Several effects of oil pollution may not be noticed except over a longer period. This thesis examines the effects of chronic oil pollution that has persisted for over 40 years. The study site, Zenobia, is a shipwreck in the Larnaka Bay, Cyprus. The wreck is home to thriving epibenthic communities, areas of this ecosystem are continuously in contact with the leaking oil, while other parts of the communities are shielded from the contamination. This allows a comparison between the areas affected by chronic oil pollution and areas that are not. We have compared the epibenthic biodiversity of the communities and, oxidative stress resilience and bioaccumulation of PAHs (A major toxic component of oil) of a widespread species of Scleractinian coral found on the shipwreck. Overall, the epibenthic biodiversity shows no substantial differences, but the corals found in the polluted part of the reef show a higher oxidative stress resilience and a higher bioaccumulation of PAHs.
Managing Thesis and Internship Exchanges
