**2. Materials and Methods**

#### *2.1. Ecotoxicity Test*

Acute toxicity test using both *A. franciscana* nauplii and adults were performed according to standard methods [41] using lethality as an endpoint. Effects were measured after 24 and 48 h of exposure for both adults and nauplii up to the third instar (corresponding to 48 h old specimen that are considered as the most sensitive stage). Certified dehydrated cysts of brine shrimp *A. franciscana* (AF/F2005) were purchased from the company ECOTOX LDS (Gallarate, Italy). Hatching of the cysts was obtained by incubating 100 mg of cysts in glass Petri dishes containing seawater prepared by dissolving 36 g of Instant Ocean® salt in deionized water, stirred for 24 h under aeration and then filtered through 0.45 μm Millipore cellulose filters. Newly hatched brine shrimp larvae (Instar I nauplius stage) were separated from unhatched cysts and transferred, taking advantage of phototactic movements, into new glass Petri dishes with synthetic seawater (SSW) prepared according to ISO 10253/16 [42].
