Interactive effects of hypoxia and PBDE on larval settlement of a marine benthic polychaete.
Marine benthic polychaete Capitella sp. I is widely known to adapt to polluted habitats; however, its response to xenobiotics under hypoxic conditions has been rarely studied. This research aimed to test the hypothesis that interactive effects of hypoxia and congener BDE-47 of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE), which is ubiquitous in marine sediments, may alter the settlement of Capitella sp. I. Our results revealed that under hypoxic condition, settlement success and growth in body length of Capitella larvae were significantly reduced compared to those under normoxia of similar BDE-47 concentration. While no significant changes in morphology of settled larvae were noted in both exposure conditions, the presence of BDE-47 could enhance polychaete growth. The present findings demonstrated that the interactive effects of hypoxia and environmentally realistic concentrations of BDE-47 in sediments could affect polychaete settlement, which, in turn, reduce its recruitment and subsequent population size in the marine benthic ecosystem.
Department of Biology and Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong; State Key Laboratory in Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong. Electronic address: bhpshin@cityu.edu.hk.
Paul K S
PK
Shin
School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Singaram
S
Gopalakrishnan
Department of Biology and Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Alice K Y
AK
Chan
Division of Life Sciences, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong.
P Y
PY
Qian
School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong. Electronic address: rudolfwu@hku.hk.
Rudolf S S
RS
Wu
D000693:Anaerobiosis; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D017753:Ecosystem; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers / Q000633:toxicity*; D007814:Larva / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D010100:Oxygen / Q000378:metabolism*; D011077:Polychaeta / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D011156:Population Density; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000633:toxicity*
D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; C511295:2,2',4,4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether; D010100:Oxygen
Capitella; Hypoxia; Interactive effect; PBDE; Polychaete; Settlement