This research addresses some key consequences, effects and differences of the short-term and long-term uptake and accumulation of an essential (Zn) and a non-essential (Cd) metal in the fresh water fi
cadmium
Effect of temperature on metal toxicity to zebrafish: frome gene to organismal responses
During recent years ecotoxicology has been an emerging field and its experimental focus has been expanded from using mainly chemical stressors (e.g. cadmium) to assessing the effects of natural or non-chemical stressors (e.g.
Metal accumulation kinetics in an aquatic oligochaete, relations with bioavailability and toxicity
Heavy metals occur naturally in the environment as constituents of the earth's crust. They fulfil the criteria of persistence: the law of conservation of matter ensures that the elemental material can neither be destroyed nor produced. The total amount of metals in the environment is therefore constant. However, due to anthropogenic activities (mining, agricultural activities, waste disposals, fuel combustions) metal distribution patterns can be rearranged, resulting in site specific elevated concentrations.
Genetic characterisation of several tidal organisms along a pollution gradient in the Scheldt estuary
The genetic population structure of natural populations of the indirect developing (i.e. planctonic development) periwinkle, Littorina littorea and of the direct developer (i.e. non-planctonic development) L.
An integrated study of the relationship between exposure and accumulation of metals by the wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus)
Over the years, our environment became polluted by various hazardous substances, such as heavy metals. Contamination by heavy metals may have severe effects on every level of biological organisation, i.e. from cell to ecosystem. An important problem that frequently occurs in ecotoxicological metal studies is that a clear relationship between exposure, accumulation and effects of heavy metals in an organism is often not found under natural conditions. There are two possible explanations. First, in many papers the absolute concentration of heavy metals in the soil and in the food are quantified while a large fraction of these metals are not bioavailable for the organism. Second, acclimatisation and/or adaptation to heavy metal contamination can result in a reduced uptake and accumulation of the bioavailable fraction of heavy metals and an altered sensitivity or tolerance. However, it is still unclear how and to what extent organisms can adapt and/or acclimatise to heavy metal contamination. Possible ways are: (1) a reduced absorption of heavy metals, (2) an increased excretion of heavy metals, (3) a different organ and tissue distribution and (3) a more efficient induction of detoxifying mechanisms like metallothionein (MT).
