Marine ecosystems and the impact of heavy metal pollution (HM).
Marine ecosystems, especially those in coastal areas, are particularly vulnerable to heavy metal (HM) pollution since they are subject to both land- and ocean-based pollution sources. Due to their toxicity, persistence, and capacity to biomagnify in the food chain, HMs pose an important threat through lethal and sub-lethal effects at the individual level that might have far-reaching consequences at higher hierarchical levels: populations, communities, and even entire ecosystems.
The cascading effects of pollution can thus jeopardize ecosystems' integrity and undermine their resilience, especially when they impact species with critical ecosystem roles, like macroalgal foundation species.
