Spatial and temporal variation of biochemical biomarkers in Gobius niger (Gobiidae) from a southern Mediterranean lagoon (Bizerta lagoon, Tunisia): Influence of biotic and abiotic factors

This study aims at evaluating both the influence of natural and some anthropogenic pressures on spatio-temporal variations on biomarker responses in sedentary benthic fish Gobius niger. For this purpose, variability of biotransformation enzymes and oxidative stress parameters response were studied in six stations from Bizerta lagoon as well as a reference station located in Ghar El Melh lagoon. Biomarker responses were shown to vary according to both physico-chemical parameters and anthropogenic pressures, but no influence of sex was reported. Based on multivariate analyses, the responses of biomarkers, obtained after covariate analysis in order to weigh the effect of physico-chemical parameters, allowed us to discriminate all stations, with a good classification rate for those that are highly contaminated. Altogether, this study shows the usefulness of G. niger as a sentinel species and stresses the necessity of integrating natural variables for data interpretation.