Impact of heavy metals of industrial plant wastewater on benthic communities of Bizerte Lagoon (Tunisia)

The aim of this study was to assess the consequences of human impact on the characteristics of sediments heavy metal concentration, grain size and its influence on the structure of the microbial and meiofaunal community assemblages. A survey was carried out in July 2013 within six sites located in t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Chemistry and ecology 2019-09, Vol.35 (8), p.746-774
Main Authors: Saidi, Ibtihel, Ben Said, Olfa, Ben Abdelmalek, Jamel, Jouili, Soufiane, Chicharo, Luis, Beyrem, Hamouda
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bacteria
Benthic communities
Benthos
Bizerte Lagoon
Contamination
Downstream
Downstream effects
Effluents
Grain size
Heavy metals
Heterotrophic bacteria
Human impact
Human influences
Industrial effluents
Industrial wastes
Industrial wastewater
Lagoons
marine sediments
Meiobenthos
Meiofauna
Metal concentrations
Metals
Microbial activity
Microorganisms
resistant bacteria
Sediment
Sediment pollution
Sediments
Sewage
Soil contamination
Stations
Surveying
Upstream
Variance analysis
Wastewater
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Summary:The aim of this study was to assess the consequences of human impact on the characteristics of sediments heavy metal concentration, grain size and its influence on the structure of the microbial and meiofaunal community assemblages. A survey was carried out in July 2013 within six sites located in the Bizerte Lagoon (Tunisia), both downstream and upstream of industrial effluents. The highest total sediment metal concentrations were detected in stations located close to the industrial sewage discharge points. In these stations, the lowest densities of the total meiofauna (33 ± 13 ind/10 cm −2 ) and conversely the highest densities of cultivable bacteria that are heavy metal resistant have been reported (16 ± 80.34 CFU g −1 ). Univariate (ANOVA) and multivariate (MDS/CCA) analyses demonstrate high dissimilarity (0.06) in meiofaunal and bacterial community structures between downstream and upstream industrial sewages. Furthermore, canonical correspondence analysis CCA results indicated that heavy metal sediment contamination promoted bacteria that are resistant to heavy metals, while heterotrophic bacteria supported the development of meiofauna taxa. The results highlight the importance of bacteria/meiofauna interactions, as both meiofaunal and microbial communities give indications of the ecological impact of heavy metal contamination in sediment.
ISSN:0275-7540
1029-0370
DOI:10.1080/02757540.2019.1644324