Programa Doctorado en Ciencias Aplicadas Mención Sistemas Acuáticos, Universidad de Antofagasta, Antofagasta, Chile.
Instituto de Ciencias Naturales "Alexander von Humboldt", Facultad de Ciencias del Mar y Recursos Biológicos, Universidad de Antofagasta, Antofagasta, Chile.
PLoS One. 2024 Nov 5;19(11):e0310473. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0310473. eCollection 2024.
Metal pollution is a worldwide problem and one of the greatest threats to ecosystem integrity due to its toxicity, persistence, and bioaccumulation in biological systems. Anthropogenic pollution impacts marine organisms and host-parasite dynamics, with the northern Chilean coast experiencing elevated copper levels in marine waters and sediments due to mining activities. In this study, we assessed the effects of exposure to copper concentrations at low and high-water temperatures on the survival and longevity of the marine parasite Himasthla sp. cercariae (Trematoda: Digenea) using the snail Echinolittorina peruviana as its first intermediate host. Snails were collected from intertidal rocky pools in northern Chile (23°S). To assess parasite survival and longevity, cercariae were collected from a pool of infected snails, and their mortality was recorded every 6 hours until all cercariae were dead. In a preliminary experiment conducted at 19°C, cercariae were exposed to different copper concentrations (0.2, 1.5, 3.0, and 6.0 mg/L) for 78 hours. Cercariae showed tolerance to copper. However, at the higher copper concentration (6 mg/L), survival was negatively impacted (50%) at 54 hours. In contrast, at the lower concentration (0.2 mg/L) and in the control group, cercariae sustained a 73-90% survival rate even after 54 hours. Based on these findings, we conducted subsequent experiments involving two copper treatments (0.2 and 3.0 mg/L) and two temperatures (14 and 22°C). Survival and longevity were significantly higher at lower temperature and copper concentration (14°C and 0.2 mg/L). Conversely, at higher temperature and copper concentration (22°C and 3 mg/L), survival and longevity decreased to only 66 hours. Our results show that Himasthla sp. cercariae tolerated most copper concentrations, with vulnerability observed primarily in high water temperatures, indicating an adverse effect on cercariae performance. This study contributes valuable insights into how parasites respond to environmental pollution, in marine ecosystems influenced by anthropogenic activities.
金属污染是一个全球性问题，也是对生态系统完整性的最大威胁之一，其原因是它具有毒性、持久性和在生物系统中的生物累积性。人为污染影响海洋生物和宿主-寄生虫动态，智利北部沿海地区由于采矿活动，导致海洋水域和沉积物中的铜含量升高。在这项研究中，我们评估了在低水温和高温下暴露于铜浓度对海洋寄生虫 Himasthla sp. 尾蚴（吸虫纲：双腔吸虫）的存活率和寿命的影响，使用其第一中间宿主智利石磺（Echinolittorina peruviana）作为研究对象。蜗牛是从智利北部的潮间带岩石水池中收集的（23°S）。为了评估寄生虫的存活率和寿命，从感染蜗牛的水池中收集尾蚴，并记录每 6 小时的死亡率，直到所有尾蚴死亡。在 19°C 进行的初步实验中，将尾蚴暴露于不同的铜浓度（0.2、1.5、3.0 和 6.0 mg/L）78 小时。尾蚴对铜表现出耐受性。然而，在较高的铜浓度（6 mg/L）下，在 54 小时时存活率受到负面影响（50%）。相比之下，在较低的浓度（0.2 mg/L）和对照组中，即使在 54 小时后，尾蚴的存活率仍保持在 73-90%。基于这些发现，我们进行了后续实验，涉及两种铜处理（0.2 和 3.0 mg/L）和两种温度（14 和 22°C）。在较低的温度和铜浓度（14°C 和 0.2 mg/L）下，存活率和寿命明显更高。相反，在较高的温度和铜浓度（22°C 和 3 mg/L）下，存活率和寿命降低至仅 66 小时。我们的研究结果表明，Himathla sp. 尾蚴耐受大多数铜浓度，在高温下表现出脆弱性，这表明对尾蚴性能产生不利影响。这项研究为了解寄生虫如何应对受人为活动影响的海洋生态系统中的环境污染提供了有价值的见解。
