title: Impact of the biocide Irgarol on meiofauna and prokaryotes from the sediments of the Bizerte lagoon-an experimental study.
abstract: The biocide Irgarol 1051 has been reported to have negative effects on a large number of living components including non-target organisms, but information on its impact on the marine meiofauna and benthic prokaryotes is completely lacking. Here, we report the results of long-term experimental studies in which we determined the effects of increasing Irgarol concentrations (from 11.5 to 315 ng g(-1) sediment dry weight) on meiofauna and benthic prokaryotes. We found that this biocide had a significant impact on meiofauna abundance, even at the lowest concentrations, causing a drastic decline in the abundance of nematodes (the dominant meiofaunal taxon) and an increase of the relative importance of oligochaetes. Even if no direct effects of Irgarol were found on prokaryotic abundance and biomass, the molecular fingerprinting analyses (automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis) showed that the prokaryotic diversity was significantly altered by the biocide. The results of the present study indicate that Irgarol 1051 in marine sediments has a significant impact on the smallest eukaryotic and microbial components also at very low concentrations (ca 12 ng g(-1)).
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Environment Biomonitoring, Coastal Ecology and Ecotoxicology Unit, University of Carthage, Faculty of Sciences of Bizerte, 7021, Zarzouna, Tunisia. sahbaniamel@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: Amel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hannachi
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Environment Biomonitoring, Coastal Ecology and Ecotoxicology Unit, University of Carthage, Faculty of Sciences of Bizerte, 7021, Zarzouna, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Soumaya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Elarbaoui
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Environment Biomonitoring, Coastal Ecology and Ecotoxicology Unit, University of Carthage, Faculty of Sciences of Bizerte, 7021, Zarzouna, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Abdelhafidh
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Khazri
authors.affiliation: Institut National des Sciences et Technologies de la Mer, 28 rue de 2 mars 1934, 2025, Salammbô, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Badreddine
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sellami
authors.affiliation: Department of Life and Environmental Science, Polytechnic University of Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 60131, Ancona, Italy.|Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Eugenio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rastelli
authors.affiliation: Institute for Coastal Marine Environment (IAMC)-CNR, Via del Mare 3, 91021, Torretta Granitola, Trapani, Italy.
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: D'Agostino
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Environment Biomonitoring, Coastal Ecology and Ecotoxicology Unit, University of Carthage, Faculty of Sciences of Bizerte, 7021, Zarzouna, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Hamouda
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Beyrem
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Environment Biomonitoring, Coastal Ecology and Ecotoxicology Unit, University of Carthage, Faculty of Sciences of Bizerte, 7021, Zarzouna, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Ezzeddine
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mahmoudi
authors.affiliation: Department of Life and Environmental Science, Polytechnic University of Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 60131, Ancona, Italy.
authors.forename: Cinzia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Corinaldesi
authors.affiliation: Department of Life and Environmental Science, Polytechnic University of Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 60131, Ancona, Italy.|Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Danovaro
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004202:Disinfectants / Q000633:toxicity*; D019015:Geologic Sediments; D009348:Nematoda / Q000187:drug effects*; D011387:Prokaryotic Cells / Q000187:drug effects*; D014227:Triazines / Q000633:toxicity*; D014416:Tunisia; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D004202:Disinfectants; D014227:Triazines; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; C103341:irgarol 1051
keywords: ARISA; Benthic prokaryotes; Biomonitoring; Irgarol 1051; Meiofauna