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.

L’extension des activités humaines est responsable du rejet de molécules et de perturbations climatiques pouvant affecter la physiologie des organismes aquatiques. La moule zébrée possède des caractéristiques biologiques faisant d’elle une espèce intéressante en surveillance environnementale. Chez cet organisme, les hémocytes constituent une cible privilégiée pour la mise en place d’une approche multi-biomarqueurs. En effet, ces cellules à fonctionnalités multiples sont impliquées dans les grandes fonctions physiologiques de l’espèce et la régulation de l’homéostasie des individus. L’objectif de ce travail est de développer les outils analytiques permettant d’étudier les réponses hémocytaires de la moule zébrée. Les expérimentations menées ont permis de caractériser la structure des populations hémocytaires ainsi que leurs fonctionnalités propres en lien avec le processus de phagocytose. L’utilisation de ces biomarqueurs dans divers contextes indique une forte adaptabilité de l’espèce aux conditions environnementales. Les résultats montrent l’intérêt d’analyser les activités hémocytaires à l’échelle des sous populations comparativement à l’approche globale ne tenant pas compte de la diversité cellulaire. Il a été observé que certains facteurs comme le statut reproducteur ou l’espèce échantillonnée (D. polymorpha vs D. bugensis) constituent des facteurs de confusion importants. Il ressort également un positionnement fort du test de phagocytose en tant que marqueur de sensibilité aux contaminants. Ce travail constitue un ensemble de données voué à être utilisé dans des contextes multiples aussi bien en écotoxicologie qu’en écophysiologie. / Extension of human activities is responsible of molecule releases and climate changes that may affect physiology of aquatic organisms. The zebra mussel has biological traits making it an interesting species for environmental monitoring. In this organism, hemocyte cells constitute an interesting target to develop a multi-biomarker approach. These cells possess multiple functionalities and are involved in all major physiological functions of the species and in homeostasis regulation. The objective of this work was to develop analytical tools to study hemocyte responses of zebra mussels. Experiments allowed characterizing structure of hemocyte populations and their functionalities linked with phagocytosis process. Use of these biomarkers in various contexts indicated an important adaptation capacity of the species to environmental conditions. Results highlighted interest to analyze hemocyte activities at sub-population scale comparatively to global approach that does not consider hemocyte diversity. It was demonstrated that factor such as reproductive status or sampled species (D. polymorpha vs D. bugensis) constitute important confounding factors. Studies also demonstrated a strong positioning of phagocytosis assay as a sensitive marker to contaminants. This work constitutes a data set destined to be used in multiple contexts such as ecotoxicology or ecophysiology.

Anthropogenic environmental changes can serve as drivers for evolutionary responses in wild populations. To predict the long-term impact of anthropogenic changes on populations, it is crucial to understand the genetic effects caused by these disturbances. The Baltic Sea is considered to be one of the world’s most contaminated seas, and the increase of anthropogenic chemical pollution is a major threat to its ecosystems. This thesis assesses the impact of harbors and sewage treatment plants on physiological traits and genetic structure of resident populations of blue mussels at replicated sites in the Baltic Sea. The initial evaluation of the overall genetic pattern in blue mussel populations in the Swedish West Coast, the Baltic Proper and the Bothnian Sea found genetic differentiation between the three water basins and a low genetic differentiation within each basin, especially within the Baltic Proper. Despite the low genetic differentiation among blue mussels within the Baltic Proper, a parallel genetic differentiation associated with sewage treatment plant effluents was found in this basin. This included genomic regions with a high degree of differentiation between reference sites and sites affected by sewage plants effluent. This genetic differentiation is suggested to be due to post-dispersal selection acting in each generation. In contrast, no parallel genetic differentiation was associated with harbors. We identified five genomic regions in blue mussels, showing strong signs of selection, shared among three out of four replicated reference sites and sites affected by sewage effluents in the Baltic Proper i.e. Askö, Tvärminne and Karlskrona. An initial characterization of these genomic regions revealed functions related to immune and endocrine responses, oxidative stress and shell formation. Our results indicate that selection caused by sewage effluents involves multiple loci. The same genomic regions are found across different locations in the Baltic Proper but there are also unique genomic regions at each location. No genotoxic or histopathological effects were found among blue mussels from sewage effluent-affected areas but a higher frequency of histological abnormalities in the digestive gland were observed in mussels from harbors. / Evolutionära anpassningar till miljöstörningar i marina ekosystem: genetisk ekotoxikologi i Östersjön

Adhesives are widespread. They hold together the furniture, cars and electronics that we use on a daily basis. The majority of commercially available glues are sourced from petroleum-based monomers and are not degradable in any practical way. The permanent nature of these adhesive materials makes disassembly for recycling difficult. Current bio-based glues such as hide and starch glue are not strong enough to compete with commercial glues. Inspiration from nature is helping us to tackle this problem. Marine mussels achieve strong bonding to underwater surfaces through the use of adhesive plaques containing the uncommon amino acid 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine. Incorporating this chemistry into a degradable polylactic acid backbone allows for the development of strong bonding biodegradable glue. Throughout this work, the synthesis of these materials is discussed as well as methods to improve the bonding of these materials to compete with commercial glues. The degradation of these materials as well as their cytocompatibility is discussed.

Today there are numerous methods to slow down a corrosion process of metallic materials. However, due to environmental effects and health risk issues, several traditional corrosion inhibitors have to be phased out. Hence, it is of great importance to develop new corrosion inhibitors that are “green”, safe, smart and multifunctional. In this essay, the focus is on mussel adhesive protein (MAP) and its possibility to reduce the rate of the corrosion process. The protein exhibit great adhesive strength and protective properties, allowing it to adhere to a multitude of different surfaces and is therefore of great interest of corrosion science. The protein Mefp-1, derived from the blue mussel´s foot, had been pre-adsorbed on the carbon steel surface and provided good corrosion inhibition in a basic chloride solution for a short exposure time. The protection was further improved with the assist of iron and ceria ions by formation of protein/ions complexes within the surface films and thus enhanced the corrosion protection for longer exposure time. Ceria nanoparticles were used in order to create a multi-layer composite film with an even higher corrosion protection. The results suggest a denser film compared to previous samples and a more uniform surface.

This study deals with the reproductive ecology and larval development of Mytilus californianus. Mytilus californianus is the common mussel found along the more exposed west coast of North America from the Aleutian Islands south Isla Socorro, Mexico (Soot-Ryen, 1955) and was chosen because it is an important species in rocky intertidal communities (being the most abundant if not the most conspicuous) and forms the basis for diverse associations of numerous other species. The reproductive cycle, larval development to settlement, comparisons of reproduction in high and low populations and field observations on larval settlement are described.

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