Skip to main content

Bensafia Nabila

  • Biodiversity Journal, 9 (4): 319-324

    Khati Wyllia, Bensafia Nabila, Ouali Kheiredine & Derbal Farid
    Sponges (Porifera) as bioindicator species of environmental stress from de Gulf of Annaba (Algeria)
    https://doi.org/10.31396/Biodiv.Jour.2018.9.4.319.324

    ABSTRACT
    The aim of the study was to determine seasonal variations of two biomarkers of oxidative stress, Glutathione (GSH) and Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs), in sponge Sarcotragus spinosulus Schmidt, 1862 (Porifera Irciniidae). The samples were collected during the four seasons in 2016– 2017 at two sites in the Gulf of Annaba (northeast of Algeria): Cape de Garde, which is some distance from any source of pollution, is considered a relatively clean site, while Alzon is a site exposed to various sources of industrial, urban and harbour pollution. The results show a significant seasonal decrease in GSH rate in Alzon compared with those at Cape de Garde. Moreover, GST activity increased significantly in Alzon relative to Cape de Garde site, with a maximum activity showed in autumn. This difference between those two sites was observed for all seasons, with more effect in spring and winter. The results obtained showed that under stressful conditions due to anthropogenic factors, some physiological processes of sponges can be affected. Thus, S. spinosulus appears to be a suitable sentinel species for the assessment of ecotoxicological risk in the Gulf of Annaba. Sponges present most of the characteristics researched in bioindicators of pollution and consequently have been proposed to constitute a ‘‘Sponge Watch Program’’.