Potential role of meiofauna in bioremediation: results from a microcosm experiment.

Autor: Mitwally HM; Oceanography Department, Faculty of Science, Alexandria University, Baghdad St., Moharram Bek, Alexandria, Alexandria Governorate, 5413213, Egypt. Hanan.metwaly@alexu.edu.eg., Montagna PA; Harte Research Institute, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, 6300 Ocean Drive, Unit 5869, Corpus Christi, TX, 78412, USA., Ismael AA; Oceanography Department, Faculty of Science, Alexandria University, Baghdad St., Moharram Bek, Alexandria, Alexandria Governorate, 5413213, Egypt.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Environmental science and pollution research international [Environ Sci Pollut Res Int] 2024 Dec; Vol. 31 (59), pp. 67070-67092. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Dec 10.
DOI: 10.1007/s11356-024-35526-6
Abstrakt: Meiofauna can act as remediation organisms by stimulating microphytobenthos, sequestering carbon dioxide, and degrading organic debris. Sediments from two basins in Lake Mariut, Egypt, which had undergone multiple rounds of restoration, were used in microcosm experiments to assess the role of meiofauna in organic matter degradation. Treatments included sediments with and without fauna, and four chlorophyll-a additions (0.002, 0.035, and 0.005 mg/ml, with 0.000 mg/ml as the reference). Meiofauna, chlorophyll-a, and organic matter were measured over two 8-month periods in 2014. Most treatments exhibited a rapid loss of organic matter, reducing organic content by two to eight times by study end. By the end, meiofaunal populations increased one- to 13-fold in microcosms with algae additions of 0.035 and 0.005 mg/ml chlorophyll-a in the Main and Northwest basins but had no change in those with 0.002 and zero mg/ml. Meiofauna abundance rose with rising temperature and oxygen levels, while organic matter declined. There was no correlation between chlorophyll-a levels and meiofauna abundance indicating that meiofauna likely play a role in the aerobic decomposition of organic matter at high temperatures. The meiofauna contribute to the diversity of ecosystems and have a potential role in ecosystem processes; therefore, conservation efforts should also include meiofauna.
Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethical approval: The authors declare that there are no ethical conflicts or needed approvals for conducting or publishing the research. This study did not include any surveys or human volunteers. As a result, the authors state that neither informed consent nor institutional review board approval was necessary. No funding, grants, or other support was received during the creation of this publication, as the Alexandria University-funded research project (Environment-11) was completed in 2015. Consent to participate: Not applicable. Consent for publication: We do not have to receive consent from anyone to publish the data. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.
(© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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