Impactos do desastre de petróleo de 2019 sobre a biota marinha no Rio Grande do Norte

Abstract

Marine biodiversity is subject to a variety of impacts from pollutants resulting from human activities and exhibits different ecophysiological responses depending on the species and its susceptibility to contamination. Oil and its derivatives are major sources of impact on marine biota, stemming from chronic pollution and, more notably, from acute events such as oil spills. The harmful effects on marine fauna include physiological irregularities, developmental issues, and long-term contamination-related effects. Thus, oil contamination in marine organisms is a cause for concern, as it compromises both population health and environmental integrity. However, beyond assessing overall contamination levels, it is essential to examine speciesspecific data and consider whether ecological traits influence variations in contamination. This study aims to investigate oil contamination in marine organisms from three different taxonomic groups—mollusks, crustaceans, and fish—collected from four beaches along the southern coast of Rio Grande do Norte, an area affected by the 2019 oil spill. The research applies ecological traits of different species to understand contamination levels and associated damage. In Chapter I, chemical analysis was conducted to detect polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in 12 species. Higher PAH concentrations were found in invertebrates compared to vertebrates, reinforcing the greater susceptibility of mollusks and crustaceans to PAH contamination, as reported in the literature. The contamination profile showed a predominance of light PAHs, a pattern commonly observed in past oil spill events. Chapter II focuses on gastrointestinal and histopathological analyses in fish. These analyses detected the presence of oil in the stomach and tissue damage in the gastrointestinal tract, particularly in demersal, invertebrate-feeding fish species. The study provides an overview of contamination and its effects on marine species following the 2019 disaster, and examines the relationship between ecological characteristics and vulnerability to PAH contamination.