title: Biomonitoring aquatic environmental quality in a marine protected area: a biomarker approach.
abstract: The main aims of the present study, conducted in the framework of the MONIQUA-Egadi Scientific Project, were twofold: first, to make the first step in the development and validation of an ecotoxicological approach for the assessment of marine pollution in coastal environments on the basis of a set of biomarker responses in new sentinel species; and second, to obtain preliminary information on environmental quality in an Italian marine protected area, the Egadi Islands (Sicily). Several cytochrome P450-dependent mixed-function oxidase activities were measured in the following sentinel species: rainbow wrasse Coris julis, gastropod limpet Patella caerulea, and sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus. The results suggest that specimens from the Favignana Harbor may be exposed to P450 inducers, whereas most of the other sites seem to share similar environmental quality. The proposed approach has potential for assessment of environmental quality in marine protected areas.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Siena, Italy. bonacci@unisi.it
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bonacci
authors.forename: Annalisa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Iacocca
authors.forename: Soania
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fossi
authors.forename: Lucia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lancini
authors.forename: Tancredi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Caruso
authors.forename: Ilaria
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Corsi
authors.forename: Silvano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Focardi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis*; D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System / Q000378:metabolism*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D049851:Gastropoda / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism; D005843:Geography; D007558:Italy; D010473:Perciformes / Q000378:metabolism; D012617:Sea Urchins / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism; D014873:Water Pollutants / Q000032:analysis; D014876:Water Pollution / Q000032:analysis / Q000517:prevention & control
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D014873:Water Pollutants; D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System