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Rapid industrialization in the State of Kuwait caused unprecedented pollution in the marine environment over the recent years. Studies on the effect of mercury (Hg) was least evidenced when compared to other trace metals in Echinometra mathaei, sea urchin collected from the Al-Fintas (Site-A) and Mina Abduallah (Site-B), Southern Kuwait. Reasons were attributed to (a) seasonal restriction of sea urchin abundance, (b) their low mercury concentrations in the Coastal waters (c) analytical imperfection and sensitivity of the instrumentation. In this study, the instrumental lacunae were overcome by using direct mercury analyzer (DMA-80, Milestone, Italy) which yielded consistent and reproducible Hg concentrations in all the samples. In nature, high Hg concentrations were observed in the seawater at 23 °C > 15 °C > 12 °C irrespective of the sites although the total mean Hg concentration was high in Site-A over Site-B. The 96 h and 180 d exposed E. mathaei to LC50 toxicity, and bioaccumulation tests revealed high Hg concentrations in E. mathaei in relation to differential temperature in the sequence of 15 °C > 23 °C > 12 °C with minimal fluctuation of the hydrological parameters. Season-wise analysis showed high Hg concentrations in both the seawater and sea urchin body parts during the winter seasons compared to the summer season and irrespective of the two sites. Thus, this study recommends possible Hg mitigation that affects the socioeconomic condition of the marine resources besides, labeling the sea urchin as a bio-monitoring tool to Hg pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The occurrence of microplastics (MPs) and phthalic acid esters (PAEs) in wild purple sea urchins (Paracentrotus lividus) of Sardinia (Italy, Western Mediterranean Sea) was surveyed. Specifically, MPs were analyzed in the digestive tract by μFTIR and PAEs in the gonads by SPME-LC-MS/MS. 9 out of 22 specimens resulted contaminated with MPs and 20 displayed levels of PAEs over the quantification limit. A total of 23 MPs were detected with a maximum concentration of 4 microplastics/individual in the commercially undersized specimens. PAEs displayed average concentration of 32 ng/g, σ = 5.3 with maximum value of 77 ng/g. The most abundant congeners were DEHP (17 ng/g, σ = 4.3) and DBP (10 ng/g, σ = 2.5). Statistical analysis showed correlation between DEHP and fiber concentrations and among the concentration of MEP, DEP, DBP and BBzP. Due to local use of sea urchin gonads as gourmet delicacy, the potential human exposition to MPs and PAEs by consumption is also discussed. [Display omitted] • MPs and PAEs were researched in 22 wild sea urchins from Sardinia (Italy). • A total of 23 MPs was detected with a maximum concentration of 4 MPs/individuals. • ∑ 5 PAEs displayed average concentration of 32 ng/g, maximum of 77 ng/g. • The human exposition to MPs and PAEs by sea urchin consumption was discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sea urchins of the species Paracentrotus lividus, collected along the Southern Adriatic coast at the end of their reproductive season, were reared in a recirculating aquarium under controlled temperature and feeding conditions in order to induce off-season maturation of gametes to be used in toxicity bioassays. After 14 weeks of rearing, the gonad index was calculated, histological analyses of the gonads were performed, their fertilisation ability was measured and the EC50 for copper in embryotoxicity bioassays was evaluated. The sperm motility pattern (based on the percentages of total motile and rapid sperm, together with sperm velocity parameters) was assessed using a computerised analyser. All specimens showed a significant increase in gonad yield with respect to field-collected animals and were in pre-spawning or spawning stages. The motility parameters, fertilisation ability and EC50 level of the collected gametes were comparable to those of field-matured specimens. In conclusion, the sea urchins reared under experimental conditions were characterised by faster gonad maturation than the field population, producing viable gametes and larvae whose biological response in toxicity bioassays was similar to that of field-reared specimens of P. lividus. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article presents the study on fish and starfish predation in controlling sea urchin population in the marine reserve in Ustica Island, Italy. The study compares the predation rates at different depths of Ustica and two other locations in Sicily characterized by erect macroalgae communities and low urchin densities. The research found high predation by fish in locations where seabreams were abundant, while predation by the starfish Marthasterias glacias (M. glacias) was found to be major source of mortality at Ustica. It determines the important role that M. glacias will play in controlling urchin populations in the future.

Sperm cell and embryo toxicity tests using the Mediterranean sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus Lmk were performed to assess the toxicity of As3+, Cd2+, Cr3+, Ni2+, Pb2+, Cu2+, Zn2+, and Hg2+. The aim of this study was to improve information about the comparative sensitivity of sea urchin bioassays to the heavy metals, which are an important cause of contamination in the ecosystem of the Lagoon of Venice. Considering the data in mM/L, the order of toxicity is Hg2+ > Cu2+ > Zn2+ > As3+ ≥ Cr3+ ≥ Cd2+ ≥ Pb2+ ≥ Ni2+ for the sperm cell test and Hg2+ ≥ Pb2+ > Cu2+ > Zn2+ > Cd2+ > Ni2+ > As3+ ≥ Cr3+ for the embryo test. New toxicity data for metals expressed as median effective concentration (EC50) and no-observed-effect concentration (NOEC) are reported for the Mediterranean species. Accurate observations of embryotoxic effects at increasing metal concentrations were done, detecting some different behaviors in metal toxicity. Toxicity data compared with water column and pore-water concentrations recorded in the Lagoon of Venice (Italy) demonstrate the potential ability of bioassays using sea urchin to detect important contaminants in this ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coastal areas are under continuous and increasing pressure from different human activities. A mixture of contaminants (e.g. hydrocarbons, pesticides, persistent organic pollutants (POPs), emerging contaminants, and others), originating mainly from populated, industrialised and agricultural areas, can reach the marine environment through different means such as wastewater discharge, soil runoffs, leaching from agriculture, and volatilisation/deposition. In this context, marine sediments have increasingly been considered repositories for a variety of pollutants that can accumulate and be stored for long periods, acting as a secondary source of contaminants during subsequent dredging operation or vessel manoeuvring. Chemical and ecotoxicological analyses of sediments are routinely conducted to evaluate the potential hazard/risk to the environment, either on bulk sediment or elutriate. In general, sediment elutriates are commonly prepared according to ASTM Guide even if alternative protocols are proposed by USACE for the various condition that they have to represent. The goal of the present study was to determine if the toxicological properties of ASTMprepared elutriates are comparable to those obtained from the USACE protocol. Sediment coming from 3 harbours (Olbia, Cagliari, and Toulon), as part of the "Se.D.Ri.Port" Interreg Project, were processed to obtain elutriates according to ASTM Guide and USACE Dredging Elutriate protocol and tested with the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus embryo development test. Moreover, the significance of different stirring times of water/sediment mixture (1 h, 3 h, and 24 h) was tested with both the ASTM and USACE protocol. In addition to the biological analysis, for each sediment sample, heavy metals concentration, granulometry, and organic matter were determined. Even if for the ports of Toulon and Cagliari, the ASTM and USACE elutriates showed comparable results with P. lividus bioassay, for the port of Olbia the two protocols showed different criticalities. Preliminary results show that for the site Olbia elutriates prepared with the USACE protocol resulted in higher toxicity than elutriates obtained with ASTM (p < 0.001). In conclusion, differences in preparation protocols appear to be significant and can lead to different results in biological testing. To overcome this problem and to obtain more reliable evaluations of risk to the environment, standardisation and regulation must be the next goals in sediment management procedure., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Dismissed industrial plants with chronic environmental contamination globally affect all levels of biological organization in concert with other natural and anthropogenic perturbations. Assessing the impact of such perturbations and finding effective ways to mitigate them have clear ecological and societal implications. Through indoor manipulative experiments, we assessed here the effects of the temporal regime of reworking of contaminated sediment from the Bagnoli-Coroglio brownfield (Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy) on the fertilization process in Paracentrotus lividus. Adult sea urchins were kept for one month in tanks containing contaminated sediment that was re-suspended according to two temporal patterns of water turbulence differing in the time intervals between consecutive events of agitation (mimicking the storms naturally occurring in the study area) in seawater with natural vs. supersaturated oxygenation levels. At the end of the treatment, gametes were collected and used to test the hypothesis that the regime of contaminated sediment reworking negatively, but reversibly, affects morphological and physiological traits of the fertilized eggs. We found that aggregated events of sediment re-suspension had profound negative effects on gamete interactions and Ca 2+ signaling at fertilization. The same experimental condition also inflicted marked ultrastructural changes in eggs. Importantly, however, such detrimental effects were inhibited by increased oxygenation. By contrast, the regime of sediment re-working with a longer interval between consecutive turbulent events had only marginal effects. Thus, the current and predicted changes of climate-related disturbance appear to modulate the biological effects of chronic contamination in post-industrial areas, suggesting that environmental rehabilitation via restoration of habitat-forming primary producers such as seagrasses or algal canopies could alleviate the pollutants' effects on resident biota., 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.)

In January 1888, shortly after his Habilitation (Nov. 1887), Theodor Boveri came for the first time as guest investigator to the Naples Zoological Station. The last of his eight research stays took place in spring 1914, the year before his untimely death in 1915. The Naples Station was therefore a constant presence in all his scientific life. At least 20 of his publications are based on research done at Naples. In this paper, I will try to outline the unique working conditions that Boveri found at Naples. By 1888, the Naples Station was already an expanding, smoothly functioning organism. Excellent animal supply and research equipment, the constant presence of an international scientific community and the beauties of Mediterranean nature and European culture fostered a creative atmosphere that gave particular relevance to a research stay at Naples. In 1910, Boveri defined the Naples Station a "permanent international congress of zoologists". Boveri's "Naples experience" will be described and some light will also be shed on Boveri's role in keeping the memory of Anton Dohrn alive., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier B.V.)