Assessing pollution in marine protected areas: the role of a multi-biomarker and multi-organ approach

Author(s)

Gusso-Choueri, Paloma Kachel ^{[1, 2, 3]} ; Choueri, Rodrigo Brasil ^[4] ; de Araujo, Giuliana Seraphim ^{[5, 3]} ; Feitosa Cruz, Ana Carolina ^{[5, 3]} ; Stremel, Tatiana ^[6] ; Campos, Sandro ^[6] ; de Sousa Abessa, Denis Moledo ^[3] ; Oliveira Ribeiro, Ciro Alberto ^{[2, 3]}

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Fed Parana, Dept Biol Celular, Lab Toxicol Celular, BR-81531990 Curitiba, Parana - Brazil

^[2] Univ Fed Parana, Postgraduat Program Ecol & Conservat, BR-81531990 Curitiba, Parana - Brazil

^[3] Univ Estadual Paulista, NEPEA, BR-11330900 Sao Vicente, SP - Brazil

^[4] Univ Fed Sao Paulo, Dept Ciencias Mar, BR-11030490 Santos, SP - Brazil

^[5] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Oceanog, BR-05508120 Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[6] Univ Estadual Ponta Grossa, Postgraduat Program Appl Chem, BR-84030900 Ponta Grossa, PR - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Environmental Science and Pollution Research; v. 22, n. 22, p. 18047-18065, NOV 2015.
• Web of Science Citations: 19

Abstract

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are vulnerable to many pressures, including pollution. However, environmental quality monitoring in these areas traditionally relies on only water chemistry and microbiological parameters. The goal of the current study was to investigate the role of a set of biomarkers in different target organs (liver, kidney, and gills) of fish in order to assess the environmental quality of an MPA (MTs, GPx, GST, GSH, DNA damage, LPO, AChE, and condition index). Chemical analyses were also performed on liver and muscle tissues to evaluate metal body burdens, and PAHs were identified in bile. A demersal fish (Cathorops spixii) that is widely consumed by the local population was used as bioindicator species, and the results were integrated using multivariate analysis. The use of the biomarker approach allowed for the identification of both seasonal and spatial variations in pollution sources around the Environmental Protected Area of Canan,ia-Iguape-Peruibe (APA-CIP). Higher metal body burdens associated with biological responses were found in the sites under the influence of urban areas during the dry season, and they were found in the sites under the influence of the Ribeira de Iguape River (RIR) during the rainy season. The liver was found to be more responsive in terms of its antioxidant responses, whereas gills were found to be more responsive to biomarkers of effect. These results show that this set of biomarker analyses in different organs of fish is a useful tool for assessing chemical pollution in an MPA. (AU)