BioProject

years on an important anthropic pollutant, plastic, and specifically on the effects of

microplastics on marine organisms. More...

years on an important anthropic pollutant, plastic, and specifically on the effects of

microplastics on marine organisms. Of varied types and size, they have different origins

depending on their final use and carry chemical pollutants that can contribute to

diversification of damage in organisms exposed to these microparticles. Although we

have an extensive literature on the physical effects of microplastics on marine biota, the

chemical effects of additives and pollutants adsorbed to its structure are still poorly

known, especially in basal metazoan organisms such as sponges. Among additives with

presence in the marine ecosystem, DEHP (Di(2ethylhexyl phthalate)), a product used as

plasticizer to increase the malleability of polymers such as PVC, has the greater

concentration. Potent endocrine disruptor in vertebrates, recently DEHP was found in

sponges tissues, but there are no reports about its possible chemical effects on the

physiology of these filter-feeder organisms. This work seeks to obtain, with the use of

classical methodologies, such as histology, and modern ones, such as metagenomics, the

first reports of the effects of exposure to DEHP in the sponge Hymeniacidon Heliophila,

at different biological levels. Less...