Glyphosate, as a broad-spectrum herbicide, is frequently detected in water and several studies have investigated its effects on several freshwater aquatic organisms. Yet, only few investigations have ...been performed on marine macroalgae. Here, we studied both the metabolomics responses and the effect on primary production in the endemic brown algae Fucus virsoides exposed to different concentration (0, 0.5, 1.5 and 2.5 mg L−1) of a commercial glyphosate-based herbicide, namely Roundup®. Our results show that Roundup® significantly reduced quantum yield of photosynthesis (Fv/Fm) and caused alteration in the metabolomic profiles of exposed thalli compared to controls. Together with the decrease in the aromatic amino acids (phenylalanine and tyrosine), an increase in shikimate content was detected. The branched-amino acids differently varied according to levels of herbicide exposure, as well as observed for the content of choline, formate, glucose, malonate and fumarate. Our results suggest that marine primary producers could be largely affected by the agricultural land use, this asking for further studies addressing the ecosystem-level effects of glyphosate-based herbicides in coastal waters.
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•The effects of glyphosate-based herbicide (GBH) on Fucus virsoides were tested.•We showed a relation between glyphosate accumulation and physiological responses.•Both the photosynthetic efficiency and metabolism of Fucus were affected by GBH.•For the first time, the involvement of shikimate pathway was shown in brown algae.•The herbicides might drive the reduction of marine macroalgal communities.
Glyphosate-based herbicide (GBH) effects on metabolic profiles of brown algae Fucus virsoides.
Fucus virsoides and Cystoseira barbata are important sources of sulfated polysaccharide fucoidan which shows a wide range of biological activities. These activities are significantly dependent on ...chemical composition which is influenced by species, anatomical part of the seaweed, growing location and conditions, extraction procedures and analytical methods. The objective of this study was to evaluate influence of various pre-treatment solvents and conventional extraction parameters (solvent, temperature and time) on polysaccharide yield and chemical composition (total sugar, fucose, sulfate group and uronic acid content) of the fucoidan from F. virsoides and C. barbata. Combination of acetone and ethanol was chosen for pre-treatment since it removed the most interfering compounds and resulted with the highest polysaccharide yield. Applying acid (0.1 M HCl and 0.1 M H2SO4) instead of water for polysaccharide extraction improved yield and resulted with fucoidan with higher sulfate group content, lower uronic acid content but lower fucose content. Extraction at higher temperatures and longer time resulted with higher polysaccharide yield, uronic acid and total sugars content. However, they had the opposite effect on fucose and sulfate group content between F. virsoides and C. barbata.
•Combination of acetone and ethanol is the best as pre-treatment solvent.•F. virsoides has higher polysaccharide yield (15.07%) than C. barbata (7.80%).•0.1 M H2SO4, higher temperatures and longer time lead to higher polysaccharide yield.•0.1 M H2SO4 lead to higher sulfate group but lower uronic acid and fucose content.
Sulfated polysaccharide fucoidan isolated from brown algae shows a wide range of biological activities that are significantly dependent on its chemical composition, which is closely related to the ...applied technique and extraction parameters. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of microwave assisted extraction (MAE) and pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) parameters (solvent, temperature, time, and number of cycles) on the Fucus virsoides and Cystoseira barbata polysaccharide yield (%PS) and chemical composition (total sugar, fucose, and sulfate group). The optimal MAE parameters that resulted in the highest polysaccharide extraction from F. virsoides and C. barbata were 0.1 M H2SO4 for 10 min at 80 °C, while the optimal PLE parameters were 0.1 M H2SO4, for two cycles of 15 min at 140 °C. Furthermore, the %PS, chemical structure, molecular properties, and antioxidant activity of the F. virsoides and C. barbata polysaccharide extracts obtained with MAE, PLE, and conventional extraction (CE) performed under previously determinate optimal conditions were compared. PLE resulted in a significantly higher %PS from F. virsoides, while for C. barbata, a similar yield was achieved with CE and PLE, as well as CE and MAE, for both algae. Furthermore, the polysaccharides obtained using PLE had the highest polydispersity index, fucose, and sulfate group content, and the lowest uronic acid content; however their antioxidant activity was lower.
is an endemic species of the Mediterranean limited to the Adriatic Sea. In recent decades, it has undergone a severe regression, which is well documented in the northern Adriatic. To develop a tool ...for mitigating this problem, we tested the feasibility of
restoration and designed a very simple yet effective method for ex situ cultivation and planting. We also tested the effect of positioning in the upper vs. lower intertidal on the growth of
After planting, the algae reached fertility in nine months, which was followed by a period of stagnation and reduction in size due to grazing and fouling. There were some differences in growth of the algae according to positioning in the intertidal at different measurement times, but that had little impact on the overall success of the restoration experiment. This represents, to our knowledge, the first successful
ex situ cultivation and restoration attempt.
The particles from the gas-saturated solutions (PGSS) process was employed to micronize brown algae pigments separated by different extraction techniques. The particle formation of pigments with a ...coating material, polyethylene glycol (PEG), was carried out by the PGSS process using supercritical CO2. Environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were performed to characterize the produced particles, while encapsulation efficiency was determined using spectrophotometric methods. The physical properties of obtained microparticles were also determined. The PGSS process enabled a high encapsulation yield in the range from 61.60 to 73.73%, and high encapsulation efficiency in terms of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and carotenoid content. The release of CO2 during the PGSS process gave the microparticles their characteristic open and porous form, and enhanced the solubility and flow properties at the same time.
The only stable iodine isotope is super(127)I and the natural super(129)I/ super(127)I ratio in the biosphere has increased from 10 super(-15)-10 super(- 14) to 10 super(-10)-10 super(-9), mainly due ...to emissions from nuclear fuel reprocessing plants. In Europe they are located at la Hague (France) and Sellafield (England), where the ratio of super(129)I/ super(127)I is up to 10 super(-4). The marine environment, i.e. the oceans, is the major source of iodine with average concentrations of around 60 mu g L super(-1) iodine in seawater. Brown algae accumulate iodine at high levels of up to 1.0% of dry weight, and therefore they are an ideal bioindicator for studying the levels of super(127)I and super(129)I in the marine environment. A radiochemical neutron activation analysis (RNAA) method, developed at our laboratory, was used for super(129)I determination in the brown alga Fucus virsoides (Donati) J. Agardh, and the same technique of RNAA was used for total super(127)I determination. The samples were collected along the coast of the Gulf of Trieste and the West coast of Istria in the North Adriatic Sea in the period from 2005 to 2006. Values of the super(129)I/ super(127)I ratio up to 10 super(-9) were found, which is in agreement with the present average global distribution of super(129)I. The levels of stable iodine found were in the range from 235 to 506 mu g g super(-1) and the levels of super(129)I from 1.7 to 7.3 x 10 super(-3) Bq kg super(-1) (2.6-10.9 x 10 super(-7) mu g g super(-1)), on a dry matter basis.
The distribution of the endemic brown alga
was assessed along the northern Adriatic coastline. A high-resolution geographic information system database was created using visual census methods to ...identify the presence and abundance of algae, including the geomorphology of the substrate. Samples of
were collected for analysis of the quantitative spatial distribution. The abundance of
was related to several environmental variables, including the relative exposure index (REI). The results support the hypothesis that the distribution of
in the Gulf of Trieste is influenced mainly by the stability of mediolittoral substrata, wave exposure and the vicinity of freshwater inputs. Populations of this species are widespread in the Gulf of Trieste. Many of them were found growing inside small harbours or along a boatyard, where fluctuations in salinity and nutrient concentrations are frequent. Therefore, we conclude that
cannot be considered an ecological indicator for seawater pollution nor for climate change, since it is subjected naturally to high pollution levels and environmental variability.
The concentrations of heavy metals (Fe, Zn, Cu, Cd, Ni, Pb, Cr, As) were determined in seven seaweeds of environmental and commercial relevance (
Ulva rigida C. Ag.,
Gracilaria gracilis (Stackhouse) ...Steentoft, L. Irvine and Farnham,
Porphyra leucosticta Thuret,
Grateloupia doryphora (Montagne) Howe.,
Undaria pinnatifida (Harv.) Suringar,
Fucus virsoides J. Agardh,
Cystoseira barbata (Good. et Wood.) Ag.) collected in four sampling sites in the lagoon of Venice, in spring and autumn 1999. Metals were extracted using hot concentrated acids in a Microwave Digestion Rotor and analysed by absorption spectrophotometry using a flame mode for Fe and Zn and a graphite furnace for Pb, Cr, Cd, Cu, Ni and As. High contamination levels, especially for Pb, were detected in
Ulva and to a lesser extent in
Gracilaria. Brown seaweeds, especially
Cystoseira was highly contaminated by As. The least contaminated genera with all metals except As were
Porphyra and
Undaria. A concentration decrease for Zn and Cd was observed from the inner parts of the central lagoon, close to the industrial district, towards the lagoon openings to the sea.
The zonation of midlittoral mainly based on macroalgal communities was studied at six sites of the Bay of Koper (Slovenian south-east part of the Gulf of Trieste) in spring (April) and autumn ...(November) 2010. The study, using the random selection method, involved different types of substrate (limestone, marl and sandstone). It was surveyed from the upper midlittoral to the infralittoral fringe (from the mean higher high water to the mean lower low water), the upper limit of the occurrence of the brown macroalgae Cystoseira compressa. The zonation of the midlittoral zone was divided into three horizons (upper, middle and lower) by biotic (leader species) and abiotic (sea level) criteria. By using multivariate technique the main dissimilarity was found between the macroalgal communities of the upper and lower horizon. The species that most contributed to this difference was Blidingia minima. The main differences in species composition in different substrates were found between limestone and marl. The species Chaetomorpha linum mainly characterized such differences, while the species Fucus virsoides was the main contributor to dissimilarity among the middle horizons on limestone and sandstone.Original Abstract: Podjela tj. zonacija mediolitoralnog pojasa pretezito se temelji na istrazivanjima zajednica makroalgi na sest postaja u zaljevu Koper (slovenski jugoistocni dio trscanskog zaljeva) provedenih u proljece (travanj) i jesen (studeni) 2010. godine. Studija provedena metodom slucajnog odabira, ukljucuje razlicite vrste podloga (vapnenac, lapor i pjescenjak). Uzorkovano je podrucje od gornjeg mediolitoralnog pojasa do ruba infralitorala (izmedu srednje gornje razine plime do srednje donje razine oseke), te gornje granice prisustva smede alge cystoseira Compressa. Zonacijom je mediolitoral podijeljen u tri sloja (visi, srednji i nizi) prema biotickim (vodece vrste) i abiotickim kriterijima (razina mora). Primjenom multivarijatne tehnike glavna razlicitost je ustanovljena izmedu zajednica makroalgi gornjeg i donjeg sloja. Vrsta koja je najvise doprinijela ovakvoj razlicitosti je Blidingia minima.Glavne razlike u sastavu vrsta u razlicitim podlogama su pronadene izmedu vapnenca i lapora. Vrsta Chaetomorpha linum uglavnom karakterizira takve razlike, dok je vrsta Fucus virsoides bila glavni pridonositelj razlicitosti medu srednjim slojem na vapnencu i pjescenjaku.
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