Artificial phytoplankton assemblages reveal species-specific and interactive responses to silver nanoparticles

Article Article scientifique Article Artificial phytoplankton assemblages reveal species-specific and interactive responses to silver nanoparticles eng 2026-01 author Traber Fiona Marine University of Geneva, Faculty of Sciences, Department F.-A. Forel for Environmental and Aquatic Sciences, Environmental Biogeochemistry and Ecotoxicology, Bvd Carl-Vogt 66, Geneva 1211, Switzerland. 902738 Forel Communs (FOREL) author Segovia Campos Inès University of Geneva, Faculty of Sciences, Department F.-A. Forel for Environmental and Aquatic Sciences, Environmental Biogeochemistry and Ecotoxicology, Bvd Carl-Vogt 66, Geneva 1211, Switzerland. 892639 Forel Communs (FOREL) author Kantarciyan Arin University of Geneva, Faculty of Sciences, Department F.-A. Forel for Environmental and Aquatic Sciences, Environmental Biogeochemistry and Ecotoxicology, Bvd Carl-Vogt 66, Geneva 1211, Switzerland. 817202 Forel Communs (FOREL) author Slaveykova Vera 0000-0002-8361-2509 University of Geneva, Faculty of Sciences, Department F.-A. Forel for Environmental and Aquatic Sciences, Environmental Biogeochemistry and Ecotoxicology, Bvd Carl-Vogt 66, Geneva 1211, Switzerland. Electronic address: vera.slaveykova@unige.ch. 510054 Forel Communs (FOREL) 119514 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2025.119514 41349318 0147-6513 https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0147651325018597 Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are widely used nanomaterials, and understanding their effects on phytoplankton is essential for assessing ecological risks. While AgNP toxicity has been extensively studied in single species, the role of interspecies interactions on toxicity outcomes remains poorly understood. This study investigates the effects of AgNPs and Ag+ on phytoplankton, focusing on species-specific responses and interspecies interactions within artificial assemblages. Monocultures and assemblages of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, Cyclotella meneghiniana, and Synechocystis sp. were exposed to AgNPs (1-3000 µg L-1 ) and Ag+ (0.05-300 µg L-1 ) to assess growth inhibition, photosynthetic efficiency, and pigment fluorescence. Spectral flow cytometry enabled high-resolution, single-cell monitoring of cell abundance and pigment fluorescence in the assemblages. Results revealed species-specific toxicity, with Synechocystis sp. being most affected by AgNPs, while C. meneghiniana showed greater tolerance. Ag+ exposure triggered rapid effects, including reduced photosynthetic efficiency within 2 h, whereas AgNPs caused delayed but persistent toxicity. Experiments with artificial assemblages revealed that interspecies interactions modulated silver toxicity. Co-occurrence of species alleviated AgNP stress, resulting in significantly higher 72h-EC50 for some species and sustained photosynthetic performance in the cohabiting eukaryotes. These findings demonstrated that phytoplankton assemblages' composition strongly influences AgNP toxicity and highlighted spectral flow cytometry as a powerful tool for resolving species-specific responses within complex assemblages. The study emphasized the importance of integrative, assemblage-based approaches in ecotoxicology to more accurately predict ecosystem-level impacts of pollutants. Freshwater Nanomaterials Photosynthesis Phytoplankton community Pigments Spectral flow cytometry Dewey 550 Dewey 333.7-333.9 Swiss National Science Foundation Deciphering the role of freshwater phytoplankton in metallic nanoparticle transformations (DEEPEN) 204174 CH 18 Institut des sciences de l'environnement 0DB 41 Département F.-A. Forel des sciences de l'environnement et de l'eau 153 false 752 Environmental Biogeochemistry and Ecotoxicology 938 ISE Pôle Sciences 944 ISE Eau Ecotoxicology and environmental safety 309 6dc29085-0db3-41f6-a3a7-0a0d52734157 Article (Published version) Public 1-s2.0-S0147651325018597-main.pdf 3707758 application/pdf CC BY-4.0 a9e7a591c8205fa817bfd4e23f03382b2527a0b21e84ee8399d89a31ab95aedb openAccess Centres et instituts / Institut des sciences de l'environnement Faculté des sciences / Section des sciences de la Terre et de l'Environnement / Département F.-A. Forel des sciences de l'environnement et de l'eau

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Artificial phytoplankton assemblages reveal species-specific and interactive responses to silver nanoparticles	Ecotoxicology and environmental safety			2026	37	58

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