The Nereid Platynereis dumerilii (Audouin and Milne Edwards (Annales des Sciences Naturelles 1:195-269, 1833) is a marine annelid that belongs to the Nereididae, a family of errant polychaete worms. The Nereid shows a pelago-benthic life cycle: as a general characteristic for the superphylum of Lophotrochozoa/Spiralia, it has spirally cleaving embryos developing into swimming trochophore larvae. The larvae then metamorphose into benthic worms living in self-spun tubes on macroalgae. Platynereis is used as a model for genetics, regeneration, reproduction biology, development, evolution, chronobiology, neurobiology, ecology, ecotoxicology, and most recently also for connectomics and single-cell genomics. Research on the Nereid started with studies on eye development and spiralian embryogenesis in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Transitioning into the molecular era, Platynereis research focused on posterior growth and regeneration, neuroendocrinology, circadian and lunar cycles, fertilization, and oocyte maturation. Other work covered segmentation, photoreceptors and other sensory cells, nephridia, and population dynamics. Most recently, the unique advantages of the Nereid young worm for whole-body volume electron microscopy and single-cell sequencing became apparent, enabling the tracing of all neurons in its rope-ladder-like central nervous system, and the construction of multimodal cellular atlases. Here, we provide an overview of current topics and methodologies for P. dumerilii, with the aim of stimulating further interest into our unique model and expanding the active and vibrant Platynereis community.

Global ocean pCO2 is increasing as a result of anthropogenic CO2 emissions, driving a decline in seawater pH. However, coastal waters already undergo fluctuations in pCO2/pH conditions over far shorter timescales, with values regularly exceeding those predicted for the open ocean by the year 2100. The speciation of copper, and therefore its potential toxicity, is affected by changing seawater pH, yet little is known concerning how present-day natural fluctuations in seawater pH affect copper toxicity to marine biota. Here, we test the hypothesis that a fluctuating seawater pCO2/pH regime will alter the responses of the mussel Mytilus edulis and the ragworm Alitta virens to sub-lethal copper, compared to a static seawater pCO2/pH scenario. Mussels and worms were exposed to 0.1 and 0.25 μM copper respectively, concentrations determined to produce comparable toxicity responses in these species, for two weeks under a fluctuating 12-hour pCO2/pH cycle (pH 8.14-7.53, pCO2 445-1747 μatm) or a static pH 8.14 (pCO2 432 μatm) treatment. Mussels underwent a haemolymph acidosis of 0.1-0.2 pH units in the fluctuating treatments, alongside two-fold increases in the superoxide dismutase activity and DNA damage induced by copper, compared to those induced by copper under static pH conditions. Conversely, ragworms experienced an alkalosis of 0.3 pH units under fluctuating pH/pCO2, driven by a two-fold increase in coelomic fluid bicarbonate. This mitigated the copper-induced oxidative stress to slightly reduce both antioxidant activity and DNA damage, relative to the static pH + copper treatment. These opposing responses suggest that differences in species acid-base physiology were more important in determining toxicity responses than the pH-induced speciation change. With variability in seawater chemistry predicted to increase as climate change progresses, understanding how fluctuating conditions interact with the toxicity of pH-sensitive contaminants will become more crucial in predicting their risk to coastal biota.

We compare the toxicity of microplastics, microfibres and nanoplastics on mussels. Mussels (Mytilus spp.) were exposed to 500 ng mL-1 of 20 μm polystyrene microplastics, 10 × 30 μm polyamide microfibres or 50 nm polystyrene nanoplastics for 24 h or 7 days. Biomarkers of immune response, oxidative stress response, lysosomal destabilisation and genotoxic damage were measured in haemolymph, digestive gland and gills. Microplastics and microfibres were observed in the digestive glands, with significantly higher plastic concentrations after 7-days exposure (ANOVA, P < 0.05). Nanoplastics had a significant effect on hyalinocyte-granulocyte ratios (ANOVA, P < 0.05), indicative of a heightened immune response. SOD activity was significantly increased followed 24 h exposure to plastics (two-way ANOVA, P < 0.05), but returned to normal levels after 7-days exposure. No evidence of lysosomal destabilisation or genotoxic damage was observed from any form of plastic. The study highlights how particle size is a key factor in plastic particulate toxicity.

Ocean acidification (OA) has the potential to alter the bioavailability of pH sensitive metals contaminating coastal sediments, particularly copper, by changing their speciation in seawater. Hence OA may drive increased toxicity of these metals to coastal biota. Here, we demonstrate complex interactions between OA and copper on the physiology and toxicity responses of the sediment dwelling polychaete Alitta virens. Worm coelomic fluid pCO2 was not increased by exposure to OA conditions (pHNBS 7.77, pCO2 530 μatm) for 14 days, suggesting either physiological or behavioural responses to control coelomic fluid pCO2. Exposure to 0.25 μM nominal copper caused a decrease in coelomic fluid pCO2 by 43.3% and bicarbonate ions by 44.6% but paradoxically this copper-induced effect was reduced under near-future OA conditions. Hence OA appeared to ‘buffer’ the copper-induced acid-base disturbance. DNA damage was significantly increased in worms exposed to copper under ambient pCO2 conditions, rising by 11.1% compared to the worms in the no copper control, but there was no effect of OA conditions on the level of DNA damage induced by copper when exposed in combination. These interactions differ from the increased copper toxicity under OA conditions reported for several other invertebrate species. Hence this new evidence adds to the developing paradigm that species’ physiology is key in determining the interactions of these two stressors rather than it purely being driven by the changes in metal chemistry under lower seawater pH.

Ocean acidification (OA) is predicted to be a major driver of ocean biodiversity change. At projected rates of change, sensitive marine taxa may not have time to adapt. Their persistence may depend on pre-existing inter-individual variability. We investigated individual male reproductive performance under present-day and OA conditions using two representative broadcast spawners, the sea urchins Lytechinus pictus and Heliocidaris erythrogramma. Under the non-competitive individual ejaculate scenario, we examined sperm functional parameters (e.g. swimming speed, motility) and their relationship with fertilization success under current and near-future OA conditions. Significant inter-individual differences in almost every parameter measured were identified. Importantly, we observed strong inverse relationships between individual fertilization success rate under current conditions and change in fertilization success under OA. Individuals with a high fertilization success under current conditions had reduced fertilization under OA, while individuals with a low fertilization success under current conditions improved. Change in fertilization success ranged from -67% to +114% across individuals. Our results demonstrate that while average population fertilization rates remain similar under OA and present-day conditions, the contribution by different males to the population significantly shifts, with implications for how selection will operate in a future ocean.

Global production of pharmacologically active compounds exceeds 100 000 tons annually, a proportion of which enters aquatic environments through patient use, improper medicine disposal, and production. These compounds are designed to have mode-of-action (MoA) effects on specific biological pathways, with potential to impact nontarget species. Here, we used MoA and trait-based approaches to quantify uptake and biological effects of fluoxetine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, in filter and deposit feeding marine worms (Hediste diversicolor). Worms exposed to 10 μg L(-1), accumulated fluoxetine with a body burden over 270 times greater than exposure concentrations, resulting in ∼10% increased coelomic fluid serotonin, a pharmacological effect. Observed effects included weight loss (up to 2% at 500 μg L(-1)), decreased feeding rate (68% at 500 μg L(-1)), and altered metabolism (oxygen consumption, ammonia excretion, and O/N from 10 μg L(-1)). Bioconcentration of fluoxetine was dependent on route of uptake, with filter feeding worms experiencing up to 130 times greater body burden ratios and increased magnitudes of effects than deposit feeders, a trait-based sensitivity likely as a consequence of fluoxetine partitioning to sediment. This study highlights how novel approaches such as MoA and trait-based methods can supplement environmental risk assessments of pharmaceuticals.