Manuela Piccardo

• Doctor of Philosophy
• research fellow at University of Trieste

Coralligenous bioconstructions are priority habitats crucial for the protection of Mediterranean marine biodiversity. Among these bioconstructions, the mesophotic biogenic reefs of the northern Adriatic are of particular concern due to their ecological relevance and the high levels of human pressure in the region. Thus, effective monitoring strateg...

On 30 January 2020, the World Health Organization declared a public health emergency of international concern due to the rapid spread among humans, on a global scale, of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19. Although international authorities have recommended the use of common detergents known to be effective against coronaviruses, one of...

In this study, a systematic review of the scientific literature was carried out to summarize the emerging evidence on microplastic pollution in natural caves. After the screening of 655 papers on the topic from a combined search on the Web of Knowledge and the Scopus databases, we found only 14 studies reporting quantitative data on microplastics f...

The effective management of marine ecosystems in the face of growing anthropogenic pressures requires theintegration of data from different ecological components. Holistic approaches to evaluate the ecological status of marine ecosystems are still scarce, likely due to the challenge of integrating the complex information from avariety of indicators...

Each year, a staggering 700,000 tons of synthetic dyes are manufactured globally, leading to the release of dye-laden wastewater into aquatic systems. These synthetic dyes resist biodegradation, endangering human and environmental health. Since traditional wastewater treatments are basically unable to remove dyes, exploring the potential of alterna...

The study reports the enzymatic synthesis of bio-based oligoesters and chemo-enzymatic processes for obtaining epoxidized bioplasticizers and biolubricants starting from cardoon seed oil. All of the molecules had MW below 1000 g mol⁻¹ and were analyzed in terms of marine biodegradation. The data shed light on the effects of the chemical structure,...

The most worrisome fraction within plastic pollution is that of microplastics (MP). A category of MP almost completely ignored is that of glitter. The objective of this study is to test the toxicity of nine types of glitter leachate (3 soak times: 3, 90 and 180 days) on model organisms in freshwater (Allivibrio fischeri, Raphidocelis subcapitata, D...

Microbeads and fragments have been widely studied, while glitter remains neglected by the literature although found in a variety product (e.g., body paints, nail polish, cosmetics, craft products). The main aim of this study was to assess the effects of different types and concentrations of glitter particles on Mytilus galloprovincialis after 7 day...

There is one type of primary microplastic, glitter, which has not received the same attention as microbeads. The general thought associates the use of glitter with extraordinary and rare events, in reality, its presence in everyday life is much more ubiquitous than one might think. The main objective of this preliminary study was to create a mini p...

An intra-laboratory calibration to quantify microplastic in fine-grained marine sediments was performed with two objectives: (a) to determine the recovery rate of self-produced microplastics characterized by a size ranging from 220 µm to 5 mm and differing in color (pink, orange, gray, yellow, silver), shape (fragments, filaments, spheres, films),...

This study reports on the presence of microplastics in the gastrointestinal tracts and livers of demersal fish (the mullet, Mullus spp.) from a Marine Protected Area (Porto Cesareo) along the Ionian Sea coast (Apulia, Southern Italy). The results showed microplastic ingestion in more than 60% of specimens analyzed with an average of three items per...

Microplastics (MPs) pose biological and chemical hazards in aquatic and terrestrial food webs across the globe. Research on microplastic contamination has long focused on marine ecosystems, whereas the toxicological impact on freshwater organisms is still little explored. In this study, the lethal and sublethal response of the freshwater macroinver...

Cigarette butts (CBs) are among the dominant constituents of marine and beach litter. Few studies have been conducted, and the environmental effects of CBs on marine species are still poorly understood. This study aims to evaluate the ecotoxicological effects on marine organisms of both classic and electronic CBs. Three representative species of di...

This study evaluates the impacts of 16 different leachates of plastic-made packaging on marine species of different trophic levels (bacteria, algae, echinoderms). Standard ecotoxicological endpoints (inhibition of bioluminescence, inhibition of growth, embryo-toxicity) and alterations of ecologically significant parameters (i.e., echinoderms’ body-...

This study evaluated the chronic toxicity (30 days) of different sizes of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) microplastics (60-3000 μm) provided alone or in combination with acid rain, on garden cress (Lepidium sativum). Both biometrical and physiological traits have been evaluated: i) percentage inhibition of seed germination, plant height, leaf num...

Plastics enter in terrestrial natural system primarily by agricultural purposes, while acid rain is the result of anthropogenic activities. The synergistic effects of microplastics and acid rain on plant growth are not known. In this study, different sizes of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and acid rain are tested on Lepidium sativum, in two sepa...

This review critically analyses >200 papers collected by searching on Pubmed the word “nanoplastics”, a group of emerging contaminants which are receiving growing attention. The present review intends to provide an overview of current knowledge on nanoplastic pollution starting with the theory of polymer degradation, passing to laboratory confirmat...

This study aims to evaluate the expression of biomarkers of oxidative stress (LPO, GPx, AtCh, SOD) in mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) following the exposure to suspensions of microparticles irregular shaped fibres of Polyethylene terephthalate of different sizes (small 5–60 μm, S-PET; medium 61–499 μm, M-PET; large 500–3000 μm, L-PET) at a sing...

This study aims to evaluate effects induced by the exposure of key marine species to leachates and suspensions of different particle-size of PET microparticles, a plastic polymer that is actually considered safe for the environment. Leachates and suspensions of small (5-60 μm); medium (61-499 μm) and large (500-3000 μm) PET were tested on bacteria...

Indagine sui cosmetici contenenti polietilene solido ha evidenziato 88 prodotti (esfolianti per corpo e viso, saponi struccanti, antiforfora) in vendita in Italia nel 2017. In una confezione di scrub per piedi di 150 ml erano contenuti 27,64 grammi di particelle di plastica, si stima la presenza di 10.884 particelle per millilitro e di circa 1.632....

An ongoing survey in supermarkets and perfume shops provides, for the first time in Italy, a list of personal care and cosmetic products containing polyethylene. The objective of this survey is to raise the awareness and enable citizens to make informed choices as consumers to protect marine ecosystems - and human well-being - eliminating a form of...

Stage di Ecologia Marina e Geobotanica Applicate sull’Isola di Linosa (AMP Isole Pelagie). Nel programma didattico sono state trattate in modo approfondito tematiche di ecologia marina, geobotanica e chimica delle acque, portando avanti e approfondendo gli studi di monitoraggio iniziati nei due anni precedenti.