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Table 9 Summary table of the findings detailed in the narrative synthesis (except the “Other category”)

From: What are the toxicity thresholds of chemical pollutants for tropical reef-building corals? A systematic review

Chemical

Exposure

Effect

Species

Bias

Detergent

    

 Linear alkylbenzene sulfonate [74]

0.75, 1 and 5 mg/L for 24 h

Decrease in horizontal tissue growth

Stylophora pistillata, Pocillopora damicornis

L

 Nonylphenol ethoxylate [74]

0.1—5 mg/L for 24 h

[No effect on horizontal tissue growth]

Stylophora pistillata, Pocillopora damicornis

L

 4-nonylphenol [75]

1 ppb for 42 days

[No effect on release of planula, cholesterol, estrone, estradiol, testosterone, progesterone, and 3-beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, cytochrome P450, glutathione-S-transferase, and beta-glucuronidase activity]

Pocillopora damicornis

U

 4-nonylphenol [75]

1 ppb for 42 days

increase in UDP-Glycosyltransferase activity and decrease in sulfotransferase 1A1 activity

Pocillopora damicornis

U

Dispersant

    

 Corexit 9527 [76]

1 ppm for 24 h

[No effect on polyp retraction]

Pseudodiploria strigosa

L

 Corexit 9527 [78]

1 ppm for 8 h

[no effect on incorporation of photosynthetic carbon in tissues]

Pseudodiploria strigosa

U

 Corexit 9527 [79]

1–50 ppm for 8 h

[No effect on the gene expression of the heat shock protein Hsp90]

Orbicella franksi

U

 Corexit 9527 [79]

10 and 50 ppm for 8 h

increase in the gene expression of P-glycoprotein

Orbicella franksi

U

 Corexit 9527 [79]

5, 10 and 50 ppm for 8 h

increase in the gene expression of the heat shock protein Hsp70

Orbicella franksi

U

 Corexit 9500 [77]

0.05% v/v for 13 days

[No effect on microbiome diversity]

Millepora alcicornis

U

 Corexit 9500 [77]

0.05% v/v for 13 days

changes in microbiome structure

Millepora alcicornis

U

 Oil-degrading bacteria consortium [77]

10^6 cells/mL for 13 days

[No effect on microbiome diversity and structure]

Millepora alcicornis

U

 Corexit 9500 and oil-degrading bacteria consortium [77]

0.05% v/v & 10^6 cells/mL for 13 days

[No effect on microbiome diversity and structure]

Millepora alcicornis

U

Microplastic

    

 Artificial clothing fibers, automobile residues or beach microplastics [80]

10 mg/L for 10 weeks (+ heat stress)

[No effect on tissue bleaching and necrosis]

Pocillopora verrucosa, Stylophora pistillata

L

 Polyethylene [80]

10 mg/L for 10 weeks (+ heat stress)

[No effect on tissue bleaching and necrosis]

Acropora muricata, Montipora digitata, Pocillopora verrucosa, Porites cylindrica, Stylophora pistillata

L

 Polyethylene [81]

200 particles/L for 6 months (size 65–410 µm)

[No effect on tissue bleaching and necrosis]

Acropora muricata, Heliopora coerulea, Porites lutea

L

 Polyethylene [81]

200 particles/L for 6 months (size 65–410 µm)

Increase in bleaching

Pocillopora verrucosa

L

 Polyethylene [82]

4000 particles/L for 4 weeks (size 37–163 µm)

Increase in bleaching

Acropora millepora

L

 Polyethylene [81]

200 particles/L for 6 months (size 65–410 µm)

[No effect on symbiont chlorophyll concentration]

Acropora muricata, Heliopora coerulea, Porites lutea, Pocillopora verrucosa

L

 Polyethylene [83]

5 or 50 particles/L for 28 days (size 106–125 µm)

[No effect on symbiont chlorophyll concentration]

Stylophora pistillata

L

 Polyethylene [84]

5, 15, 25, 50, 100 or 200 particles/L for 3 h (size 1 or 6 µm)

[No effect on embryo development]

Acropora tenuis

L

 Polyethylene [85]

30 mg/L for 12 weeks (mix of 3 size classes 212–250 µm, 425–500 µm, 850–1000 µm)

Decrease in tissue growth

Pseudodiploria clivosa, Acropora cervicornis

L

 Polyethylene [83]

50 particles/L for 28 days (size 106–125 µm)

Increase in non-photochemical quenching and changes in tissue polar metabolite composition

Stylophora pistillata

L

 Polypropylene [84]

5, 15 or 50 particles/L for 3 h (size 0.5, 1 or 2 mm2)

[No effect on embryo development]

Acropora tenuis

L

 Polystyrene [90]

1 – 1000 mg/L for 96 h

[No effect on catalase activity and melanin content]

Porites porites

U

 Polystyrene [89]

50 mg/L for 24 h (size 1 µm)

[No effect on symbiont chlorophyll concentration]

Pocillopora damicornis

U

 Polystyrene [89]

50 mg/L for 12 h (size 1 µm)

changes in the transcriptome profile

Pocillopora damicornis

U

 Microfibres and polystyrene [120]

0.1 mg/L for 12 days (size 0.05–1 cm and 500–1000 µm)

[No effect on respiration rates]

Acropora sp., Seriatopora hystrix

U

 PVC [86, 87]

300 mg/L for 24 h (size 1–10 µm) or 1, 30 mg/L for 72 h

Metabolic changes

Tubastrea aurea

U

 PA66, polyethylene, PET or polystyrene [87,88,89]

50 or 300 mg/L for 12, 24 or 96 h

(various sizes)

Metabolic changes

Acropora sp., Tubastraea aurea, Pocillopora damicornis

M, U

Nanoparticle

    

 Silver nanocolloids [91]

50 µg/L for 10 days

Decrease in primary polyp growth

Acropora japonica

L

 MeO-PEG-b-PMOT [93]

2 mg/mL for 24 h

Changes in the proteome composition

Acropora tenuis

U

 CdSe/ZnS quantum dots [94]

0.1 – 50 nM for 12 h

Changes in the transcriptome profile

Stylophora pistillata

U

 Titanium dioxide nanoparticles [92]

0.1 or 10 mg/L for 17 days

[No effect on the expression of various genes]

Orbicella faveolata

M

Pharmaceutical

    

 Estradiol [95]

2300 ng/L for 21 days

Decrease in the number of egg-sperm bundles

Montipora capitata

L

 Estradiol [95]

2300 ng/L for 21 days

[No effect on egg surface area, number of eggs per bundle]

Montipora capitata

L

 Estradiol [96]

0.5 or 5 ng/mL for 5 days

[No effect on the gene expression of vitellogenin]

Acropora tenuis

U

 Estrone [95]

2 ng/L for 8 weeks

[No effect on tissue protein content]

Porites compressa

U

 Several pharmaceuticals (Hydrogen peroxide, L-5-hydroxytryptophan, Naloxone hydrochloride dihydrate, Serotonin acetate monohydrate) [97]

0.01 µM – 2 mM for 72 h

[No effect on spawning]

Acropora cervicornis

U

 ε-caprolactone-p-coumaric acid copolymers [98]

one square cm for 10 days

[no effect on branchiness]

Acropora muricata

U

 Verapamil [100]

0.05 µM for 4 days, 0.2 µM during 2 days then 5 µM during 2 days

Increase in respiration rate

Pocillopora damicornis

U

 Ciprofloxacin and various antibiotics mix [102,103,104,105,106]

Various concentrations and durations

Changes in bacterial community structure, diversity, composition and activity

Acropora cervicornis, Pseudodiploria strigosa, Porites astreoides, Fimbriaphyllia paradivisa, Pocillopora damicornis, Acropora muricata

U

 Antibiotics (ampicillin, streptomycin, ciprofloxacin, naladixic acid) [105]

between 0.1 mg/mL and 1 mg/L depending on the antibiotic for 12 h every night during five days

[No effect on tissue protein content]

Pocillopora damicornis

U

 Antibiotics (ciprofloxacin) [98]

0.014% (w/v) in one square cm for 10 days

[No effect on branchiness]

Acropora muricata

U

 Antibiotics (nalidixic acid, ampicillin and streptomycin) [104]

0.1 mg/mL for 48 h

[No effect on gene expression]

Fimbriaphyllia paradivisa

U

 Amoxicillin [101]

1.6 g /colonies for 3 days

(*) healing of tissue lesions

Montastraea cavernosa, Orbicella faveolata, Diploria labyrinthiformis, Pseudodiploria strigosa

M

 Verapamil [99]

100 µmol/L for 2 h

[No effect on the incorporation of aspartic acid]

Stylophora pistillata

M

 Antibiotics (ampicillin, penicillin and streptomycin) [107]

50 µg/mL for 6 days

Decrease in mRNA expression of the yolk protein vitellogenin in cultured ovaries

Fimbriaphyllia ancora

H

UV filter

    

 Benzophenone-3 [121]

1 µg/L for 41 days (+ heat stress)

Changes in the microbiome beta diversity

Stylophora pistillata

L

 Benzophenone-3 [108]

2 mg/L for 7 days

Changes in metabolomic profile

Pocillopora damicornis

U

 Bis-ethylhexyloxyphenol methoxyphenyl triazine, diethylhexyl butamido triazone, diethylamino hydroxybenzoyl hexyl benzoate, ethylhexyl triazone, homosalate and methylene bis-benzotriazolyl tetramethylbutylphenol [108]

1000 µg/L for 7 days

[No effect on the metabolomic profile]

Pocillopora damicornis

U

 Avobenzone [108]

1000 µg/L for 7 days

Changes in metabolomic profile

Pocillopora damicornis

U

 Octisalate [108]

5 – 1000 µg/L for 7 days

Changes in metabolomic profile

Pocillopora damicornis

U

 Octocrylene [109]

50 – 1000 µg/L for 7 days

Changes in metabolomic profile

Pocillopora damicornis

U

 Titanium dioxide [110]

6.3 mg/L for 48 h

Increase in the number of damaged algal symbionts

Acropora spp.

U

 Zinc oxide nanoparticles [110]

6.3 mg/L for 48 h

Increase in the number of damaged algal symbionts

Acropora spp.

U

 Zinc oxide nanoparticles [111]

(50 – 200 µg/L for 24 h)

Changes in the membrane lipid profile

Seriatopora caliendrum

U

 Sunscreens with titanium dioxide nanoparticles Eusolex TS as UV filter [112]

0.1 mg/L or 1 mg/L for 12 days

Decrease in respiration

Seriatopora hystrix

U

 Sunscreens with titanium dioxide nanoparticles Eusolex TS as UV filter [112]

0.1 mg/L or 1 mg/L for 12 days

[No effect on respiration]

Seriatopora hystrix, Porites cylindrica

U

 Sunscreens with titanium dioxide nanoparticles Eusolex TS as UV filter [112]

0.05 – 1 mg/L for 5 h

Increase in abnormal embryo development rate

Acropora hyacinthus

U

 Sunscreens with titanium dioxide nanoparticles Eusolex TS as UV filter [112]

0.05 – 1 mg/L for 5 h

[No effect on abnormal embryo development rate]

Acropora hyacinthus

U

 Sunscreens with titanium dioxide nanoparticles Eusolex TS as UV filter [112]

1 mg/L for 15 min

Decrease in sperm motility

Acropora globiceps

U

 Sunscreens with titanium dioxide nanoparticles Eusolex TS as UV filter and Cellulose NanoCrystal [112]

1 mg/L for 15 min

[No effect on sperm motility]

Acropora globiceps

U

 Sunscreen with titanium dioxide nanoparticles Eusolex T-Avo [112]

0.05 – 1 mg/L for 5 h

Increase in abnormal embryo development rate

Acropora hyacinthus

U

 Sunscreen with titanium dioxide nanoparticles Eusolex T-Avo [112]

0.05 – 1 mg/L for 5 h

[No effect on abnormal embryo development rate]

Acropora hyacinthus

U

 Sunscreen with titanium dioxide nanoparticles Eusolex T-Avo [112]

1 mg/L for 15 min

Decrease in sperm motility

Acropora globiceps

U

 Benzophenone-2 [72]

24.6 µg/L – 246 mg/L for 8 h or 24 h

Increase in the number of DNA lesions and planulae deformation

Stylophora pistillata

M

 Benzophenone3 [73]

22.8 µg/L – 228 mg/L for 8 h or 24 h

Increase in the number of DNA lesions and planulae deformation

Stylophora pistillata

M

  1. Chemicals are ordered by category and overall risk of bias of the studies within a category (low (L), unclear (U), medium (M) or high (H)). It should be noted that some studies did not test the toxicity but the ability of some pharmaceuticals to heal corals (*). References of the corresponding primary research articles are given within square brackets with the chemical name