Evaluating polystyrene nanoparticle toxicity in eelgrass: impacts on photosynthetic efficiency, oxidative stress, and DNA integrity

Micro- and nanoplastic pollution is ubiquitous in marine and coastal areas with the potential to impact valuable ecosystems, such as seagrass meadows. One of the important questions in seagrass ecology today is whether micro- and nanoplastics could seriously threaten seagrass health, and which parameters would be the best to observe such impacts. As a part of this research necessity, we have explored the effect of pure polystyrene nanoparticles on the maximum quantum yield of PSII, oxidative stress parameters, and DNA integrity on leaves of Zostera marina L. fragments, under controlled conditions. The three different indicator types are not negatively impacted when eelgrass fragments are subjected to a short time exposure (> 10 days). To find the most responsive indicators for micro- and nanoplastics impacts, further studies on a variety of metrics, operating at different seagrass structure levels and time frames, are necessary.

Keywords

Pure polystyrene, nanoparticles, eelgrass, short-term exposure, photosynthesis capacity, oxidative stress, DNA integrity

URI

https://doi.uni-plovdiv.bg/handle/store/1024

Collections

Ecologia Balkanica

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