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In situ genotoxicity assessment in freshwater zooplankton and sediments from different dams, ponds, and temporary rivers in Tunisia

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Abstract

Tunisia water resources are limited. The country currently has 29 large dams, more than 1000 hill lakes, and 220 small dams which are essential for economic and social development given their contribution to irrigation, drinking water consumption, flooding protection, production of electrical energy, groundwater recharge, and industrial uses. Given the scarcity of these resources, it is crucial to be able to ensure the quality of freshwater environments, particularly those intended for human consumption. In this study, we meant to assess the health status of various freshwater ecosystems in different regions of Tunisia (north and center west) in order to detect genotoxic components in sediments and their potential effect on zooplankton (cladocerans). Sediment and cladoceran species were collected from dams, ponds, and temporary rivers in Tunisia. For each collection site, micronucleus (MN) assay was performed, in triplicates, using a pool of ten specimens of the same cladoceran species. MN occurrence in cladocerans varied from one site to another and MN frequencies varied between 0.67 and 22‰, suggesting the presence of genotoxic substances in certain sites. Sediment genotoxicity and mutagenicity were assessed using the SOS Chromotest and the Ames test. Sediment results showed that genotoxicity varies from one site to another displaying a quantitative and a qualitative variation of pollutant among the sites. These results suggest an urgent need for continuous monitoring of freshwater environments in Tunisia, particularly those intended for drinking water.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank Soukeyna Mhedhbi and Karima Ltaief for their helpful technical assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Unité de Recherche de Toxicologie Environnementale et Marine, UR 09-03, IPEIS Sfax University, Sfax, Tunisia

    Zouhour Ouanes-Ben Othmen, Sabria Barka & Amel Hamza-Chaffai

  2. Biochemistry Laboratory-Medicine Faculty of Monastir: LR12ES05, Monastir University, Monastir, Tunisia

    Zied Ben Adeljelil

  3. Unité de Recherche de Biologie Animale et Systématique Evolutive 2092, Faculté des Sciences de Tunis, Campus Universitaire Manar II, Tunis, Tunisia

    Samia Mouelhi

  4. Unité de Recherche de Pharmacognosie/Biologie Moléculaire 99/UR/07-03, Faculté de Pharmacie, Monastir University, Rue Avicenne, Monastir, Tunisia

    Mounira Krifa, Soumaya Kilani & Leila Chekir-Ghedira

  5. Laboratoire d’Ecotoxicologie des Milieux Aquatiques, EA 3222, FED 4116 SCALE, Université du Havre, rue Philippe Lebon, Le Havre, France

    Joëlle Forget-Leray

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  1. Zouhour Ouanes-Ben Othmen
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  2. Sabria Barka
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  3. Zied Ben Adeljelil
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  4. Samia Mouelhi
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  5. Mounira Krifa
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  8. Joëlle Forget-Leray
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  9. Amel Hamza-Chaffai
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Correspondence to Zouhour Ouanes-Ben Othmen.

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Ouanes-Ben Othmen, Z., Barka, S., Adeljelil, Z.B. et al. In situ genotoxicity assessment in freshwater zooplankton and sediments from different dams, ponds, and temporary rivers in Tunisia. Environ Sci Pollut Res 26, 1435–1444 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-018-3703-6

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