Due to growing anthropogenic pressure, marine environmental problems continue to emerge globally despite the increased understanding of the complex interdependencies between stressors and marine biota. It is also the case for the world´s largest brackish water sea area, the Baltic Sea, which at the same time is considered to be one of the most polluted seas in the world.

Apart from nitrogen and phosphorus compounds, the Baltic Sea environment contains a rich cocktail of pollutants including endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs), which interfere with animals´ hormonal system e.g. androgens and estrogens signaling pathways.

Marine epifauna is an important source of food for dwelling birds and fish (for example, the economically important flounder), and it significantly contributes to remediation and remobilization of dangerous substances to the food net. The assessment of EDCs risk at the population and ecosystem levels, in particular in marine protected areas and in terms of affecting marine biodiversity, by e.g. reproduction disorders, frames a priority challenge.

The project sets out to analyze two challenges in the environmental risk assessment of EDCs: ambiguities related to EDCs affecting fitness of natural populations and the possible risk to marine predators. The analyses here are based on comparative case study and experimental approaches. Within the project, laboratory exposure experiments in which healthy organisms (clams, fish) will be exposed to controlled doses of EE2 (ethinyloestradiol) over a limited period of time will be preformed. The main emphasis is proceeding in the coastal ecosystem of the Baltic Sea. These experiments will allow assessing and developing biomarkers of EDCs in environment.

Södertörns högskola, Institutionen för livsvetenskaper

Katarzyna Smolarz, doktorand, katarzyna.smolarz@sh.se