An update on environmental stressors and their effects on oxidative parameters in limpets

PAULA M. GONZÁLEZ; GABRIELA MALANGA; JUAN MANUEL OSTERA; SUSANA PUNTARULO

Advances in Environmental Research

Nova Science Publishers, Inc

Año: 2016; p. 61 - 76

Intertidal limpets are subjected to several environmental changes, and how these limpets cope with these stressful conditions plays a key role in the understanding of the mechanisms leading to their habitat adaptation. The main aim of this work was to update the information on oxidative metabolism generated in these molluscs in relation to the exposure to environmental abiotic and biotic factors, that could even be linked and act synergistically among them. Ecological patters (e.g. seasonality, starvation, natural metal presence and parasitism), tidal cycles (e.g. desiccation, hypoxia and air exposure) and thermal effects are relevant issues since they represent potential critical stress factors to limpet?s survival. Under such conditions, oxidative and nitrosative stress, redox balance, antioxidant enzyme activities and lipid peroxidation are affected. Thus, environmental changes may influence adaptations such as the zonation and distribution of the animals. This chapter intends to contribute to the deeper understanding of the main pathways playing a role in the complex mechanisms triggered in stress-exposed animals that are likely to undergo a fast amplification of pro-oxidant processes. Not only the antioxidant enzymes were strongly involved in these mechanisms in almost all the limpets, but also the triggering of the heat shock proteins seems to be a critical player in the general response scenario after temperature changes as well. Not even yet known pathways could also contribute to allow intertidal/subtidal limpets to cope with the extreme stresses and to face global change.