The Effects of Copper Pollution on Fouling Assemblage Diversity: A Tropical-Temperate Comparison

BACKGROUND: The invasion of habitats by non-indigenous species (NIS) occurs at a global scale and can generate significant ecological, evolutionary, economic and social consequences. Estuarine and coastal ecosystems are particularly vulnerable to pollution from numerous sources due to years of human-induced degradation and shipping. Pollution is considered as a class of disturbance with anthropogenic roots and recent studies have concluded that high frequencies of disturbance may facilitate invasions by increasing the availability of resources. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: To examine the effects of heavy metal pollution as disturbance in shaping patterns of exotic versus native diversity in marine fouling communities we exposed fouling communities to different concentrations of copper in one temperate (Virginia) and one tropical (Panama) region. Diversity was categorized as total, native and non-indigenous and we also incorporated taxonomic and functional richness. Our findings indicate that total fouling diversity decreased with increasing copper pollution, whether taxonomic or functional diversity is considered. Both native and non-indigenous richness decreased with increasing copper concentrations at the tropical site whereas at the temperate site, non-indigenous richness was too low to detect any effect. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Non-indigenous richness decreased with increasing metal concentrations, contradicting previous investigations that evaluate the influence of heavy metal pollution on diversity and invasibility of fouling assemblages. These results provide first insights on how the invasive species pool in a certain region may play a key role in the disturbance vs. non-indigenous diversity relationship

Global Diversity of Ascidiacea

The class Ascidiacea presents fundamental opportunities for research in the fields of development, evolution, ecology, natural products and more. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the current knowledge regarding the global biodiversity of the class Ascidiacea, focusing in their taxonomy, main regions of biodiversity, and distribution patterns. Based on analysis of the literature and the species registered in the online World Register of Marine Species, we assembled a list of 2815 described species. The highest number of species and families is found in the order Aplousobranchia. Didemnidae and Styelidae families have the highest number of species with more than 500 within each group. Sixty percent of described species are colonial. Species richness is highest in tropical regions, where colonial species predominate. In higher latitudes solitary species gradually contribute more to the total species richness. We emphasize the strong association between species richness and sampling efforts, and discuss the risks of invasive species. Our inventory is certainly incomplete as the ascidian fauna in many areas around the world is relatively poorly known, and many new species continue to be discovered and described each year

The effects of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) on human orbital preadipocyte

<p><i>Purpose</i>: To investigate the presence of the Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) and its receptor (VEGFR) in human orbital preadipocytes, and to evaluate the effect of VEGF on human orbital preadipocyte differentiation and adipogenesis <i>in vitro</i>.<i>Results</i>: Four isoforms of VEGF (VEGF121, 155, 189, and 206), VEGFR-1, VEGF-2, and neuropilin-1 were expressed in human orbital preadipocytes. Treatment with 100 ng/ml VEGF induced higher expressions of C/EBPα and LPL than the non-treated control (p = 0.03 and p = 0.01) or treatment with 50ng/ml (p = 0.04 for both). At both concentrations VEGF enhanced the accumulation of intra-cytoplasmic lipid versus the control, and treatment with 100 ng/ml VEGF induced more lipid accumulation than treatment with 50 ng/ml VEGF (p = 0.03).<i>Conclusions</i>: VEGF and VEGFR were observed in human orbital preadipocytes, and exogenous VEGF enhanced adipogenesis in these cells. These results suggest that VEGF plays a role as an autocrine or paracrine growth factor during human orbital preadipocyte differentiation.</p

Styela plicata: a new promising bioindicator of heavy metal pollution for eastern Aegean Sea coastal waters

As part of a research project, the concentrations of Cd, Cu, Pb, V, and Zn in the tissues of Styela plicata were investigated for the first time to determine if S. plicata is a suitable biological indicator for biomonitoring of heavy metals in eastern Aegean Sea coastal waters. To examine the relationships, heavy metal levels in suspended particulate matters (SPMs) and sediments were also determined. According to the results, the mean metal levels in SPM, sediments, and S. plicata samples could be arranged in the following order of abundance: Zn > Cu > Pb > V > Cd. As for heavy metal levels, significant positive correlations were noted between Cd-Pb, Cd-V, Cd-Zn, Cu-V, and Pb-V in SPM; Cd-Zn, Cu-Zn, Pb-Cd, Pb-Cu, and Pb-Zn in sediment; and Cu-Pb, Cu-Zn, and Pb-Zn in S. plicata samples. Positive relationships between these metals showed that they were originated from same sources and that they were associated with each other. Based on the findings, Zn, Cu, and Pb concentrations in suspended particulate matters, sediments, and S. plicata samples were generally represented with higher levels at stations that were used for boating, shipping, and related activities. As S. plicata is a strongest accumulator of V, the relatively low V levels observed in this study may indicate the lack of anthropogenic sources of this metal in the sampling stations. In conclusion, suspended particulate matter and sediment can be useful tool to detect the pollution status of the marine environment. Furthermore, the findings of this study highlighted that S. plicata is a promising alternative for the monitoring of heavy metal pollution for eastern Aegean Sea coasts