A Qurtam; Mohammed Al-Zharani; Octavian Pacioglu; Fehmi Boufahja

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115390

The multifaceted effects of fluoranthene and polystyrene on the taxonomic composition and associated functional traits of marine meiofauna, by using single and mixture applications

Mar Pollut Bull. 2023 Sep;194(Pt A):115390. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115390. Epub 2023 Aug 12.

Authors

Meher Bellakhal¹, Sahar Ishak², Nawal Al-Hoshani³, Ashraf A Qurtam⁴, Mohammed Al-Zharani⁴, Octavian Pacioglu⁵, Fehmi Boufahja⁶

Affiliations

¹ Higher Institute of Fishery and Aquaculture of Bizerte, University of Carthage, Tunisia.
² University of Carthage, Faculty of Sciences of Bizerte, Laboratory of Environment Biomonitoring, Coastal Ecology and Ecotoxicology Unit, 7021 Zarzouna, Tunisia.
³ Department of Biology, College of Science, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia.
⁴ Biology Department, College of Science, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU), Riyadh 11623, Saudi Arabia.
⁵ National Institute of Research and Development for Biological Sciences, Bucharest, Romania.
⁶ Biology Department, College of Science, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU), Riyadh 11623, Saudi Arabia. Electronic address: faboufahja@imamu.edu.sa.

PMID: 37573818
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115390

Abstract

The current experiment measured the multifaceted effects of polystyrene and fluoranthene, acting alone or in a mixture on marine meiofauna, but with a special focus on nematodes' morphological and functional traits. The results showed changes in the abundances for all tested concentrations of both compounds. The nematode communities exposed to the highest concentrations of fluoranthene (30 ng.g^-1 Dry Weight (DW)) and polystyrene (100 mg.kg^-1 DW) alone or in a mixture, were significantly less diverse compared to control and were associated with significant changes in the percentage of taxonomic composition and feeding-guilds. The most sensitive taxa to fluoranthene comprised epistratum feeders, whereas the nematodes mostly affected by polystyrene were omnivores-carnivores. A new functional tool, the Index of Sensitivity (IOS), proved to be reliable in depicting the changes that occurred in the taxonomic and functional features of the nematofauna.

Keywords: Fluoranthene; Index of sensitivity; Meiobenthic nematodes; Polystyrene; Taxon/functional traits.

MeSH terms

Animals
Fluorenes / toxicity
Nematoda*
Polystyrenes* / toxicity

Substances

Polystyrenes
fluoranthene
Fluorenes