Microplastics (MPs) become ubiquitous contaminants in Marine Protected Areas (MPA) that have been planned as a conservation strategy. The present study provides a comprehensive overview of the ...occurrence, abundance, and distribution of MPs potentially affecting MPA worldwide. Data on MP occurrence and levels in sediment and biota samples were collected from recent peer-reviewed literature and screened using a GIS-based approach overlapping MP records with MPA boundaries. MPs were found in 186 MPAs, with levels ranging from 0 to 9187.5 items/kg in sediment and up to 17,461.9 items/kg in organisms. Peaked MPs concentrations occurred within multiple-use areas, and no-take MPAs were also affected. About half of MP levels found within MPA fell into the higher concentration quartiles, suggesting potential impacts on these areas. In general, benthic species were likely more affected than pelagic ones due to the higher concentrations of MP reported in the tissues of benthic species. Alarmingly, MPs were found in tissues of two threatened species on the IUCN Red List. The findings denote urgent concerns about the effectiveness of the global system of protected areas and their proposed conservation goals.
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•177 articles provided 2745 records on microplastic (MP) contamination.•GIS-based vector analysis was used to overcome the boundary limits of MPAs.•MPs was found in 186 MPAs worldwide and in 2 threatened species.•High MPs levels reached multiple-use areas, but no-take MPAs were also affected.•The conservation goals of MPA contaminated by MP may be threatened.
The present study is a literature-based analysis investigating occurrence and the possible consequences of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in marine protected areas (MPAs) of Latin America and ...Caribbean. The approach using overlapping of georeferenced MPA polygons with data compiled from peer-reviewed literature, published during the last 15 years, showed 341 records of PAH in 9 countries. PAH was reported to occur within the boundaries of 36 MPAs located in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Nicaragua and Uruguay. According to quality guidelines, low to moderate impacts are expected in MPAs categorized in different management classes. Considering sediment samples, 13% of the records presented concentrations enough to cause occasional toxicity. Such level of risk was also seen in Ramsar sites and in Amazonian MPAs. In addition, based on concentrations reported in biota, occasional deleterious effects on organisms from Biosphere Reserves might occur. Diagnostic ratios pointed out petrogenic and pyrolytic processes as PAH predominant sources, and were mainly attributed to the proximity to ports, industries and urban areas. MPAs located in the vicinity of impact-generating areas may be under threat and require government attention and action, mainly through implementation of contamination monitoring programs.
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•PAH occurrence was seen by 341 records in 36 MPA of Latin America and Caribbean.•Affected MPA were seen in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Nicaragua and Uruguay.•Low to moderate effects upon organisms were suggested to occur in such MPA.•Petrogenic and pyrolytic processes were predominant sources.•Conservancy goals might be under threat in Latin America.
The conservancy goals of MPA from Latin America and Caribbean, located in the vicinity of impact-generating areas, are under threat due to PAH contamination.
Despite the relatively rich literature on the omnipresence of microplastics in marine environments, the current status and ecological impacts of microplastics on global Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) ...are still unknown. Their ubiquitous occurrence, increasing volume, and ecotoxicological effects have made microplastic an emerging marine pollutant. Given the critical conservation roles of MPAs that aim to protect vulnerable marine species, biodiversity, and resources, it is essential to have a comprehensive overview of the occurrence, abundance, distribution, and characteristics of microplastics in MPAs including their buffer zones. Here, extensive data were collected and screened based on 1565 peer-reviewed literature from 2017 to 2020, and a GIS-based approach was applied to improve the outcomes by considering boundary limits. Microplastics in seawater samples were verified within the boundaries of 52 MPAs; after including the buffer zones, 1/3 more (68 MPAs) were identified as contaminated by microplastics. A large range of microplastic levels in MPAs was summarized based on water volume (0–809,000 items/m3) or surface water area (21.3–1,650,000,000 items/km2), which was likely due to discrepancy in sampling and analytical methods. Fragment was the most frequently observed shape and fiber was the most abundant shape. PE and PP were the most common and also most abundant polymer types. Overall, 2/3 of available data reported that seawater microplastic levels in MPAs were higher than 12,429 items/km2, indicating that global MPAs alone cannot protect against microplastic pollution. The current limitations and future directions were also discussed toward the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework goals.
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•Microplastic (MP) contamination on MPAs was evaluated on a global scale.•GIS-based vector analysis was used to overcome the boundary limits of MPAs.•1/3 more MPAs were identified as contaminated by MPs after considering buffer zone.•Fiber was the most abundant shape and PE and PP are the dominant polymer types.•2/3 of data showed seawater MP levels higher than 12,429 items/km2 in MPAs.
Marine protected areas (MPAs) are zones geographically delimited under pre-defined management goals, seeking to reduce anthropogenic threats to biodiversity. Despite this, in recent years reports of ...MPAs affected by chemical contamination has grown. Therefore, this study addresses this critical issue assessing legacy and current chemical contamination in filter-feeder bivalves obtained in very restrictive no-take MPAs from Brazil. The detected pollutants encompass polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), linear alkylbenzenes (LABs), and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) like dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDTs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Despite protective measures, bivalves from nine MPAs exhibited high LABs (13.2–1139.0 ng g−1) and DDTs levels (0.1–62.3 ng g−1). PAHs were present in low concentrations (3.1–29.03 ng g−1), as PCBs (0.7–6.4 ng g−1), hexachlorobenzene (0.1–0.2 ng g−1), and Mirex (0.1–0.3 ng g−1). Regardless of the sentinel species, MPAs and management categories, similar accumulation patterns were observed for LABs, DDTs, PAHs, and PCBs. Based on the limits proposed by Oslo Paris Commission, the measured levels of PAHs, PCBs and were below the environmental assessment criteria. Such findings indicate the no biological effects are expected to occur. However, they are higher considering background conditions typically measured in remote or pristine areas and potential simultaneous exposure. Such findings indicate an influence of anthropogenic sources, emphasizing the urgency for monitoring programs guiding strategic management efforts to safeguard these areas.
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•Contaminants were assessed in bivalves from no-take Marine Protected Areas - MPAs.•Levels were below than ones able to induce deleterious effects, but above to background.•Similar levels were seen for different species, MPAs and management categories.•No-take MPAs of Brazil are under threat of legacy and current chemical contamination.•Monitoring programs assessing MPAs should be implemented, to guide decision-making.
This review summarized booster biocides studies from Latin America and the Caribbean during the last two decades. Studies were focused on six countries, with most of them in Brazil. In water and ...sediment, diuron and Irgarol were the most abundant and frequent biocides, probably due to their former intense use. Antifouling paint particles were also reported and had mainly DCOIT, which is currently the most used booster biocide. Toxicity of individual booster biocides was tested in laboratory, and most effects were related to chlorothalonil, DCOIT, dichlofluanid, and Irgarol, including, but not limited to DNA damage, fertility decrease, and mortality at different trophic levels. This review highlighted the need for further studies on environmental occurrence of booster biocides in Latin America and Caribbean associated to ecotoxicological studies. Such information is essential to determine the potential ecological risks and to create directives regarding safe limits of booster biocides in aquatic systems.
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•Irgarol and diuron were the most detected biocides in water and sediments.•DCOIT is the most frequent and most abundant biocide in APP samples.•Further environmental and ecotoxicological studies should be performed.•Toxicity was assessed for different organisms under laboratory conditions.•An improvement for booster biocides analysis in biological matrices is urgent.
Abstract This study identified the marine protected areas (MPAs) affected by the most extensive oil spill recorded on the Southwestern Atlantic coast, Brazil (2019/2020). We found that 81 MPAs ...suffered the direct or indirect effects of spilled oil, producing chemical, biological and socioenvironmental impacts over approximately 3.0% of the 2,659 protected areas currently established in Brazil. Although estimates suggest a moderate volume of spilled oil, the incident reached wide coastal strips, probably producing more damage to MPAs than other cases worldwide. Further, the generated negative impacts affected the already fragile environmental protection system in Brazil, potentially leading to negative impacts on global networks of MPAs and worldwide biodiversity.
The increasing development of industry, ports, tourism, and commerce along the coasts poses a severe threat to local forests due to elevated levels of pollutants. An effective way to assess the ...impact of this contamination is by evaluating living organisms' anatomical features and chemical composition. This research examined the potential of
Clusia criuva
Cambess leaves as a bioindicator model for screening sandy coastal plain forests (Restingas). The study collected samples from pristine (PA) and disturbed (DA) areas, confirmed through literature review and sediment concentration by guidelines analysis. Microscopy images of the leaves revealed that PA samples are thicker and have fewer druse crystals than DA. Mass spectrometry fingerprint analysis identified key compounds such as flavonoids, benzophenones, and phenolic acids (FIA-ESI-IT-MS/MS), which could be considered chemical markers from the genus. The chemical composition of extracts from PA and DA differed significantly, with a low similarity index (40%). Quinic acid derivatives are found only in plants from PA, which may be a response against intense herbivory agents. Instead, 7-
epi
-nemerosone, was detected only samples from DA, probably due to the need to defend against oxidative stressors. Besides, the similarity between each study area's three distinct sampling points was around 80%, indicating low chemical variability within the exact location. This study demonstrates an integrative methodology for assessing and supporting the environmental status of Restinga ecosystems, ensuring a comprehensive response that can promote conservation strategies.
There is a large list of plants used by the population as medicine, but in some case the choice of the right plant becomes a real drawback in phytotherapy, since it is often difficult to ...differentiate morphologically between the active and inactive species.
Plantago
species are widely used throughout the world as analgesic, anti-inflammatory, expectorant, digestive and wound healing. Nonetheless,
Plantago
spp. share very strong morphological similarities, which hinders their correct botanical identification and, in addition, they are equivocally marketed by the same common name “Plantain”. Therefore, the establishment of a reliable approach to distinguish unambiguously closely related species arises as an important task in the development of herbal medicines. In this work, we report a method that combines anatomical leaf features and chemical composition of four
Plantago
species to generate a multivariate model, which allows the differentiation of these species. Descriptive leaf anatomy was converted into a binary matrix to create a qualitative/quantitative non-metric multidimensional scaling (nmMDS) based on Jaccard index. The main results show that
P. lanceolata
L. is the most distinct species, the only one that owns mesophyll isolateral, colateral vascular bundle and a glandular trichome with spindle cells.
Plantago major
L. also has a unique glandular trichome, with enlarged basal cell and collar cell. This statistical-based anatomical approach is suitable to solve similar drawbacks in plant medicines of any other plant-cases. In addition, it was generated a nmMDS to chemical markers by mass spectrometry (FIA–ESI–IT–MS), to define how similar the species are regarding their chemical composition.
Plantago major
showed all compounds evaluated and is the only species to have the compounds hellicoside (
m/z
655) and lavandulifolioside (
m/z
755). The conversion of anatomical features into statistical data with the chemical composition emerges as a useful approach toward the quantitative differentiation of morphologically close related specimens.
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