EFFECTS OF TEMPERATURE ON CONTAMINATION BY SETTLEABLE ATMOSPHERIC PARTICULATE MATTER FROM METALLURGICAL ACTIVITIES

• Grant number: 24/15689-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: May 01, 2025
• End date: November 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Physiology - Compared Physiology
• Principal Investigator: Cléo Alcantara Costa Leite
• Grantee: Vitória Alario dos Santos
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde (CCBS). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Heavy metal deposition may pose a significant threat to ecosystems and wildlife. The air-to-water cross-contamination resultant of settleable atmospheric particulate matter (SePM) is a pressing issue ignored by environmental monitoring protocols, which poses a significant threat due to the deposition of a range of metallic substances into waterbeds. Recent research has highlighted the harmful effects of SePM on aquatic animals such as fish. These effects may include histopathological alterations, cytotoxicity, and genotoxicity, ultimately impacting essential physiological functions and potentially leading to population-level consequences. The lack of comprehensive studies on this type of contamination is a cause for concern as it hinders our ability to understand its implications fully. Vitoria City harbor in Brazil (ES) is highly affected by iron ore processing, and this SePM constantly deposits in an estuarine zone bathed by Antarctic currents. Therefore, the site is subject to large daily and seasonal temperature fluctuations. This investigation will evaluate the effect of temperature on SePM contamination in a well-known experimental model for fish, the Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus. Temperature has a major impact on metal solubility in water, the integration of metallic substances, and fish aerobic metabolism. Therefore, the present research is relevant to understanding the actual risk of SePM exposure at that site. We will use an integrative approach and associate bioindicators of physiological performance with chemical analyses to assess the potential variations in the deleterious effects of SePM. We will associate the bioaccumulation of metal/metalloids in tissues with validated bioindicators of oxygen-carrying capacity, immune activity, stress, and morphofunctional organ damages in fish exposed to an environmentally relevant level of SePM in an extensive range of representative temperatures (15, 20, 25, 30oC).