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Trophic restructuring (Wieser 1953) of free-living nematode in marine sediment experimentally enriched to increasing doses of pharmaceutical penicillin G

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Abstract

Trophic structure of free living nematode from Bizerte lagoon was tested by a microcosmic study after 30 days of exposure with 5 increasing doses of pharmaceutical penicillin G (D1: 3 mg L−1, D2: 30 mg L−1, D3: 300 mg L−1, D4: 600 mg L−1, D5: 700 mg L−1). Results showed significant differences between nematode assemblages from undisturbed controls and those from penicillin G treatments. Selective deposit-feeders (1A) or nonselective deposit-feeders (1B), very abundant in the control microcosm, were significantly affected and their dominance declined significantly. Epistrate feeders (2A) were significantly gradual increase for all microcosms treated with penicillin G, appeared to be more tolerant to the antibiotic and to take advantage of the growing scarcity of other trophic groups. Compared to the control microcosms, omnivorous-carnivorous (2B) was found to be higher in all treated microcosms, with the exception of those treated with D5. Trophic index (Σθ2) was significantly reduced in all microcosms treated whereas trophic ratio 1B/2A appears to be insignificant.

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Acknowledgments

This work was funded by the Tunisian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. Special thanks are due to Dr. WASIM AHMAD, professor at the Department of Zoology Aligarh Muslim University, India, for correcting the English of this paper. We are also grateful to Prof. Pierre Vitiello of the Oceanography Institute of Marseille, France, for his assistance with nematode species identification.

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  1. Laboratory of Environment Biomonitoring, Faculty of Sciences of Bizerta (FSB), University of Carthage, 7021, Zarzouna, Bizerta, Tunisia

    Ahmed Nasri, Soufiane Jouili, Fehmi Boufahja, Amor Hedfi, Ibtihel Saidi, Ezzeddine Mahmoudi, Patricia Aïssa, Naceur Essid & Beyrem Hamouda

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  1. Ahmed Nasri
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Nasri, A., Jouili, S., Boufahja, F. et al. Trophic restructuring (Wieser 1953) of free-living nematode in marine sediment experimentally enriched to increasing doses of pharmaceutical penicillin G. Ecotoxicology 25, 1160–1169 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10646-016-1670-6

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