Freshwater bivalves of the family Unionidae have filter-feeding traits that alter freshwater ecosystems on several trophic levels. Filtration of organic and inorganic particulates in the water column transform matter through the mussel’s egestion before it is sequestered in the sediment, making it available as food for benthic invertebrates. Rates of filtration and deposition vary depending on species-specific traits, however, the filtration rate of Anodonta anatina (duck mussel) and Unio tumidus (swollen river mussel) are equivalent. This experimental aquarium study was performed by feeding duck mussel and swollen river mussel, to assess the biodeposition rate for both species. I hypothesized (1) that the biodeposition rate decreases for both species over a period of 180 minutes after feeding, and (2) there is no difference in deposited mass between A. anatina and U. tumidus. Results confirmed a decrease of organic and inorganic deposition over 180 minutes after feeding, with no significant difference of deposition mass between species. This study will contribute to valuable feeding methodology and knowledge for future studies of biodeposition of the family Unionidae. / Sötvattensmusslor av familj Unionidae har filtrerande egenskaper som förändrar sötvattensekosystem på flera trofiska nivåer. Filtrering av organiska och icke-organiska partiklar i de fria vattenmassorna transformerar material genom musslans matsmältningssystem som sedan lagras i sedimenten, och möjliggör materialet för födoupptag av bentiska evertebrater. Filtrering- och depositionshastigheter varierar beroende på artspecifika egenskaper, men filtreringshastigheten för Anodonta anatina (allmän dammussla) och Unio tumidus (spetsig målarmussla) är jämförbara. Denna experimentella akvariumstudie utfördes genom matning av allmän dammussla och spetsig målarmussla, med syftet att bedöma biodepositionshastigheten för de båda arterna. Jag ställde hypoteserna (1) biodepositionshastigheten minskar för båda arter över 180 minuter efter matning, och (2) det finns ingen skillnad i deponerad massa mellan A. anatina och U. tumidus. Resultaten bekräftar en minskning av organiskt och icke-organiskt material över 180 minuter efter matning, med ingen signifikant skillnad av depositionsmängd mellan arter. Denna studie bidrar med viktig kunskap om matningsmetoder och kunskaper för framtida studier om biodeposition för familjen Unionidae.

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Growth. mortality. production. physiology and seasonal cycles of condition index and proximate biochemical composition of experimental populations of blue mussels (Mytilus edulis L.) were studied at different sites in Loch Etive and Loch Leven on the West coast of Scotland between May 1990 and September 1992. The main objective of the study was to evaluate current suspended mussel culture practices and to establish the basis for their possible integrated cultivation with salmon cage fanning. In addition. a preliminary investigation on employment of the . Charm IT' system as a rapid method for detecting residues of drugs used for treating cultured salmon in the tissues of mussels was carried out. There were some differences between sites in salinity, seston and particulate organic matter, but not in chlorophyll-a. Food availability (as particulate organic matter and chlorophyll-a) showed a clear seasonal cycle and in consequence growth of mussels were relatively rapid from late-spring until mid-autumn (g 6 months) and very slow or absent during the rest of the year. This period of rapid length and tissue growth coincided with relatively optimum environmental conditions and there were apparent positive relationships between monthly growth rates and temperature and chlorophyll-a values, indicating the limiting effect of these two primary factors on growth during autumn-winter and even in early spring. Almost all growth parameters examined were showed significant differences between the lochs. Growth performance of both native and transplanted mussels in Loch Leven was quite poor. Overall annual length increments were 25.1-25.9 mm at sites in Loch Etive and Dunstaffnage Bay, but 20.1-22.8 mm in Loch Leven. A crosstransplantation experiment showed that site rather than stock is the main reason for differences in growth parameters between Lochs Etive and Leven. These observed growth differences between sites and stocks were also confirmed by physiological measurements and estimated growth potential or scope for growth. Growth of mussels at salmon farms was faster than at neighbouring mussel farms during two annual experiments, but only meat weight at one salmon farm during experiment I, and length and live weight at the salmon farm in Loch Etive as well as all growth parameters at the salmon fann in Loch Leven during experiment II were significantly greater (}>sO.05). These differences were most likely a result of high particulate organic matter levels at salmon fanns. Similar to growth, biomass and production, the condition index and biochemical composition of mussels showed a clear seasonal cycle. Meat content, condition index and glycogen values were high during summer, started to decline in late autumn and reached minimum values in April before showing maximum increases in May. This reflects the typical storage and reproductive cycle of mussels in Northern Europe: accumulation of reserves during summer and their utilization during winter and early spring as energy resources for metabolism and reproduction. This cycle clearly showed that the main spawning of mussels on the West coast of Scotland occurred during March-May, and primary spat settlement from June to August. Heavy losses occurred from French socks, causing substantial amounts of eliminated biomass during experiment I, but when these fall outs were eliminated during experiment II by using lantern nets, it was clear that natural mortality rates were quite low and similar at all sites. Apart from growth characteristics and physiological responses, there were persistent morphological differences between the Loch Etive and Loch Leven populations. Cross-transplantation and physiological measurements after various acclimatization periods showed that, while morphological differences might be related to genetic origin, all other differences between the two popUlations are governed by environmental factors. The practical implications of these findings for developing suspended mussel culture on the West coast of Scotland and the possibility of a simple integrated salmon-mussel fanning system, which could be effective in controlling potential eutrophication from intensive salmon cage fanning and the removing large amounts of organic matter by mussels leading alterations in ecosystem, are discussed. A preliminary study with the Chann II Test has showed that the system is not so appropriate method as expected for screening mussel tissue sampled straight from the field, since mussel tissues require purification due to interference from bacteria or microbial detritus, before screening.

Aquatic ecotoxicology is the study of toxic chemicals and its effects on aquatic biological systems with the aim of minimising threats to human health and ensure self-sustained ecosystems. Freshwater bivalves are excellent sentinels for use in ecotoxilogical research due to their filter feeding properties, stationary lifestyle and inability to regulate body temperature. This project aimed to assess the feasibility and use of nanopore sequencing, a real-time single-molecule sequencing technology in comparative expression analysis by sequencing transcriptomic RNA from the freshwater mussel Anodonta anatina following exposure to copper. RNAs were extracted from 80 mg hepatopancreas tissue, followed by poly(A) RNA selection. Furthermore, the poly(A) RNA was used to construct a nanopore sequencing library. Sequencing a total amount of 560 ng poly(A) RNA over the course of two separate runs generated 239,448 reads, in which 75% of the reads were obtained during the first run (control) and 25% of the reads were obtained during the second run (case). The median read lengths ranged between 534-650 nucleotides, with a base call accuracy <90%. Due to the big differences in sequence data output between the two sequencing runs, the data was ineligible for comparative analysis. The findings conclude that nanopore sequencing is capable of generating longer read lengths when compared to other sequencing platforms. However, the technology is error-prone in terms of accurate base call identifications and relies on other platforms for error corrections. Future advances include de novo transcriptome assembly for efficient use of Anodonta anatina as a bioindicator in aquatic ecotoxicology.

Os plásticos têm trazido grandes benefícios aos humanos, sendo utilizados em diversas atividades como em aplicações médicas, entretenimento e na indústria de alimento. O uso crescente de plástico e seu descarte não adequado têm contribuído para o acúmulo deste detrito no meio ambiente, em especial nos oceanos onde tendem a acumular. Dentre os detritos de plástico de maior importância atualmente estão os microplásticos, que são partículas de plástico de tamanho entre 1 μm e 5 mm. Os principais riscos que os microplásticos oferecem são sua grande capacidade de persistência e dispersão no ambiente marinho, sua grande afinidade por poluentes persistentes orgânicos, sua a ingestão pela biota e a transferência para a teia trófica marinha. Dentre os ambientes marinhos mais impactados por microplásticos, estão as praias arenosas, onde estas partículas tendem a acumular após encalharem ao serem trazidas pelo mar. Este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar a contaminação por microplásticos em uma praia de uma área de proteção marinha costeira e avaliar a toxicidade de pellets virgens e coletados nesta praia no desenvolvimento embriolarval de mexilhão marrom Perna perna. Foram realizadas coletas de microplásticos entre o período de fevereiro de 2014 a fevereiro de 2015 na praia de Paranapuã em duas regiões do perfil da praia (linha de maré alta e supralitoral). As partículas foram analisadas individualmente em laboratório e quanto a composição de seu polímero por Espectrofotômetro de Infravermelho por Transformada de Fourier (FT-IR). Os resultados sugerem que a poluição por microplásticos na praia de Paranapuã ocorre ao longo do ano inteiro, porém variando em concentração ao longo do tempo e com um padrão de distribuição espacial irregular na praia. A concentração de microplásticos está aparentemente relacionada com a direção do vento, tendendo a ser maior quando a direção do vento é a favor da praia. A concentração de microplásticos na praia de Paranapuã (4,72 microplásticos/m²) é próxima àquela encontrada em outras praias no mundo e da região. Os experimentos de toxicidade demonstraram que tanto pellets de plástico virgens como aqueles coletados na praia inibem o desenvolvimento embriolarval de mexilhão marrom. Entretanto, os pellets coletados na praia mostraram uma alta toxicidade que resultou numa porcentagem de larvas anormais ou mortas de 100%, significativamente superior aos pellets virgens que foi de 23,5%. Acredita-se que a diferença de toxicidade entre os pellets virgens e coletados na praia pode ser causada por contaminantes adsorvidos na superfície dos pellets coletados no campo. Os resultados deste estudo sugerem que praias de áreas de proteção marinha costeira próximas a zonas urbanas e regiões portuárias apresentam risco de contaminação por plásticos. Apesar de terem acesso restrito a humanos, os microplásticos entram nestas praias através do ambiente marinho, podendo causar efeitos adversos na fauna destes ambientes. As informações deste trabalho contribuem para a melhor compreensão dos efeitos da contaminação de ambientes costeiros por microplásticos, fornecendo informações básicas para o desenvolvimento de políticas públicas voltadas para uma gestão deste tipo de poluição em áreas de proteção ambiental. / Plastics have great benefits to humans, used in various activities such as medical applications, entertainment and food industry. The increasing use of plastic and your inappropriate disposal have contributed to the accumulation of this debris in the environment, particularly in the oceans where they tend to accumulate. Among the most important plastic waste are the microplastic which are plastic particles of size between 1 μm and 5 mm. The main risks that microplastics offer are your large capacity persistence and dispersal in the marine environment, your great affinity for persistent organic pollutants and their ingestion by biota and transfer to the marine food web. Among the marine environments most impacted by microplastics are sandy beaches where these particles tend to accumulate after carried by sea. This study evaluate the contamination by microplastics on a beach of a coastal marine protected area, and assess the virgin pellets toxicity and collected on this beach in embryo-larval development of brown mussel Perna perna. Microplastics samples were collected in the period from February 2014 to February 2015 on the beach of Paranapuã in two regions of the beach (high tide line and supralittoral). The particles were analyzed individually in the laboratory and the composition of your polymer was identified for Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The results suggest that pollution microplastics in Paranapuã beach is continuous in entire year, but varying in concentration over time and with a pattern irregular of spatial distribution on the beach. The microplastics concentration is apparently related to the wind direction, tends to be higher when the wind direction is downwind. The concentration of microplastics on the beach Paranapuã (4.72 microplastics/m²) is similar to other beaches in the world. The toxicity experiments showed that both virgin plastic pellets as those collected on the beach inhibit embryo-larval development of brown mussels. However, the pellets collected at the beach showed high toxicity resulting in abnormal or percentage of dead larvae 100%, significantly higher than for virgin pellets, which was 23.5%. It is believed that the difference in toxicity between the virgin pellets and collected on the beach can be caused by high concentration of adsorbed contaminants on the surface of the pellets collected in the field. The results of this study suggest that beaches areas of coastal marine protection near urban areas and port areas have high risk of contamination by plastics. Although this beach has access restricted to humans, microplastics enter these beaches through the marine environment, potentially causing adverse effects on the local fauna of these environments due to your high toxicity. The information from this study contribute to a better understanding of the effects of contamination of coastal environments by microplastics, providing basic information for the development of public policies for management of this type of pollution in the areas of environmental protection.

Estudos recentes têm identificado a presença de diversos poluentes emergentes em ambientes aquáticos. A ocorrência em diferentes matrizes ambientais tem sido continuamente relatada, o que evidencia a necessidade de estudos de toxicidade. O DEET (N,N-dietil-meta-toluamida) é o princípio ativo mais utilizado em repelentes de insetos e está presente em diversas formulações comercialmente disponíveis. Além dos poluentes químicos, os organismos aquáticos estão sujeitos à exposição da radiação ionizante proveniente de fontes naturais ou em proximidades de instalações de usinas nucleares. O presente estudo avaliou a toxicidade do DEET em organismos irradiados e não irradiados com radiação gama de 60Co, e os efeitos que a radiação causa sob os lisossomos de hemócitos do mexilhão Perna perna. Para isso, foram realizados ensaios de toxicidade aguda para identificar a concentração de DEET e a dose de radiação gama passíveis de causar mortalidade, e posteriormente ensaios de citotoxicidade avaliando a estabilidade da membrana lisossômica em organismos expostos ao DEET e radiação ionizante. De acordo com os resultados obtidos nos ensaios de toxicidade aguda, a concentração de DEET que causa mortalidade em 50% dos organismos expostos (CL50) é de 114,27 mg L-1, e a dose de radiação que causa mortalidade (DL50) é de 1068 Gy. Nos os ensaios de citotoxicidade obteve-se a concentração de efeito não observado (CENO) para organismos irradiados e não irradiados de 0,0001 mg L-1 e a concentração de efeito observado (CEO) em concentrações acima desta. A CI25(72h) para organismos não irradiados foi de 0,0003 mg L-1 e a CI50(72h) foi de 0,0008 mg L-1 para organismos irradiados e não irradiados. Apesar das concentrações de efeito encontradas no presente estudo terem sido mais altas que as ambientais, estão na mesma ordem de grandeza e também deve-se levar em consideração os possíveis efeitos sinérgicos do DEET com outros contaminantes presentes em ambiente aquático. / Recent studies have identified the presence of several emerging pollutants in aquatic environments. The occurrence in different environmental matrices has been continuously reported, highlighting the need for toxicity studies. The DEET (N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide) is the active ingredient used in most insect repellents, and is present in many commercially available formulations. Apart from chemical pollutants, aquatic organisms are subject to exposure of ionizing radiation from natural sources or in the vicinity of nuclear power plants. The present study evaluated the toxicity of DEET in organisms irradiated and non-irradiated with 60Co gamma radiation, and the effects that radiation causes in lysosomes of hemocytes of Perna perna mussel. For this purpose, assays were performed to identify the acute toxicity of DEET concentration and the dose of gamma radiation able to cause mortality. Subsequently, cytotoxicity assays were carried out to assess the stability of the lysosomal membrane in organisms exposed to ionizing radiation and DEET. According to the results obtained in acute toxicity tests, the concentration of DEET that causes mortality of 50% exposed organisms (LC50) is 114,27 mg L-1, and the radiation dose that causes mortality (LD50) is 1068 Gy. In the cytotoxicity assays, the concentration of the non-observed effect (NOEC) for irradiated and non-irradiated organisms 0.0001 mg L-1 and observed effect concentration (LOEC) at concentrations above this. The IC25 (72h) for non-irradiated organisms was 0.0003 mg L-1 and IC50 (72h) was 0.0008 mg L-1 for irradiated and non-irradiated organisms. Despite of the concentrations of effect found in this study were higher than in the environment, both measurements are in the same order of magnitude and should be also take into account the possible synergistic effects of DEET with other contaminants in the aquatic environment.

A utilização de materiais de referência tem sido crescente em laboratórios químicos, uma vez que são importantes para a validação de métodos analíticos. Tais materiais são em geral importados, o que demanda altos investimentos financeiros para adquiri-los, e, portanto, impacta na não utilização dos mesmos por muitos laboratórios nacionais. A certificação de um material de referência é um processo complexo que pressupõe oferecer ao usuário valores atribuídos às propriedades de interesses no material. Neste processo, deve ser realizada a verificação da homogeneidade do material nos frascos. No presente estudo, foi realizado o estudo de homogeneidade dentro do frasco para os elementos K, Mg, Mn, Na e V em dois materiais de referência certificados de origem marinha: o material de referência de mexilhão, produzido no Laboratório de Ativação Neutrônica (LAN) do IPEN - CNEN/SP e o material de referência de tecido de ostra produzido no exterior. Para tanto, os elementos foram determinados por Análise por Ativação Neutrônica Instrumental, com massas variando entre 1 e 250 mg e estimou-se a massa mínima que variou de 0,015 g para Na no material de referência de mexilhão a 0,100 g para V nos dois materiais de referência. / The use of reference materials has been increasing in chemical analysis laboratories as its use is important for measurement validation in analytical chemistry. Such materials are generally imported, which require high financial investments in order to acquire them, and therefore it impacts on the difficulty to many national laboratories to use reference materials in their chemical analysis routine. Certification of reference materials is a complex process that assumes that the user is given appropriate assigned values of the properties of interests in the material. In this process, the homogeneity of the material must be checked. In this study, the within-bottle homogeneity study for the elements K, Mg, Mn, Na and V was performed for two reference materials of marine origin: the mussel reference material produced at the Neutron Activation Laboratory (LAN) of IPEN - CNEN/SP and an oyster tissue reference material produced abroad. For this purpose, the elements were determined in subsamples with masses varying between 1 and 250 mg by Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) and minimum sample intakes were estimated, ranging from 0.015 g for Na in the mussel reference material to 0.100 g for V in the two reference materials.

A qualidade para consumo dos moluscos bivalves está intimamente ligada a qualidade do ambiente onde estes se encontram inseridos. Em função da atual degradação ambiental, provocada pelo crescimento populacional e conseqüente aumento na descarga de dejetos no ambiente, bem como, pela ausência de programas de monitoramento da qualidade da água destinada ao cultivo destes organismos e, ainda, pelo fato da comercialização deste pescado ser realizada de forma clandestina na região de Ubatuba, SP., fez-se necessário caracterizar, sob os aspectos físico-químicos e microbiológicos, os mexilhões Perna perna cultivados e comercializados nesta região, visando a segurança do consumidor. Foram eleitas três distintas áreas de cultivo em Ubatuba, a saber; praia do Engenho da Almada, praia da Barra Seca e costão do Cedro; onde os mexilhões foram coletados, no período de novembro de 2002 a março de 2003 e submetidos às análises de nitrogênio não protéico (NNP), bases nitrogenadas voláteis totais (BNVT), trimetilamina (TMA), pH e composição centesimal. Foram também realizadas, concomitantemente, as contagens microbiológicas da carne e da respectiva água de cultivo quanto aos coliformes totais e fecais, Staphylococcus aureus e Salmonella sp. As amostras apresentaram qualidade satisfatória e condizente com os padrões da legislação vigente para pescado, em todos os quesitos analisados, durante a maior parte do período de estudo, excetuando-se no mês de fevereiro, quando o valor de TMA encontrado (6,9mg N/100g) superou o padrão de 4mg N/ 100g. Os mexilhões provenientes da Barra Seca, no mês de março, se apresentaram inadequados para o consumo humano direto, devido ao resultado positivo para Salmonella sp. As maiores contagens para coliformes totais ocorreram em mexilhões provenientes de áreas de cultivo densamente povoadas e que recebiam efluentes não tratados (Barra Seca), excetuando-se no mês de novembro, quando os mexilhões do costão apresentaram maior população destes microorganismos (1,3x103 NMP/ g). As contagens microbianas da carne do mexilhão sempre superaram a contagem da respectiva água de cultivo e, a contagem da água extrapolada pelo cultivo da Barra Seca (5,7x101 NMP/ mL), no mês de março, coincidiu com a detecção da Salmonella sp. neste lote. / The quality for consumption of the bivalve mollusks is intimately linked to the environment quality, where these are inserted. In function of the current environmental degradation caused by the growth population and consequent increase in the discharge of sewage in the environment, as well as, for the absence of quality management programs of the cultivation’s waters and the Ubatuba’s city, SP., clandestine marketing fish. For the consumer's safety was necessary to characterize, in the physicochemistry and microbiological aspects, the mussels Perna perna cultivated and marketed in this region. Three different cultivation points were chosen in Ubatuba; Engenho da Almada and Barra Seca’s beaches and Costão’s coast; where the mussels were collected for evaluation from November, 2002 to March, 2003. The analysis determined were: non-protein-nitrogen (NPN), total volatile basic nitrogen (TVBN), trimethylamine (TMA), pH and proximal composition analysis’s, microbiological counts of the meat and cultivation water for total and fecal coliforms, Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella. During most of the study period, the samples presented satisfactory quality with the effective legislation for fish, in all the analyzed requirements, excepted on February, when the TMA value finded (6,9mg N/100g) overcome the standard 4mg N/ 100g. In March, the Barra Seca’s mussels occurs inadequate for the direct human consumption, because of the positive result to Salmonella sp. The largest total coliforms counts happened in mussels cultivated in densely populated areas and that received sewage without previous treatment (Barra Seca), except in November, when the mussels from Cedro’s coast have largest counts of these microorganisms (1,3x103 NMP/ g). The microbial counts of the meat always overcame of the respective cultivation water and, the overcome of fecal coliforms count of water from Barra Seca (5,7x101 NMP/ mL), on March coincided with the detection to Salmonella sp.

A utilização de materiais de referência tem sido crescente em laboratórios químicos, uma vez que são importantes para a validação de métodos analíticos. Tais materiais são em geral importados, o que demanda altos investimentos financeiros para adquiri-los, e, portanto, impacta na não utilização dos mesmos por muitos laboratórios nacionais. A certificação de um material de referência é um processo complexo que pressupõe oferecer ao usuário valores atribuídos às propriedades de interesses no material. Neste processo, deve ser realizada a verificação da homogeneidade do material nos frascos. No presente estudo, foi realizado o estudo de homogeneidade dentro do frasco para os elementos K, Mg, Mn, Na e V em dois materiais de referência certificados de origem marinha: o material de referência de mexilhão, produzido no Laboratório de Ativação Neutrônica (LAN) do IPEN - CNEN/SP e o material de referência de tecido de ostra produzido no exterior. Para tanto, os elementos foram determinados por Análise por Ativação Neutrônica Instrumental, com massas variando entre 1 e 250 mg e estimou-se a massa mínima que variou de 0,015 g para Na no material de referência de mexilhão a 0,100 g para V nos dois materiais de referência. / The use of reference materials has been increasing in chemical analysis laboratories as its use is important for measurement validation in analytical chemistry. Such materials are generally imported, which require high financial investments in order to acquire them, and therefore it impacts on the difficulty to many national laboratories to use reference materials in their chemical analysis routine. Certification of reference materials is a complex process that assumes that the user is given appropriate assigned values of the properties of interests in the material. In this process, the homogeneity of the material must be checked. In this study, the within-bottle homogeneity study for the elements K, Mg, Mn, Na and V was performed for two reference materials of marine origin: the mussel reference material produced at the Neutron Activation Laboratory (LAN) of IPEN - CNEN/SP and an oyster tissue reference material produced abroad. For this purpose, the elements were determined in subsamples with masses varying between 1 and 250 mg by Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) and minimum sample intakes were estimated, ranging from 0.015 g for Na in the mussel reference material to 0.100 g for V in the two reference materials.

Dentre as diferentes poluições presentes nos oceanos, o plástico é provavelmente, aquele que leva aos maiores impactos ambientais, sendo encontrado de praias e manguezais à giros no meio dos oceanos. Os macroplásticos, cujo tamanho é superior a 5mm, são maiores em volume e provocam um impacto socioambiental importante, porém os microplásticos, fragmentos menores que 5mm, estão em maior quantidade e podem provocar danos em organismos marinhos filtradores como mexilhões e ostras. Apesar da sua grande presença nos oceanos, ainda não se estabeleceu com clareza se causam efeitos somente físicos, por um aumento de material particulado não orgânico ingerido, ou se seus efeitos podem ser de origem química, devido à quantidade de contaminantes que possuem. Para estudar o impacto que essas partículas têm em organismos filtradores, o mexilhão Perna perna, espécie bioindicadora abundante na costa brasileira, foi exposto a partículas de polietileno encontradas em cosméticos nacionais. O microplástico foi adquirido diretamente da indústria e precisou ser identificado. A análise de FT−IR mostrou que o plástico era polietileno de baixa densidade. Os organismos então foram expostos ao polietileno, virgem ou lixiviado, em duas concentrações (0,5 g⁄L e 2,5 g⁄L) por diferentes períodos (12,24,48,96 e 144 horas). Após os experimentos, os mexilhões foram coletados e dissecados e a resposta de seis biomarcadores foi analisada: O Tempo de Retenção do Vermelho Neutro nos hemócitos, Danos ao DNA e Lipoperoxidação nas brânquias e os níveis de três proteínas de estresse (AIF−1, pP38−MAPK e HSP−70) nas glândulas digestivas. Todos os biomarcadores foram afetados pela exposição ao polietileno, porém um padrão no resultado não pôde ser observado. Os fatores de exposição analisados (Concentração, Período e Tratamento do Plástico) individualmente, ou combinados, levaram a respostas diferentes e até mesmo opostas em alguns casos. A coleta de indivíduos de P. perna in situ na região do Porto de Santos mostrou que todos os bancos naturais possuem organismos contaminados. Os resultados deste trabalho mostram que a fisiologia do mexilhão P. perna é modificada após a exposição aguda ao polietileno. Um maior número de biomarcadores deve ser analisado futuramente para elucidar quais vias estão efetivamente sendo ativadas ou inibidas. O alto nível de contaminação dos mexilhões da região do porto de Santos é um fator alarmante que deve ser discutido pela sociedade com o intuito de se criar soluções para o problema da poluição por plástico nos oceanos antes que este afete a saúde humana. / Among all different pollutants, plastic debris is one of the main environmental impacts, being found from beaches and mangrove to gyres in the middle of the oceans. Macroplastics, with size above 5mm, are larger in volume and are an important social and environmental problem, but microplastics, fragments less than 5mm can be most harmful for filter feeding animals such as mussels and oysters. However, it is still debatable if its effects are physical, due to the increase in indigestible material; or chemical, due to plastic additives such as phthalates or PCBs. To study the impact that these particles can have in those animals, the brown mussel Perna perna (Bivalvia) an abundant and an organism easy to maintain in the laboratory, was exposed to virgin or leached polyethylene (PE) microbeads, used as abrasives in Brazilian cosmetics. Polyethylene was acquired directly from the industry and therefore needed to be identified. Analysis of FT−IR showed that the plastic was Low Density Polyethylene. The microplastic exposure had two concentrations (0.5 and 2.5g⁄l) and different periods of time (12, 24, 48, 96 and 144 hours). After the experiment, the organisms were dissected and the levels of six biomarkers were analyzed: Neutral Red Retention Time by the Hemocytes, Lipid Peroxidation and DNA Damages in the Gills and the response levels of three stress proteins (pP38−MAPK, AIF−1 and HSP−70) in the Digestive Glands. All biomarkers were affected by the PE exposure, but the results did not follow a pattern. The exposure factors analyzed (Concentration, Period of Time and Plastic Treatment), alone or combined, led to different and sometimes opposite responses. In Situ collected samples in the Santos Harbour area showed that all natural mussel\'s beds analyzed had microplastics contaminated mussels. The results of this work showed that microplastics acute exposure in P. perna modifies its physiology. More biomarkers should be used to clarify which pathways are being activated or inhibited. The high levels of contamination of important commercial mussel\'s beds in the Santos Harbour area, is an alarming sign for the community, that should start working together to solve the plastic pollution problem in our oceans before starts to affect human health.