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Concentrations of the elements Al, Ag, Ba, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ga, Mg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sr, Tl, and Zn were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry in the acanthocephalan Acanthocephalus lucii (Muller); in its host, Perca fluviatilis (L.), and in the soft tissue of the zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha (Pallas). All animals were collected from the same sampling site in a subalpine lake, Mondsee, in Austria. Most of the elements were found at significantly higher concentrations in the acanthocephalan than in different tissues (muscle, liver, and intestinal wall) of its perch host. Only Co was concentrated in the liver of perch to a level that was significantly higher than that found in the parasite. Most of the analyzed elements were also present at significantly higher concentrations in A. lucii than in D. polymorpha. Barium and Cr were the only elements recorded at higher concentrations in the mussel compared with the acanthocephalan. Thus, when comparing the accumulation of elements, the acanthocephalans appear to be even more suitable than the zebra mussels in terms of their use in the detection of metal contamination within aquatic biotopes. Spearman correlation analysis revealed that the concentrations of several elements within the parasites decreased with an increasing infrapopulation. Furthermore, the levels of some elements in the perch liver were negatively correlated with the weight of A. lucii inthe intestine. Thus, it emerged that not only is there competition for elements between acanthocephalans inside the gut but there is alsocompetition for these elements between the host and the parasites. The elevated element concentrations demonstrated here in the parasiticworm A. lucii provide support for further investigations of these common helminths and of their accumulation properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aquatic organisms are challenged by changes in their external environment, such as temperature and salinity fluctuations. If these variables interacted with each other, the response of organisms to temperature changes would be modified by salinity and vice versa. We tested for potential interaction between temperature and salinity effects on freshwater, brackish, and marine organisms, including algae, macrophytes, heterotrophic protists, parasites, invertebrates, and fish. We performed a meta-analysis that compared the thermal tolerance (characterised by the temperature optimum, lower and upper temperature limits, and thermal breadth) at various salinities. The meta-analysis was based on 90 articles (algae: 15; heterotrophic protists: 1; invertebrates: 43; and fish: 31). Studies on macrophytes and parasites were lacking. We found that decreasing salinity significantly increased and decreased the lower and upper temperature limits, respectively, in all groups. Thus, a lowered salinity increased the thermal sensitivity of organisms. These findings mainly reflect the response of brackish and marine organisms to salinity changes, which dominated our database. The few studies on freshwater species showed that their lower thermal limits increased and the upper thermal limits decreased with increasing salinity, albeit statistically nonsignificant. Although non-significant, the response of thermal tolerance to salinity changes differed between various organism groups. It generally decreased in the order of: algae > invertebrates > fish. Overall, our findings indicate adverse effects of salinity changes on the temperature tolerance of aquatic organisms. For freshwater species, studies are comparatively scarce and further studies on their thermal performance at various salinity gradients are required to obtain more robust evidence for interactions between salinity and temperature tolerance. Considering test conditions such as acclimation temperature and potential infection with parasites in future studies may decrease the variability in the relationship between salinity and thermal tolerance., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Urban streams are exposed to a variety of anthropogenic stressors. Freshwater salinization is a key stressor in these ecosystems that is predicted to be further exacerbated by climate change, which causes simultaneous changes in flow parameters, potentially resulting in non-additive effects on aquatic ecosystems. However, the effects of salinization and flow velocity on urban streams are still poorly understood as multiple-stressor experiments are often conducted at pristine rather than urban sites. Therefore, we conducted a mesocosm experiment at the Boye River, a recently restored stream located in a highly urbanized area in Western Germany, and applied recurrent pulses of salinity along a gradient (NaCl, 9 h daily of +0 to +2.5 mS/cm) in combination with normal and reduced current velocities (20 cm/s vs. 10 cm/s). Using a comprehensive assessment across multiple organism groups (macroinvertebrates, eukaryotic algae, fungi, parasites) and ecosystem functions (primary production, organic-matter decomposition), we show that flow velocity reduction has a pervasive impact, causing community shifts for almost all assessed organism groups (except fungi) and inhibiting organic-matter decomposition. Salinization affected only dynamic components of community assembly by enhancing invertebrate emigration via drift and reducing fungal reproduction. We caution that the comparatively small impact of salt in our study can be due to legacy effects from past salt pollution by coal mining activities >30 years ago. Nevertheless, our results suggest that urban stream management should prioritize the continuity of a minimum discharge to maintain ecosystem integrity. Our study exemplifies a holistic approach for the assessment of multiple-stressor impacts on streams, which is needed to inform the establishment of a salinity threshold above which mitigation actions must be taken., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Numerous low-income groups and rural communities depend on fish as an inexpensive protein source worldwide, especially in developing countries. These communities are constantly exposed to various pollutants when they frequently consume polluted fish. The largest river basin in South Africa is the Orange-Vaal River basin, and several anthropogenic impacts, especially gold mining activities and industrial and urban effluents, affect this basin. The Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries in South Africa has approved the much-anticipated National Freshwater (Inland) Wild Capture Fisheries Policy in 2021. The aims of this study were (1) to analyze element concentrations in the widely distributed Clarias gariepinus from six sites from the Orange-Vaal River basin and (2) to determine the carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic human health risks associated with fish consumption. The bioaccumulation of eight potentially toxic elements (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Zn) was assessed in C. gariepinus from sites with different anthropogenic sources. The human health risks were determined to assess the potential risks posed by consuming contaminated C. gariepinus from these sites. Carcinogenic health risks were associated with fish consumption, where it ranged between 21 and 75 out of 10,000 people having the probability to develop cancer from As exposure. The cancer risk between the sites ranged between 1 and 7 out of 10,000 people to developing cancer from Cr exposure. A high probability of adverse non-carcinogenic health risks is expected if the hazard quotient (HQ) is higher than one. The HQ in C. gariepinus from the six sites ranged between 1.5 and 5.6 for As, while for Hg, it was between 1.8 and 5.1. These results highlight the need for monitoring programs of toxic pollutants in major river systems and impoundments in South Africa, especially with the new fisheries policy, as there are possible human health risks associated with the consumption of contaminated fish., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Wastewater treatment processes can eliminate many pollutants, yet remainder pollutants contain organic compounds and microorganisms released into ecosystems. These remainder pollutants have the potential to adversely impact downstream ecosystem processes, but their presence is currently not being monitored. This study was set out with the aim of investigating the effectiveness and sensitivity of non-target screening of chemical compounds, 18S V9 rRNA gene, and full-length 16S rRNA gene metabarcoding techniques for detecting treated wastewater in receiving waters. We aimed at assessing the impact of introducing 33 % treated wastewater into a triplicated large-scale mesocosm setup during a 10-day exposure period. Discharge of treated wastewater significantly altered the chemical signature as well as the microeukaryotic and prokaryotic diversity of the mesocosms. Non-target screening, 18S V9 rRNA gene, and full-length 16S rRNA gene metabarcoding detected these changes with significant covariation of the detected pattern between methods. The 18S V9 rRNA gene metabarcoding exhibited superior sensitivity immediately following the introduction of treated wastewater and remained one of the top-performing methods throughout the study. Full-length 16S rRNA gene metabarcoding demonstrated sensitivity only in the initial hour, but became insignificant thereafter. The non-target screening approach was effective throughout the experiment and in contrast to the metabarcoding methods the signal to noise ratio remained similar during the experiment resulting in an increasing relative strength of this method. Based on our findings, we conclude that all methods employed for monitoring environmental disturbances from various sources are suitable. The distinguishing factor of these methods is their ability to detect unknown pollutants and organisms, which sets them apart from previously utilized approaches and allows for a more comprehensive perspective. Given their diverse strengths, particularly in terms of temporal resolution, these methods are best suited as complementary approaches., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The bactericidal effects of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) against infectious strains of multiresistant bacteria is a well-studied phenomenon, highly relevant for many researchers and clinicians battling bacterial infections. However, little is known about the uptake of the Ag NPs into the bacteria, the related uptake mechanisms, and how they are connected to antimicrobial activity. Even less information is available on AgAu alloy NPs uptake. In this work, the interactions between colloidal silver-gold alloy nanoparticles (AgAu NPs) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) using advanced electron microscopy methods are studied. The localization of the nanoparticles is monitored on the membrane and inside the bacterial cells and the elemental compositions of intra- and extracellular nanoparticle species. The findings reveal the formation of pure silver nanoparticles with diameters smaller than 10 nm inside the bacteria, even though those particles are not present in the original colloid. This finding is explained by a local RElease PEnetration Reduction (REPER) mechanism of silver cations emitted from the AgAu nanoparticles, emphasized by the localization of the AgAu nanoparticles on the bacterial membrane by aptamer targeting ligands. These findings can deepen the understanding of the antimicrobial effect of nanosilver, where the microbes are defusing the attacking silver ions via their reduction, and aid in the development of suitable therapeutic approaches., (© 2023 The Authors. Advanced Healthcare Materials published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Anthropogenic activities, including combustion of fossil fuels, coal, and gold mining, are significant sources of mercury (Hg) emissions into aquatic ecosystems. South Africa is a major contributor to global Hg emissions (46.4 tons Hg in 2018), with coal-fired power stations as the main source. Atmospheric transport of Hg emissions is the dominant cause of contamination, especially on the east coast of southern Africa where the Phongolo River Floodplain (PRF) is located. The PRF is the largest floodplain system in South Africa, with unique wetlands and high biodiversity, and provides essential ecosystem services to local communities who rely on fish as a protein source. We assessed the bioaccumulation of Hg in various biota, the trophic positions and food webs, as well as the biomagnification of Hg through the food webs in the PRF. Elevated Hg concentrations were found in sediments, macroinvertebrates and fish from the main rivers and associated floodplains in the PRF. Mercury biomagnification was observed through the food webs, with the apex predator tigerfish, Hydrocynus vittatus, having the highest Hg concentration. Our study shows that Hg in the PRF is bioavailable, accumulates in biota and biomagnifies in food webs., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Parasites can affect their hosts in various ways, and this implies that parasites may act as additional biotic stressors in a multiple-stressor scenario, resembling conditions often found in the field if, for example, pollutants and parasites occur simultaneously. Therefore, parasites represent important modulators of host reactions in ecotoxicological studies when measuring the response of organisms to stressors such as pollutants. In the present study, we introduce the most important groups of parasites occurring in organisms commonly used in ecotoxicological studies ranging from laboratory to field investigations. After briefly explaining their life cycles, we focus on parasite stages affecting selected ecotoxicologically relevant target species belonging to crustaceans, molluscs, and fish. We included ecotoxicological studies that consider the combination of effects of parasites and pollutants on the respective model organism with respect to aquatic host-parasite systems. We show that parasites from different taxonomic groups (e.g., Microsporidia, Monogenea, Trematoda, Cestoda, Acanthocephala, and Nematoda) clearly modulate the response to stressors in their hosts. The combined effects of environmental stressors and parasites can range from additive, antagonistic to synergistic. Our study points to potential drawbacks of ecotoxicological tests if parasite infections of test organisms, especially from the field, remain undetected and unaddressed. If these parasites are not detected and quantified, their physiological effects on the host cannot be separated from the ecotoxicological effects. This may render this type of ecotoxicological test erroneous. In laboratory tests, for example to determine effect or lethal concentrations, the presence of a parasite can also have a direct effect on the concentrations to be determined and thus on the subsequently determined security levels, such as predicted no-effect concentrations. Environ Toxicol Chem 2023;42:1946-1959. © 2023 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC., (© 2023 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC.)

Marine ecosystems are continuously under threat due to pollutants, which endanger marine biodiversity. The present study determines the potential use of the parasitic isopod, Cinusa tetrodontis Schjödte et Meinert, 1884, together with its fish host, Amblyrhynchotes honckenii (Bloch) for marine bioaccumulation monitoring. The concentrations of As, Cd, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, Se, and Zn were determined in muscle and liver tissues of infested and uninfested fish, and male and female parasites on the South African temperate south coast. The concentrations of Cu and Ni in C. tetrodontis differed significantly between two sampling sites, a near-pristine (Breede River Estuary, Witsand) and a more polluted site (harbour area in Mossel Bay). Mossel Bay isopods had higher concentrations of Ni, while Witsand isopods had higher concentrations of Cu. In contrast to fish hosts, parasitic isopods accumulated significantly higher levels of all elements except Cd. Most significant relationships between elements accumulated by C. tetrodontis and an increase of elements in fish tissues were seen in liver, rather than muscle tissue samples. Specimens of C. tetrodontis can be defined as good bioindicators for elements such as As, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, Se, and Zn, as they possess high bioaccumulation capabilities. This study addresses one of several future directions needed within environmental parasitology and highlights the importance of studying and utilising this host-ectoparasite model system., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Wild animals are usually infected with parasites that can alter their hosts' trophic niches in food webs as can be seen from stable isotope analyses of infected versus uninfected individuals. The mechanisms influencing these effects of parasites on host isotopic values are not fully understood. Here, we develop a conceptual model to describe how the alteration of the resource intake or the internal resource use of hosts by parasites can lead to differences of trophic and isotopic niches of infected versus uninfected individuals and ultimately alter resource flows through food webs. We therefore highlight that stable isotope studies inferring trophic positions of wild organisms in food webs would benefit from routine identification of their infection status., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In lotic freshwater ecosystems, the drift or downstream movement of animals (e.g., macroinvertebrates) constitutes a key dispersal pathway, thus shaping ecological and evolutionary patterns. There is evidence that macroinvertebrate drift may be modulated by parasites. However, most studies on parasite modulation of host drifting behavior have focused on acanthocephalans, whereas other parasites, such as microsporidians, have been largely neglected. This study provides new insight into possible seasonal and diurnal modulation of amphipod (Crustacea: Gammaridae) drift by microsporidian parasites. Three 72 h drift experiments were deployed in a German lowland stream in October 2021, April, and July 2022. The prevalence and composition of ten microsporidian parasites in Gammarus pulex clade E varied seasonally, diurnally, and between drifting and stationary specimens of G. pulex. Prevalence was generally higher in drifting amphipods than in stationary ones, mainly due to differences in host size. However, for two parasites, the prevalence in drift samples was highest during daytime suggesting changes in host phototaxis likely related to the parasite's mode of transmission and site of infection. Alterations in drifting behavior may have important implications for G. pulex population dynamics and microsporidians' dispersal. The underlying mechanisms are more complex than previously thought., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Anthropogenic stressors are causing fundamental changes in aquatic habitats and to the organisms inhabiting these ecosystems. Yet, we are still far from understanding the diverse responses of parasites and their hosts to these environmental stressors and predicting how these stressors will affect host-parasite communities. Here, we provide an overview of the impacts of major stressors affecting aquatic ecosystems in the Anthropocene (habitat alteration, global warming, and pollution) and highlight their consequences for aquatic parasites at multiple levels of organisation, from the individual to the community level. We provide directions and ideas for future research to better understand responses to stressors in aquatic host-parasite systems., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Our capacity to predict trajectories of ecosystem degradation and recovery is limited, especially when impairments are caused by multiple stressors. Recovery may be fast or slow and either complete or partial, sometimes result in novel ecosystem states or even fail completely. Here, we introduce the Asymmetric Response Concept (ARC) that provides a basis for exploring and predicting the pace and magnitude of ecological responses to, and release from, multiple stressors. The ARC holds that three key mechanisms govern population, community and ecosystem trajectories. Stress tolerance is the main mechanism determining responses to increasing stressor intensity, whereas dispersal and biotic interactions predominantly govern responses to the release from stressors. The shifting importance of these mechanisms creates asymmetries between the ecological trajectories that follow increasing and decreasing stressor intensities. This recognition helps to understand multiple stressor impacts and to predict which measures will restore communities that are resistant to restoration., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Marine bioinvasions are of increasing attention due to their potential of causing ecological and economic loss. The seaweed Gracilaria vermiculophylla has recently invaded the Baltic Sea, where, under certain conditions, it was found to outcompete the native alga Fucus vesiculosus. Parasites of grazers and temperature are among the potential factors which might indirectly modulate the interactions between these co-occurring algae through their single and combined effects on grazing rates. We tested the temperature and parasitism effects on the feeding of the gastropod Littorina littorea on F. vesiculosus vs. G. vermiculophylla. Uninfected and trematode-infected gastropods were exposed to 10, 16, 22, and 28 °C for 4 days while fed with either algae. Faeces production was determined as a proxy for grazing rate, and HSP70 expression, glycogen and lipid concentrations were used to assess the gastropod's biochemical condition. Gracilaria vermiculophylla was grazed more than F. vesiculosus. Trematode infection significantly enhanced faeces production, decreased glycogen concentrations, and increased lipid concentrations in the gastropod. Warming significantly affected glycogen and lipid concentrations, with glycogen peaking at 16 °C and lipids at 22 °C. Although not significant, warming and trematode infection increased HSP70 levels. Increased faeces production in infected snails and higher faeces production by L. littorea fed with G. vermiculophylla compared to those which fed on F. vesiculosus, suggest parasitism as an important indirect modulator of the interaction between these algae. The changes in the gastropod's biochemical condition indicate that thermal stress induced the mobilization of energy reserves, suggesting a possible onset of compensatory metabolism. Finally, glycogen decrease in infected snails compared to uninfected ones might make them more susceptible to thermal stress., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

The overflow of stormwater retention basins during intense and prolonged precipitation events may result in the direct input of particulate pollutants and remobilization of already sedimented particle-bound pollutants to receiving freshwater bodies. Particle-bound pollutants may cause adverse effects on aquatic biota, particularly sediment dwellers. Therefore, we investigated the sediment pollution load of a stream connected to the outfalls of two stormwater basins to determine the impact of the basins' discharges on the metal and organic pollutant content of the sediment. Also, the possible adverse effects of the pollutant load on benthic dwellers were evaluated in sediment toxicity tests with Lumbriculus variegatus and the effects on its growth, reproduction and the biomarkers catalase, acetylcholinesterase and metallothionein were analyzed. The results showed that the retention basins contained the highest load of pollutants. The pollutant load in the stream did not show a clear pollution pattern from the inlets. However, metal enrichment ratios revealed contamination with Cu, Pb and Zn with Pb and Zn above threshold effect concentrations in all sites. Ecotoxicity results showed that the retention basin samples were the most toxic compared to sediment from the stream. Exposure experiments with the stream sediment did not show considerable effects on reproduction, catalase activity and metallothionein concentration. However, modest inhibitions of growth and activity of acetylcholinesterase were detected. Based on the observed results, it cannot be concluded that overflows of the retention basin are responsible for the pollutant contents downstream of their inlet. Other sources that were not considered in this study, such as diffuse input, historic pollution and point sources further upstream as well as along the stream, are likely the major contributors of pollutant load in the sediment of the studied transects of the stream. Additionally, the observed results in the stormwater basin sediment further highlight their importance in retaining particle-bound pollutants and preventing ecotoxicological effects from receiving surface water bodies., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Although parasitism is one of the most common species interactions in nature, the role of parasites in their hosts' thermal tolerance is often neglected. This study examined the ability of the trematode Podocotyle atomon to modulate the feeding and stress response of Gammarus locusta towards temperature. To accomplish this, infected and uninfected females and males of Gammarus locusta were exposed to temperatures (2, 6, 10, 14, 18, 22, 26, 30 °C) for six days. Shredding (change in food biomass) and defecation rates (as complementary measure to shredding rate) were measured as proxies for feeding activity. Lipid and glycogen concentrations (energy reserves), catalase (oxidative stress indicator), and phenoloxidase (an immunological response in invertebrates) were additionally measured. Gammarid survival was optimal at 10 °C as estimated by the linear model and was unaffected by trematode infection. Both temperature and sex influenced the direction of infection effect on phenoloxidase. Infected females presented lower phenoloxidase activity than uninfected females at 14 and 18 °C, while males remained unaffected by infection. Catalase activity increased at warmer temperatures for infected males and uninfected females. Higher activity of this enzyme at colder temperatures occurred only for infected females. Infection decreased lipid content in gammarids by 14 %. Infected males had significantly less glycogen than uninfected, while infected females showed the opposite trend. The largest infection effects were observed for catalase and phenoloxidase activity. An exacerbation of catalase activity in infected males at warmer temperatures might indicate (in the long-term) unsustainable, overwhelming, and perhaps lethal conditions in a warming sea. A decrease in phenoloxidase activity in infected females at warmer temperatures might indicate a reduction in the potential for fighting opportunistic infections. Results highlight the relevance of parasites and host sex in organismal homeostasis and provide useful insights into the organismal stability of a widespread amphipod in a warming sea., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Stable isotope analysis of individual compounds is emerging as a powerful tool to study nutrient origin and conversion in host-parasite systems. We measured the carbon isotope composition of amino acids and glucose in the cestode Schistocephalus solidus and in liver and muscle tissues of its second intermediate host, the three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus), over the course of 90 days in a controlled infection experiment. Similar linear regressions of δ 13 C values over time and low trophic fractionation of essential amino acids indicate that the parasite assimilates nutrients from sources closely connected to the liver metabolism of its host. Biosynthesis of glucose in the parasite might occur from the glucogenic precursors alanine, asparagine and glutamine and with an isotope fractionation of - 2 to - 3 ‰ from enzymatic reactions, while trophic fractionation of glycine, serine and threonine could be interpreted as extensive nutrient conversion to fuel parasitic growth through one-carbon metabolism. Trophic fractionation of amino acids between sticklebacks and their diets was slightly increased in infected compared to uninfected individuals, which could be caused by increased (immune-) metabolic activities due to parasitic infection. Our results show that compound-specific stable isotope analysis has unique opportunities to study host and parasite physiology., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Metabarcoding is a powerful tool to detect classical, and well-known "long-branch" Microsporidia in environmental samples. Several primer pairs were developed to target these unique microbial parasites, the majority of which remain undetected when using general metabarcoding primers. Most of these Microsporidia-targeting primer pairs amplify fragments of different length of the small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU-rRNA) gene. However, we lack a broad comparison of the efficacy of those primers. Here, we conducted in silico PCRs with three short-read (which amplify a few-hundred base pairs) and two long-read (which amplify over a thousand base pairs) metabarcoding primer pairs on a variety of publicly available Microsporidia sensu lato SSU-rRNA gene sequences to test which primers capture most of the Microsporidia diversity. Our results indicate that the primer pairs do result in slight differences in inferred richness. Furthermore, some of the reverse primers are also able to bind to microsporidian subtaxa beyond the classical Microsporidia, which include the metchnikovellidan Amphiamblys spp., the chytridiopsid Chytridiopsis typographi and the "short-branch" microsporidian Mitosporidium daphniae., (© A. Doliwa et al., published by EDP Sciences, 2023.)

Although interest in Acanthocephala seems to have reached only a small community of researchers worldwide, we show in this opinion article that this group of parasites is composed of excellent model organisms for studying key questions in parasite molecular biology and cytogenetics, evolutionary ecology, and ecotoxicology. Their shared ancestry with free-living rotifers makes them an ideal group to explore the origins of the parasitic lifestyle and evolutionary drivers of host shifts and environmental transitions. They also provide useful features in the quest to decipher the proximate mechanisms of parasite-induced phenotypic alterations and better understand the evolution of behavioral manipulation. From an applied perspective, acanthocephalans' ability to accumulate contaminants offers useful opportunities to monitor the impacts - and evaluate the possible mitigation - of anthropogenic pollutants on aquatic fauna and develop the environmental parasitology framework. However, exploring these exciting research avenues will require connecting fragmentary knowledge by enlarging the taxonomic coverage of molecular and phenotypic data. In this opinion paper, we highlight the needs and opportunities of research on Acanthocephala in three main directions: (i) integrative taxonomy (including non-molecular tools) and phylogeny-based comparative analysis; (ii) ecology and evolution of life cycles, transmission strategies and host ranges; and (iii) environmental issues related to global changes, including ecotoxicology. In each section, the most promising ideas and developments are presented based on selected case studies, with the goal that the present and future generations of parasitologists further explore and increase knowledge of Acanthocephala., (© M-J. Perrot-Minnot et al., published by EDP Sciences, 2023.)

Ecotoxicological effects of photolytic degradation mixtures of the two brominated flame retardants PolymericFR and Tetrabromobisphenol A-bis (2,3-dibrom-2-methyl-propyl) Ether (TBBPA-BDBMPE) have been studied in vitro and in vivo. Both substances were experimentally degraded separately by exposure to artificial UV-light and the resulting degradation mixtures from different time points during the UV-exposure were applied in ecotoxicological tests. The in vitro investigation showed no effects of the degraded flame retardants on the estrogenic and androgenic receptors via the CALUX (chemically activated luciferase gene expression) assay. Short-term exposures (up to 96 h) of Lumbriculus variegatus lead to temporary physiological reactions of the annelid. The exposure to degraded PolymericFR lead to an increased activity of Catalase, while the degradation mixture of TBBPA-BDBMPE caused increases of Glutathione-S-transferase and Acetylcholine esterase activities. Following a chronic exposure (28 d) of L. variegatus, no effects on the growth, reproduction, fragmentation and energy storage of the annelid were detected. The results indicate that the experimental degradation of the two flame retardants causes changes in their ecotoxicological potential. This might lead to acute physiological effects on aquatic annelids, which, however, do not affect the animals chronically according to our results., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Esther Smollich reports a relationship with DEUTSCHE ROCKWOOL GmbH & Co. KG that includes: employment. This employment has been taken up after the finalization of the experimental work reported in this article., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Interest in local environmental conditions and the occurrence and behaviour of parasites has increased over the last 3 decades, leading to the discipline of Environmental Parasitology. The aim of this discipline is to investigate how anthropogenically altered environmental factors influence the occurrence of parasites and how the combined effects of pollutants and parasites affect the health of their hosts. Accordingly, in this paper, we provide an overview of the direct and indirect effects of pollutants on the occurrence and distribution of fish parasites. However, based on current knowledge, it is difficult to draw general conclusions about these interdependencies, as the effects of pollutants on free-living (larval) parasite stages, as well as their effects on ectoparasites, depend on the pollutant–host–parasite combination as well as on other environmental factors that can modulate the harmful effects of pollutants. Furthermore, the question of the combined effects of the simultaneous occurrence of parasites and pollutants on the physiology and health of the fish hosts is of interest. For this purpose, we differentiate between the dominance effects of individual stressors over other, additive or synergistically reinforcing effects as well as combined antagonistic effects. For the latter, there are only very few studies, most of which were also carried out on invertebrates, so that this field of research presents itself as very promising for future investigations.

Due to its ubiquitous presence in wastewaters, wastewater treatment plant effluents and even surface waters, the removal of the pharmaceutical ibuprofen from water is of special interest. Ozonation is widely applied for the treatment of micropollutants in wastewater treatment plants and is already known to also degrade ibuprofen. However, the formation of a wide range of transformation products during such oxidation steps might affect the aquatic environment. This study focuses on the acute ecotoxicological impact of the ibuprofen ozonation products on the two model organisms Daphnia magna and Desmodesmus subspicatus. For the identification of possibly ecotoxic products, a new workflow combining ecotoxicological testing, analytical methods and toxicity prediction was applied. Examination at different pH conditions with increasing ozone doses can point to respective products for further systematic examination. Seven ozonation products were confirmed in this study, two of them for the first time. Five previously postulated products were rejected. For pH 7 the inhibition of green algae growth was observed for mixtures oxidized with low ozone doses, while at pH 3 the mixtures with higher ozone doses caused toxic effects on the mobility of daphnids. Together with the analytical measurements in combination with ecotoxicity prediction, six products were identified which might have caused the toxic effect on green algae. However, no assignment to the observed toxic effects on daphnids was possible. The gained results indicate that mixture toxicity might play a role in oxidation processes and needs to be considered in ozonation studies concerning the ecotoxicological impact. Furthermore, the different observed toxicity for the two organisms underlines the importance of using multiple test systems for a comprehensive evaluation of the ecotoxicity during ozonation processes., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Valentina I. Merkus reports financial support was provided by German chemical industry association VCI., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Aquatic environments serve as a sink for anthropogenic discharges. A significant part of the discharge is tire wear, which is increasingly being released into the environment, causing environmental disasters due to their longevity and the large number of pollutants they contain. Main components of tires are plastic and zinc, which therefore can be used as substitutes for tire abrasion to study the effect on microbial life. We investigate environmentally realistic concentrations of plastic and zinc on a freshwater microeukaryotic community using high-throughput sequencing of the 18S V9 region over a 14-day exposure period. Apart from a generally unchanged diversity upon exposure to zinc and nanoplastics, a change in community structure due to zinc is evident, but not due to nanoplastics. Evidently, nanoplastic particles hardly affect the community, but zinc exposure results in drastic functional abundance shifts concerning the trophic mode. Phototrophic microorganisms were almost completely diminished initially, but photosynthesis recovered. However, the dominant taxa performing photosynthesis changed from bacillariophytes to chlorophytes. While phototrophic organisms are decreasing in the presence of zinc, the mixotrophic fraction initially benefitted and the heterotrophic fraction were benefitting throughout the exposure period. In contrast to lasting changes in taxon composition, the functional community composition is initially strongly imbalanced after application of zinc but returns to the original state., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

We conducted a molecular survey on microsporidian diversity in different lineages (operational taxonomic units = OTUs) of Asellus aquaticus from 30 sites throughout Europe. Host body length was determined, and DNA was extracted from host tissue excluding the intestine and amplified by microsporidian-specific primers. In total, 247 A. aquaticus specimens were analysed from which 26.7% were PCR-positive for microsporidians, with significantly more infections in larger individuals. Prevalence ranged between 10 and 90%. At 9 sites, no microsporidians were detected. A significant relationship was found between the frequency of infected individuals and habitat type, as well as host OTU. The lowest proportion of infected individuals was detected in spring-habitats (8.7%, n = 46) and the highest in ponds (37.7%, n = 53). Proportion of infected individuals among host OTUs A, D and J was 31.7, 21.7 and 32.1%, respectively. No infections were detected in OTU F. Our results are, however, accompanied by a partially low sample size, as only a minimum of 5 individuals was available at a few locations. Overall, 17 different microsporidian molecular taxonomic units (MICMOTUs) were distinguished with 5 abundant isolates (found in 4–17 host individuals) while the remaining 12 MICMOTUs were “rare” and found only in 1–3 host individuals. No obvious spatio-genetic pattern could be observed. The MICMOTUs predominantly belonged to Nosematida and Enterocytozoonida. The present study shows that microsporidians in A. aquaticus are abundant and diverse but do not show obvious patterns related to host genetic lineages or geography.

Environmental parasitology developed as a discipline that addresses the impact of anthropogenic activities related to the occurrence and abundance of parasites, subsequently relating deviations of natural parasite distribution to environmental impact. Metals, often considered pollutants, might occur under natural conditions, where concentrations might be high due to a natural geogenic release rather than anthropogenic activities. We specifically investigated whether naturally occurring high levels of elements might negatively affect the parasite community of the intertidal klipfish, Clinus superciliosus, at different localities along the South African coast. Parasite communities and element concentrations of 55 klipfish (in muscle and liver) were examined. Our results show that parasites can disentangle anthropogenic input of elements from naturally occurring high element concentrations. Acanthocephala, Cestoda and Isopoda were associated with higher concentrations of most elements. Environmental parasitology, applicable to a wide range of systems, is scarcely used on marine ecosystems and can contribute to environmental monitoring programs., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The current trend in marine parasitology research, particularly in South Africa, is to focus on a specific parasite taxon and not on the total parasite community of a specific fish host. However, these records do not always reveal the ecological role of parasites in ecosystems. Thus, the present study aimed to determine which factors influence the parasite community composition of the endemic southern African intertidal klipfish, Clinus superciliosus (n = 75). Metazoan parasites were sampled from four localities (two commercial harbours - west coast; and two relatively pristine localities - southeast coast) along the South African coast. A total of 75 klipfish were examined for parasites, where 30 distinct taxa, representing seven taxonomic groups were found: Acanthocephala (4 taxa), Cestoda (2 taxa), Crustacea (5 taxa), Digenea (11 taxa), Hirudinea (2 taxa), Monogenea (1 taxon) and Nematoda (5 taxa). Results indicated that the main driver of diversity was locality, with the highest diversity on the southeast coast, most likely due to higher water temperatures and upwelling compared to the west coast. The parasite community composition of the klipfish was significantly influenced by water temperature and parasite life cycle. These results emphasise the importance of parasitological surveys including all parasite taxa in hosts from multiple localities and seasons, to better comprehend their ecological role., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Gold nanorods (AuNRs) are promising agents for diverse biomedical applications such as drug and gene delivery, bioimaging, and cancer treatment. Upon in vivo application, AuNRs quickly interact with cells of the immune system. On the basis of their strong intrinsic phagocytic activity, polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) are specifically equipped for the uptake of particulate materials such as AuNRs. Therefore, understanding the interaction of AuNRs with PMNs is key for the development of safe and efficient therapeutic applications. In this study, we investigated the uptake, intracellular processing, and cell biological response induced by AuNRs in PMNs. We show that uptake of AuNRs mainly occurs via phagocytosis and macropinocytosis with rapid deposition of AuNRs in endosomes within 5 min. Within 60 min, AuNR uptake induced an unfolded protein response (UPR) along with induction of inositol-requiring enzyme 1 α (IREα) and features of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. This early response was followed by a pro-inflammatory autocrine activation loop that involves LOX1 upregulation on the cell surface and increased secretion of IL8 and MMP9. Our study provides comprehensive mechanistic insight into the interaction of AuNRs with immune cells and suggests potential targets to limit the unwanted immunopathological activation of PMNs during application of AuNRs.

Interpretation of stable isotope data is of upmost importance in ecology to build sound models for the study of animal diets, migration patterns and physiology. However, our understanding of stable isotope fractionation and incorporation into consumer tissues is still limited. We therefore measured the δ 13 C values of individual amino acids over time from muscle and liver tissue of three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) on a high protein diet. The δ 13 C values of amino acids in the liver quickly responded to small shifts of under ± 2.0‰ in dietary stable isotope compositions on 30-day intervals. We found on average no trophic fractionation in pooled essential (muscle, liver) and non-essential (muscle) amino acids. Negative Δδ 13 C values of - 0.7 ± 1.3‰ were observed for pooled non-essential (liver) amino acids and might indicate biosynthesis from small amounts of dietary lipids. Trophic fractionation of individual amino acids is reported and discussed, including unusual Δδ 13 C values of over + 4.9 ± 1.4‰ for histidine. Arginine and lysine showed the lowest trophic fractionation on individual sampling days and might be useful proxies for dietary sources on short time scales. We suggest further investigations using isotopically enriched materials to facilitate the correct interpretation of ecological field data., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Traditional forms of agriculture have created and preserved heterogeneous landscapes characterized by semi-natural meadows and pastures, which have high conversation value for biodiversity. Landscapes in Central and Eastern European countries with traditional agriculture are a stronghold for pollinators, butterflies and amphibians, which have declined in other parts of Europe. Despite different landscape structures, agriculture-associated pesticide exposure in streams can be similarly high as in Western Europe. This raises the question whether the heterogeneous landscape can buffer a temporary water quality decline by agriculture. We investigated the influence of landscape heterogeneity and water quality, in particular pesticide exposure, on macroinvertebrate communities in 19 small streams in Central Romania. We sampled the macroinvertebrate community, assessed the ecosystem function of leaf litter decomposition and analyzed the parasite prevalence in Baetis sp. and Gammarus balcanicus. No association between pesticide toxicity towards macroinvertebrates and several macroinvertebrate metrics was found. However, the level of pesticide toxicity was generally high, constituting a rather short gradient, and the pesticide indicator SPEAR pesticides implied pesticide-driven community change in all sites. Landscape heterogeneity and forested upstream sections were among the most important drivers for the macroinvertebrate metrics, indicating increased dispersal and recolonization success. Agricultural land use in the catchment was negatively associated with vulnerable macroinvertebrate taxa such as Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera. G. balcanicus dominated the shredder taxa and its abundance was positively associated with the pesticide indicator SPEAR pesticides . Parasite prevalence in G. balcanicus increased with extensive land use (pastures and forests), whereas it decreased with arable land. Our results suggest that heterogeneous landscapes with structures of low-intensive land use may buffer the effects of agricultural land use and facilitate dispersal and recolonization processes of pesticide-affected macroinvertebrate communities., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models have been applied to simulate the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination of various toxicants in fish. This approach allows for considering metal accumulation in intestinal parasites. Unlike "semi" physiologically-based models developed for metals, metal accumulation in fish was characterised based on metal-specific parameters (the fraction in blood plasma and the tissue-blood partition coefficient) and physiological characteristics of the fish (the blood flow and the tissue weight) in our PBPK model. In the model, intestinal parasites were considered a sink of metals from the host intestine. The model was calibrated with data for the system of the chub Squalius cephalus and the acanthocephalan Pomphorhynchus tereticolliis. Metal concentrations in this fish-parasite system were monitored in Ag and Co treatments in duplicate during a 48-day exposure phase (Ag and Co were added to tap water at concentrations of 1 and 2 µg/L, respectively) and a 51-day depuration phase. Their concentrations in the gills increased during the exposure phase and decreased in the depuration phase. A similar pattern was observed for Ag concentrations in other chub organs, while a relatively stable pattern for Co indicates regulations in the accumulation of essential metals by chubs. The metals were taken up by the acanthocephalans at similar rate constants. These results indicate that metal availability to parasites, which is determined by the internal distribution and fate, is critical to metal accumulation in the acanthocephalans. The high concentration of Ag in the liver as well as the high rate of Ag excretion from the liver to the intestine might contribute to higher concentrations of metals in the bile complexes in the intestine, which are available to the parasites, but not to the reabsorption by the host intestine. The opposite pattern might explain the lower availability of Co to the acanthocephalans., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Modern wastewater treatment plants cannot completely remove pollutants. Often, effluents entering the aquatic environment still contain micropollutants such as pharmaceuticals or pesticides, which may impose adverse effects on aquatic biota. At the same time, a large proportion of free-living aquatic species are known to be infected with parasites, which raises the question of interactions between environmental stressors (such as micropollutants) and parasite infection. We chose the freshwater amphipod Gammarus fossarum (Koch, 1835) as a test organism to investigate potential pollutant-parasite interactions. This gammarid is frequently used in ecotoxicological tests and is also commonly infected with larvae of the acanthocephalan parasite species Polymorphus minutus (Zeder, 1800) Lühe, 1911. We exposed infected and uninfected specimens of G. fossarum to conventionally-treated wastewater and river water in a 22-day flow channel experiment. The test organisms' response was measured as mortality rates, concentrations or activities of five biomarkers, and overall locomotor activity. No significant differences were found between mortality rates of different exposure conditions. Contrastingly, three biomarkers (phenoloxidase activity, glycogen, and lipid concentrations) showed a significant increase in infected gammarids, while the effect of the water type was insignificant. Infected gammarids also showed a significantly higher locomotor activity in both water types. Our results suggest that the response of G. fossarum during the exposure experiments was mainly driven by parasite infection. This implies that parasites may act as additional biotic stressors in multiple stressor scenarios, and therefore, might play an important role when measuring the response of organisms to chemical stressors. Future ecotoxicological studies and assessments thus should consider parasite infection as an additional test parameter., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The present study provides new insight into suitable microsporidian–host associations. It relates regional and continental-wide host specialization in microsporidians infecting amphipods to degraded and recovering habitats across 2 German river catchments. It provides a unique opportunity to infer the persistence of parasites following anthropogenic disturbance and their establishment in restored rivers. Amphipods were collected in 31 sampling sites with differing degradation and restoration gradients. Specimens were morphologically (hosts) and molecularly identified (host and parasites). Amphipod diversity and abundance, microsporidian diversity, host phylogenetic specificity and continental-wide β-specificity were investigated and related to each other and/or environmental variables. Fourteen microsporidian molecular operational taxonomic units (MOTUs), mainly generalist parasites, infecting 6 amphipod MOTUs were detected, expanding the current knowledge on the host range by 17 interactions. There was no difference in microsporidian diversity and host specificity among restored and near-natural streams (Boye) or between those located in urban and rural areas (Kinzig). Similarly, microsporidian diversity was generally not influenced by water parameters. In the Boye catchment, host densities did not influence microsporidian MOTU richness across restored and near-natural sites. High host turnover across the geographical range suggests that neither environmental conditions nor host diversity plays a significant role in the establishment into restored areas. Host diversity and environmental parameters do not indicate the persistence and dispersal of phylogenetic host generalist microsporidians in environments that experienced anthropogenic disturbance. Instead, these might depend on more complex mechanisms such as the production of resistant spores, host switching and host dispersal acting individually or conjointly.

Heavy metals such as zinc cannot be degraded by microorganisms and form long contaminant plumes in groundwater. Conventional methods for remediating heavy metal-contaminated sites are for example excavation and pump-and-treat, which is expensive and requires very long operation times. This induced interest in new technologies such as in situ adsorption barriers for immobilization of heavy metal contamination. In this study, we present steps and criteria from laboratory tests to field studies, which are necessary for a successful implementation of an in situ adsorption barrier for immobilizing zinc. Groundwater and sediment samples from a contaminated site were brought to the lab, where the adsorption of zinc to Goethite nanoparticles was studied in batch and in flow-through systems mimicking field conditions. The Goethite nanoparticles revealed an in situ adsorption capacity of approximately 23 mg Zn per g Goethite. Transport experiments in sediment columns indicated an expected radius of influence of at least 2.8 m for the injection of Goethite nanoparticles. These findings were validated in a pilot-scale field study, where an in situ adsorption barrier of ca. 11 m × 6 m × 4 m was implemented in a zinc-contaminated aquifer. The injected nanoparticles were irreversibly deposited at the desired location within <24 h, and were not dislocated with the groundwater flow. Despite a constantly increasing inflow of zinc to the barrier and the short contact time between Goethite and zinc in the barrier, the dissolved zinc was effectively immobilized for ca. 90 days. Then, the zinc concentrations increased slowly downstream of the barrier, but the barrier still retained most of the zinc from the inflowing groundwater. The study demonstrated the applicability of Goethite nanoparticles to immobilize heavy metals in situ and highlights the criteria for upscaling laboratory-based determinants to field-scale., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest BK, SM, and RM own a company which sells colloidal particles for various applications including groundwater remediation., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The One Health framework emphasizes the interconnectedness of humans, animals, and the environment but often remains focused on human health. Here we highlight how the evolutionary and ecological dynamics of aquatic parasites are crucial to our understanding of these connected health aspects, especially in the light of environmental changes., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

To predict global warming impacts on parasitism, we should describe the thermal tolerance of all players in host-parasite systems. Complex life-cycle parasites such as trematodes are of particular interest since they can drive complex ecological changes. This study evaluates the net response to temperature of the infective larval stage of Himasthla elongata, a parasite inhabiting the southwestern Baltic Sea. The thermal sensitivity of (i) the infected and uninfected first intermediate host (Littorina littorea) and (ii) the cercarial emergence, survival, self-propelling, encystment, and infection capacity to the second intermediate host (Mytilus edulis sensu lato) were examined. We found that infection by the trematode rendered the gastropod more susceptible to elevated temperatures representing warm summer events in the region. At 22 °C, cercarial emergence and infectivity were at their optimum while cercarial survival was shortened, narrowing the time window for successful mussel infection. Faster out-of-host encystment occurred at increasing temperatures. After correcting the cercarial emergence and infectivity for the temperature-specific gastropod survival, we found that warming induces net adverse effects on the trematode transmission to the bivalve host. The findings suggest that gastropod and cercariae mortality, as a tradeoff for the emergence and infectivity, will hamper the possibility for trematodes to flourish in a warming ocean., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

A toxicokinetic-toxicodynamic model was constructed to delineate the exposure-response causality. The model could be used: to predict metal accumulation considering the influence of water chemistry and biotic ligand characteristics; to simulate the dynamics of subcellular partitioning considering metabolism, detoxification, and elimination; and to predict chronic toxicity as represented by biomarker responses from the concentration of metals in the fraction of potentially toxic metal. The model was calibrated with data generated from an experiment in which the Zebra mussel Dreissena polymorpha was exposed to Cu at nominal concentrations of 25 and 50 μg/L and with varied Na + concentrations in water up to 4.0 mmol/L for 24 days. Data used in the calibration included physicochemical conditions of the exposure environment, Cu concentrations in subcellular fractions, and oxidative stress-induced responses, i.e. glutathione-S-transferase activity and lipid peroxidation. The model explained the dynamics of subcellular Cu partitioning and the effect mechanism reasonably well. With a low affinity constant for Na  +  binding to Cu 2+ uptake sites, Na  +  had limited influence on Cu 2+ uptake at low Na + concentrations in water. Copper was taken up into the metabolically available pool (MAP) at a largely higher rate than into the cellular debris. Similar Cu concentrations were found in these two fractions at low exposure levels, which could be attributed to sequestration pathways (metabolism, detoxification, and elimination) in the MAP. However, such sequestration was inefficient as shown by similar Cu concentrations in detoxified fractions with increasing exposure level accompanied by the increasing Cu concentration in the MAP., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A toxicokinetic-toxicodynamic model based on subcellular metal partitioning is presented for simulating chronic toxicity of copper (Cu) from the estimated concentration in the fraction of potentially toxic metal (PTM). As such, the model allows for considering the significance of different pathways of metal sequestration in predicting metal toxicity. In the metabolically available pool (MAP), excess metals above the metabolic requirements and the detoxification and elimination capacity form the PTM fraction. The reversibly and irreversibly detoxified fractions were distinguished in the biologically detoxified compartment, while responses of organisms were related to Cu accumulation in the PTM fraction. The model was calibrated using the data on Cu concentrations in subcellular fractions and physiological responses measured by the glutathione S-transferase activity and the lipid peroxidation level during 24-day exposure of the Zebra mussel to Cu at concentrations of 25 and 50 µg/L and varying Na + concentrations up to 4.0 mmol/L. The model was capable of explaining dynamics in the subcellular Cu partitioning, e.g. the trade-off between elimination and detoxification as well as the dependence of net accumulation, elimination, detoxification, and metabolism on the exposure level. Increases in the net accumulation rate in the MAP contributed to increased concentrations of Cu in this fraction. Moreover, these results are indicative of ineffective detoxification at high exposure levels and spill-over effects of detoxification., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In the face of ongoing habitat degradation and the biodiversity crisis, natural reserves are important refuges for wildlife. Since most free-living organisms serve as hosts to parasites, the diverse communities in protected areas can be expected to provide suitable habitats for a species-rich parasite fauna. However, to date, assessments of parasite diversity in protected nature reserves are rare. To expand our knowledge of parasite communities in natural habitats, we examined 1994 molluscs belonging to 15 species for trematode infections in a central European natural reserve. The parasitological examination revealed an overall prevalence of 17.3% and a total species richness of 40 trematode species. However, the parasite diversity and prevalence did not differ markedly from trematode communities in non-protected environments, which might be partly explained by a dilution effect caused by a high number of non-host organisms in our study system. The proportion of complex and long life cycles of parasites in the present study is high, indicating complex biotic interactions. We conclude that life cycle complexity, in addition to parasite diversity and trematode species richness, can provide valuable information on ecosystem health and should therefore be considered in future studies., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Clinus superciliosus was collected for element analysis from six localities along the South African west and south coasts. Concentrations in muscle and liver were determined, considering size and sex. No significant positive correlation between size and concentrations were detected, except for Mn and Sn in liver from Simons Town marina, while no significant differences in sex were detected. The majority of element concentrations were significantly higher in fish from Tsitsikamma in the Garden Route and the small town Chintsa, while some concentrations were significantly higher in muscle at Simons Town marina. Land-use activities had a limited role in element bioaccumulation in klipfish. Element concentrations were influenced by large scale oceanographic processes (currents; upwelling) and localised seasonal geogenic derived run-off. Limited data on element accumulation patterns of intertidal fish species in South Africa, highlights the need for long-term monitoring and further studies on different resident and transient intertidal fish species., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

We characterised morphologically and molecularly Diplostomum phoxini (Faust, 1918) based on cercarial isolates from the snail Ampullaceana balthica (L.) (Gastropoda: Lymnaeidae) and metacercariae from the Eurasian minnow, Phoxinus phoxinus (L.) (Cypriniformes: Leuciscidae), and provided molecular evidence for the identification of the snail intermediate host. Phylogenetic analyses based on the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) gene depicted 44 molecularly characterised species and genetically distinct lineages of Diplostomum, and resulted in: (i) a re-identification/re-classification of 98 isolates plus D. baeri sampled in North America; (ii) re-definition of the composition of the D. baeri species complex which now includes nine molecularly characterised species/lineages; (iii) re-definition of the composition of the D. mergi species complex which now includes seven molecularly characterised species/lineages; and (iv) an updated nomenclature for the molecularly characterised species-level lineages of Diplostomum.

Chronic toxicity of copper (Cu) at sublethal levels is associated with ionoregulatory disturbance and oxidative stress. These factors were considered in a toxicokinetic-toxicodynamic model in the present study. The ionoregulatory disturbance was evaluated by the activity of the Na + /K + -ATPase enzyme (NKA), while oxidative stress was presented by lipid peroxidation (LPO) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activity. NKA activity was related to the binding of Cu 2+ and Na  +  to NKA. LPO and GST activity were linked with the simulated concentration of unbound Cu. The model was calibrated using previously reported data and empirical data generated when zebra mussels were exposed to Cu. The model clearly demonstrated that Cu might inhibit NKA activity by reducing the number of functional pump sites and the limited Cu-bound NKA turnover rate. An ordinary differential equation was used to describe the relationship between the simulated concentration of unbound Cu and LPO/GST activity. Although this method could not explain the fluctuations in these biomarkers during the experiment, the measurements were within the confidence interval of estimations. Model simulation consistently shows non-significant differences in LPO and GST activity at two exposure levels, similar to the empirical observation., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

To date, micropollutants from anthropogenic sources cannot be completely removed from effluents of wastewater treatment plants and therefore enter freshwater systems, where they may impose adverse effects on aquatic organisms, for example, on fish. Advanced treatment such as ozonation aims to reduce micropollutants in wastewater effluents and, thus, to mitigate adverse effects on the environment. To investigate the impact and efficiency of ozonation, four different water types were tested: ozonated wastewater (before and after biological treatment), conventionally-treated wastewater, and water from a river (River Ruhr, Germany) upstream of the wastewater treatment plant effluent. Zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos were used to study lethal and sublethal effects in a modified fish early life-stage test. Mortality occurred during exposure in the water samples from the wastewater treatment plant and the river in the first 24 h post-fertilization, ranging from 12% (conventional wastewater) to 40% (river water). Regarding sublethal endpoints, effects compared to the negative control resulted in significantly higher heart rates (ozonated wastewater), and significantly reduced swimming activity (highly significant in ozonated wastewater and ozone reactor water, significant in only the last time interval in river water). Moreover, the respiration rates were highly increased in both ozonated wastewater samples in comparison to the negative control. Significant differences between the ozonated wastewater samples occurred in the embryonic behavior and heart rates, emphasizing the importance of subsequent biological treatment of the ozonated wastewater. Only the conventionally-treated wastewater sample did not elicit negative responses in zebrafish, indicating that the discharge of conventional wastewater poses no greater risk to embryonic and larval zebrafish than water from the river Ruhr itself. The sublethal endpoints embryonic- and larval behavior, heart rates, and respiration were found to be the most sensitive endpoints in this fish early life-stage test and can add valuable information on the toxicity of environmental samples., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Mining activities in the world's largest platinum mining area in South Africa have resulted in environmental contamination with Pt (e.g., the Hex River's vicinity). The present study compared a Pt mining area with a non-mining area along this river in terms of (1) metal concentrations in different grain size fractions from soils and aquatic sediments; (2) the toxicological potential of aquatic sediments based on the Consensus-Based Sediment Quality Guideline (CBSQG); and (3) the chronic toxicity of aqueous eluates from soils and sediments to Caenorhabditis elegans. Platinum concentrations were higher in the mining area than in the non-mining area. For most metals, the sediment silt and clay fraction contained the highest metal concentrations. Based on the CBSQG, most sampling sites exhibited a high toxicological potential, driven by Cr and Ni. Eluate toxicity testing revealed that C. elegans growth, fertility, and reproduction inhibition were not dependent on mining activities or the CBSQG predictions. Toxicity was instead likely due to Cd, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pt, and Pb. In conclusion, the investigated region is loaded with a high geogenic background resulting in high reproduction inhibition. The mining activities lead to additional environmental metal contamination (particularly Pt), contributing to environmental soil and sediment toxicity., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Fully inorganic, colloidal gold nanoclusters (NCs) constitute a new class of nanomaterials that are clearly distinguishable from their commonly studied metal-organic ligand-capped counterparts. As their synthesis by chemical methods is challenging, details about their optical properties remain widely unknown. In this work, laser fragmentation in liquids is performed to produce fully inorganic and size-controlled colloidal gold NCs with monomodal particle size distributions and an fcc-like structure. Results reveal that these NCs exhibit highly pronounced photoluminescence with quantum yields of 2%. The emission behavior of small (2-2.5 nm) and ultrasmall (<1 nm) NCs is significantly different and dominated by either core- or surface-based emission states. It is further verified that emission intensities are a function of the surface charge density, which is easily controllable by the pH of the surrounding medium. This experimentally observed correlation between surface charge and photoluminescence emission intensity is confirmed by density functional theoretical simulations, demonstrating that fully inorganic NCs provide an appropriate material to bridge the gap between experimental and computational studies of NCs. The presented study deepens the understanding of electronic structures in fully inorganic colloidal gold NCs and how to systematically tune their optical properties via surface charge density and particle size., (© 2021 The Authors. Advanced Materials published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Micropollutants reach the aquatic environment through wastewater treatment plant effluents. Ozonation, applied in wastewater treatment for micropollutants abatement, can yield transformation products (TP), which might be of ecotoxicological concern. Previous studies on TP formation were mostly performed in ultrapure water. However, the water matrix can have a substantial influence and lead to unpredictable yields of TPs with toxicological potential. In this study the acute toxicity (immobilization) of the parent substances (isoproturon and metoprolol) and also of available TPs of isoproturon, metoprolol and diclofenac towards Daphnia magna (D. magna) were investigated. Further, the acute toxicity of TP mixtures, formed during ozonation of isoproturon, metoprolol and diclofenac was evaluated in the following systems: in the presence of radical scavengers (tert-butanol and dimethyl sulfoxide) and in the presence of hypobromous acid (HOBr), a secondary oxidant in ozonation. For all tested substances and TP standards, except 2,6-dichloroaniline (EC 50 1.02 mg/L (48 h)), no immobilization of D. magna was detected. Ozonated pure water and wastewater did not show an immobilization effect either. After ozonation of diclofenac in the presence of dimethyl sulfoxide 95% (48 h) of the daphnids were immobile. Ozonation of parent substances, after the reaction with HOBr, showed no effect for isoproturon but a high effect on D. magna for diclofenac (95% immobilization (48 h)) and an even higher effect for metoprolol (100% immobilization (48 h)). These results emphasize that complex water matrices can influence the toxicity of TPs as shown in this study for D. magna., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The stenohaline zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha, is uniquely sensitive to the ionic composition of its aquatic environment. Waterborne copper (Cu) uptake and accumulation in zebra mussels were examined at various conditions in an environmentally relevant range in freshwater, i.e. Cu exposure levels (nominal concentrations of 25 and 50 μg/L), pH (5.8-8.3), and sodium (Na + ) concentrations (up to 4.0 mM). Copper accumulation was simulated by a kinetic model covering two compartments, the gills and the remaining tissues. The Cu uptake rate constant decreased with decreasing pH from 8.3 down to 6.5, indicating interactions between H + and Cu at uptake sites. The kinetic simulation showed dose-dependent effects of Na + on Cu uptake. At 25 μg/L Cu, addition of Na + at 0.5 mM significantly inhibited the Cu uptake rate, while no significant differences were found in the uptake rate upon further addition of Na + up to a concentration of 4.0 mM. At 50 μg/L Cu, the Cu uptake rate was not influenced by Na + addition. Calibration results exhibited dose-dependent elimination rates with more profound elimination with increasing exposure levels. With kinetic parameters calibrated at environmentally relevant conditions, in terms of pH and Na + concentrations, the model performed well in predicting Cu accumulation based on independent data sets. Estimates of the Cu concentration in mussels were within a factor of 2 of the measurements. This demonstrates potential application of kinetic models that are calibrated in environmentally relevant freshwater conditions., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Multiple studies in freshwater environments have verified that microplastic particles are present in water columns, sediment, and aquatic organisms. These studies indicated that certain freshwater ecosystems may act as temporary sinks of microplastic particles, leading to accumulation in the sediment and the ingestion by benthic organisms. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is one of the non-buoyant polymers that has been frequently found in aquatic sediments. This study aims to investigate a possible transfer of PET microfibers from aquatic to the terrestrial habitats and addressed selected effects (i.e. survival, general stress response, and growth) of PET microfibers using Chironomus riparius, a frequently applied model organism in ecotoxicological research. To assess the growth and development of C. riparius, a modified 28-day sediment chronic toxicity test was conducted, in which the main endpoint is time until emergence of the larvae. In this assay, C. riparius were exposed to artificial sediments spiked with PET microfibers. In addition, weight and head capsule lengths of the larvae were also measured. As a general stress response marker on the molecular level, Heat Shock Protein 70 (HSP70) levels were measured in two involved life stages, i.e. larvae and adults. Using staining method, ingestion of PET microfibers was verified in the adult sample. Our results clearly demonstrated that ingested microfibers by C. riparius larvae can be carried through subsequent life stages and end up in the adults. Accordingly, this is the first proof of aquatic-terrestrial transfer of PET microfibers for C. riparius. However, toxicity test results showed that there was no significant effect on the time until emergence, weight or head capsule lengths in the organisms exposed to PET microfibers compared to control organisms. HSP70 measurements showed no significant effects between control and exposure groups in the same life stage. The result suggests that PET microfibers in the applied concentration do not exert adverse effects both on organism and subcellular level in one generation., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Intraspecific diet specialization, usually driven by resource availability, competition and predation, is common in natural populations. However, the role of parasites on diet specialization of their hosts has rarely been studied. Eye flukes can impair vision ability of their hosts and have been associated with alterations of fish feeding behavior. Here it was assessed whether European perch (Perca fluviatilis) alter their diet composition as a consequence of infection with eye flukes. Young-of-the-year (YOY) perch from temperate Lake Müggelsee (Berlin, Germany) were sampled in two years, eye flukes counted and fish diet was evaluated using both stomach content and stable isotope analyses. Perch diet was dominated by zooplankton and benthic macroinvertebrates. Both methods indicated that with increasing eye fluke infection intensity fish had a more selective diet, feeding mainly on the benthic macroinvertebrate Dikerogammarus villosus, while less intensively infected fish appeared to be generalist feeders showing no preference for any particular prey type. Our results show that infection with eye flukes can indirectly affect interaction of the host with lower trophic levels by altering the diet composition and highlight the underestimated role of parasites in food web studies.

Effect-directed analysis (EDA) that combines effect-based methods (EBMs) with high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) is a useful technique for spatial, temporal, and process-related effect evaluation and may provide a link between effect testing and responsible substance identification. In this study, a yeast multi endocrine-effect screen (YMEES) for the detection of endocrine effects is combined with HPTLC. Simultaneous detection of estrogenic, androgenic, and gestagenic effects on the HPTLC plate is achieved by mixing different genetically modified Arxula adeninivorans yeast strains, which contain either the human estrogen, androgen, or progesterone receptor. Depending on the yeast strain, different fluorescent proteins are formed when an appropriate substance binds to the specific hormone receptor. This allows to measure hormonal effects at different wavelengths. Two yeast cell application approaches, immersion and spraying, are compared. The sensitivity and reproducibility of the method are shown by dose-response investigations for reference compounds. The spraying approach indicated similar sensitivities and higher precisions for the tested hormones compared to immersion. The EC 10 s for estrone (E1), 17β-estradiol (E2), 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2), 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT), and progesterone (P4) were 95, 1.4, 10, 7.4, and 15 pg/spot, respectively. Recovery rates of E1, E2, EE2, DHT, and P4 between 88 and 120% show the usability of the general method in combination with sample enrichment by solid phase extraction (SPE). The simultaneous detection of estrogenic, androgenic, and gestagenic effects in wastewater and surface water samples demonstrates the successful application of the YMEES in such matrices. This promising method allows us to identify more than one endocrine effect on the same HPTLC plate, which saves time and material. The method could be used for comparison, evaluation, and monitoring of different river sites and wastewater treatment steps and should be tested in further studies.