| Project Detail |
Biodegradable plastic (BP) has been proposed to replace traditional plastic, consequently, their production has exponentially increased. Nowadays, aquatic fauna is exposed to chronic low doses of complex mixtures of chemicals, among them, plastic additives released from plastic items. However, a fundamental gap of knowledge exists about the effects of BPs and associated additive plastic mixtures in early development. This represents an important environmental and health problem because, until it is filled, toxicological threats remain ambiguous. The goal of BioBream is to assess the implications of switching from legacy plastic to alternative BPs on key marine species. For that, we will use the early stages of a commonly farmed species in the Mediterranean, gilthead sea bream. A comprehensive program consisting of 3 independent, yet complementary work packages will assess the impacts of BPs and their additives on fish physiology, transcriptomic and epigenetic responses. These data will provide key insights into the mode of action of these new compounds and a mixture of plastic additives. Then, we aim to elucidate and further validate new biomarkers for aquatic pollution on marine fauna. Together with the vast experience of the host PI, Dr. Sole, and her previous data, we expect to integrate all the results to build a qualitative adverse outcome pathway. The multidisciplinary team at ICM-CSIC and the advisory board will ensure the successful achievement of the proposed goals with close supervision of the progress of the project. The project will be complemented with a placement at Placton for advanced training in outreach, a local company devoted to communication and environmental education related to the marine environment. BioBream is significant because it is expected to fill the gap of BP and mixture impacts on a marine key component of the trophic chain with interest in aquaculture. This will consolidate the applicant as a promising early-career researcher. |
