Unraveling the interactive effects of climate change and oil contamination on laboratory‐simulated estuarine benthic communities |
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| Authors: | Francisco J. R. C. Coelho Daniel F. R. Cleary Rui J. M. Rocha Ricardo Calado José M. Castanheira Sílvia M. Rocha Artur M. S. Silva Mário M. Q. Simões Vanessa Oliveira Ana I. Lillebø Adelaide Almeida Ângela Cunha Isabel Lopes Rui Ribeiro Matilde Moreira‐Santos Catarina R. Marques Rodrigo Costa Ruth Pereira Newton C. M. Gomes |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Biology & CESAM, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal;2. Department of Physics & CESAM, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal;3. Department of Chemistry & QOPNA, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal;4. IMAR‐Instituto do Mar & MARE‐Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal;5. Centre of Marine Sciences (CCMAR), University of Algarve, Faro, Algarve, Portugal;6. Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal;7. Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR/CIMAR), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal |
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| Abstract: | There is growing concern that modifications to the global environment such as ocean acidification and increased ultraviolet radiation may interact with anthropogenic pollutants to adversely affect the future marine environment. Despite this, little is known about the nature of the potential risks posed by such interactions. Here, we performed a multifactorial microcosm experiment to assess the impact of ocean acidification, ultraviolet B (UV‐B) radiation and oil hydrocarbon contamination on sediment chemistry, the microbial community (composition and function) and biochemical marker response of selected indicator species. We found that increased ocean acidification and oil contamination in the absence of UV‐B will significantly alter bacterial composition by, among other things, greatly reducing the relative abundance of Desulfobacterales, known to be important oil hydrocarbon degraders. Along with changes in bacterial composition, we identified concomitant shifts in the composition of oil hydrocarbons in the sediment and an increase in oxidative stress effects on our indicator species. Interestingly, our study identifies UV‐B as a critical component in the interaction between these factors, as its presence alleviates harmful effects caused by the combination of reduced pH and oil pollution. The model system used here shows that the interactive effect of reduced pH and oil contamination can adversely affect the structure and functioning of sediment benthic communities, with the potential to exacerbate the toxicity of oil hydrocarbons in marine ecosystems. |
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| Keywords: | experimental life support system macrobenthic communities microbial ecology ocean acidification oil hydrocarbons ultraviolet radiation |
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