This study investigated the combined effects of climate change-related salinity extremes and nanoparticle pollution on the seagrass Posidonia oceanica and the macroalga Caulerpa prolifera. Both species were exposed, individually and in co-occurrence, to different salinity regimes (34; 38 and 42 g kg−1) and to the emerging contaminant nano-TiO2 (0.7 mg L−1, environmentally relevant concentration, and 5.0 mg L−1, high-stress exp...

Pollution of the marine environment by microfibers is considered a problem for ecosystem conservation. The amount of microplastic, localization of sources, and associated ecotoxicity are well known in the literature. Wastewater from washing machines is the main source of microplastic fibers in the aquatic environment, and fabrics made from recycled plastic are widely reused. The circular economy also promotes recycling of dyed...

Environmental diagnostics are commonly used to identify anthropogenic influences in various environmental settings. However, the use of a single survey technique is limiting and leads to an incomplete and often inaccurate picture of reality. In this study, three real cases analyzing impacts on marine ecosystems have been presented to prove how the integration of different diagnostic techniques can be very beneficial to better...

Cigarette butts (CBs) are among the dominant constituents of marine and beach litter. Few studies have been conducted, and the environmental effects of CBs on marine species are still poorly understood. This study aims to evaluate the ecotoxicological effects on marine organisms of both classic and electronic CBs. Three representative species of different trophic levels in marine ecosystems (Aliivibrio fischeri, bacteria; Phae...

Biological invasions result in negative and unpredictable impacts on oceans worldwide. Non-indigenous macrophytes often synthesize secondary metabolites for defensive purposes and increased competition efficiency: this is the case of Caulerpa cylindracea , which has entered the Mediterranean Sea in 1990 and competed against local flora and fauna since. It was demonstrated that the white seabream Diplodus sargus (i) has include...

This study evaluates the impacts of 16 different leachates of plastic-made packaging on marine species of different trophic levels (bacteria, algae, echinoderms). Standard ecotoxicological endpoints (inhibition of bioluminescence, inhibition of growth, embryo-toxicity) and alterations of ecologically significant parameters (i.e., echinoderms’ body-size) were measured following exposure under different pH water conditions: mari...