Exposure of the clam Tapes philippinarum to 4-nonylphenol: changes in anti-oxidant enzyme activities and re-burrowing capability

The effects of 4-nonylphenol on anti-oxidant enzyme (superoxide dismutase and catalase) activity in both gills and digestive gland and re-burrowing capability of the clam Tapes philippinarum were investigated after 7 days' exposure to various sublethal concentrations of nonylphenol (NP). NP caused a significant decrease in superoxide dismutase activity in both tissues from the lowest concentration tested, whereas no significant alteration with respect to controls was observed in catalase activity. NP effects on re-burrowing of clams were evaluated in two experiments. In the first, clams exposed to the highest NP concentrations showed a marked delay in re-burrowing 48 h after the end of exposure. Modifications in normal burrowing behaviour were also observed, suggesting that NP acts via narcosis and/or neurotoxic mechanisms. In the second experiment, the elapsed time for 50% of the exposed clams to re-burrow into the sediment (RT(50)) was also calculated in a 24-h re-burrowing response test. At the highest NP concentrations, it was not possible to estimate RT(50) values, as the percentage of clams showing complete burial was less than 50%. The present study demonstrates that NP causes oxidative stress by inhibiting superoxide dismutase activity and greatly affects the re-burrowing capability of T. philippinarum, even at environmentally realistic concentrations.     

Hyperglycemic response of Heteropneustes fossilis exposed to nickel

Freshwater Indian catfish H. fossilis was exposed to a sublethal concentration of 192 mg/1 nickel sulphate from 3 to 96 h. Blood glucose of the nickel exposed fish increased significantly at 6, 12, 24, 72 and 96 h. The maximum elevation was recorded at 72 h (P < 0.001). The possible role of glucagon and insulin has been discussed.     

The use of bioluminescent dinoflagellates as an environmental risk assessment tool

A novel toxicity method to determine sublethal and lethal effects of manmade contaminants on the bioluminescence output from marine dinoflagellates has been developed and tested over the course of 16 years. The toxicity system, QwikLite™, was developed for the sole purpose of evaluating the potential toxicity of various materials used in bay sediments, storm water discharges, industrial discharges from Naval facilities, and antifoulant paints. Bioluminescence inhibition was observed in the following dinoflagellates: Lingulodinium polyedrum (formerly known as Gonyaulax polyedra), Ceratocorys horrida, Pyrocystis noctiluca, Pyrocystis lunula, Pyrocystis fusiformis, and Pyrophacus steinii. Cultured cells were exposed to various concentrations of contaminants from hours through 10 days. Further application with bioluminescent dinoflagellates in a variety of toxicity testing schemes have shown that these species can be used as a screening assay organism in lieu of the more costly, labor intensive bioassays presently in use.     

Histological Changes in a Few Tissues of Notopterus notopterus Induced by Sublethal and Lethal Concentrations of Pulp,Paper and Mixed Pulp and Paper Wastes

In the present work, histological changes in the gill, liver, kidney and intestine of Notopterus notopterus, induced by pulp waste, paper waste and mixed pulp and paper waste, have been studied both at sublethal and lethal concentrations. The pulp waste produces much more histological changes both at sublethal and lethal concentrations in the gill, liver, kidney and intestine as compared to paper waste and mixed pulp and paper waste. The changes are much more remarkable in the case of sublethal concentration, as compared to a lethal concentration. In a sublethal concentration, the localized necrosis, atrophy and partial and total liquefaction of epithelial cells, pilaster cells, mucous cells of the gill, hepatic cells of the liver, mesenchymatous cells, renal tubule cells and Bowman's capsule of the kidney, mucosal and submucosal cells and blood vessels of intestine have been observed. In lethal concentration, the changes are much more marked in the gill, as compared to the liver, kidney and intestine. The histological changes, produced in the different types of cells and in the tissue as a whole, can be correlated with the different chemical components present in the pulp waste, paper waste and mixed pulp and paper waste.     

Importance of Internal Biotic Concentrations in Risk Evaluations with Aquatic Systems

Ecological risk evaluations are commonly performed using aqueous concentrations and aqueous toxicity measurements as a starting point. However risk evaluations could be carried out using internal biotic concentrations and the internal lethal or sublethal concentrations. This has several advantages. Firstly, the internal lethal and sublethal concentrations are relatively consistent in groups of chemicals having a similar mode of action. Thus in field situations the internal concentration, in fish and possibly other biota, can be used to evaluate possible biotic effects. Also other histopathological, biochemical, biomolecular and physiological effects can be assessed and used with this information to give an overall assessment. There are, however, several limitations with this approach including sensitivity, health, age and nutritional status of the biota as well as a lack of data on dose/response relationships with internal concentrations.     

Environmental Effects on the Toxicity of Methyl Mercuric Chloride to Chorella vulgaris.

The effect of different concentrations, viz. 0.01, 0.001 and 0.0001 ppm of methyl mercuric chloride on survival, growth behaviour and chlorophyll content of Chlorella vulgaris has been studied under various environmental conditions. Methyl mercury at 0.01 ppm is 100% toxic to the test alga. At a sublethal (0.001 ppm) dose of CH₃HgCl, Chlorophyll a was more inhibited than Chlorophyll b. Toxicity was found to be very much under the influence of pH as at acid pH growth is highly reduced by a sublethal concentration, whereas the same concentration does not have an inhibitory influence in the alkaline range of pH. Eutrophic waters seem to reduce the heavy metal toxicity in general.     

Fenvalerate and Cypermethrin Induced Changes in the Haematological Parameters of Cyprinus carpio

Freshwater fish Cyprinus carpio have been exposed to sublethal concentrations of fenvalerate (0.010 ppm) and cypermethrin (0.020 ppm) for 6, 12, 24 and 48 hours. After each exposure period, certain blood parameters were studied. A decrease in red blood corpuscular (RBC) count, haemoglobin (Hb) concentration, packed cell volume (PCV) and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC), on the one hand, and an increase in mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH), on the other hand, have been observed with increasing time of exposure. The alterations observed may be due to the physiological disfunctioning of the haemopoietic tissue or may be due to the effect on the bone marrow. The effect of fenvalerate is more pronounced than that of cypermethrin.     

Histopathological Changes Induced by Pentachlorophenol and Sodium Pentachlorophenate in the Mantle of the Freshwater Snail Viviparus bengalensis (L.)

The freshwater pondsnail Viviparus bengalensis (LINNAEUS) was exposed to sublethal concentrations of pentachlorophenol (1.561 mg/l) and sodium pentachlorophenate (0.991 mg/l). Both the chemicals caused considerable damage in the mantle of the snail. Their toxic effects included shrinkage and elongation of epithelial cells, the cells losing contact with each other, resulting in the formation of intercellular spaces, enlargement of nuclei, shrinkage of the basement layer and loss of shape of polygonal cells of connective tissue.     

Mercuric Chloride Induced Inhibition of Acid and Alkaline Phosphatase Activity in the Kidney of Mudskipper,Boleophthalmus dentatus

The present paper deals with the inhibition of the specific activity of the acid and alkaline phosphatases in the kidney tissue of mudskipper Boleophthalmus dentatus, exposed to different sublethal concentrations of mercuric chloride. There was a more or less linear inhibition of the specific activity of both the enzymes with increasing concentration of mercuric chloride as well as exposure time. The inhibition of acid phosphatase could be due to the rupture of lysosomal membrane in the presence of mercury compound, which acts as a labilizing agent. The inhibition of alkaline phosphatase probably caused a breakdown of the membrane transport system.     

Tissue enzymes as biomonitors of PCP intoxication in Notopterus notopterus

In this paper, toxicity effects of pentachlorophenol have been studied using enzymes, phosphatases, transaminases and hydrogenases as indicators for toxicity. The sublethal concentrations used were 0.019, 0.0063 and 0.0038 mg/l (1/5th, 1/15th and 1/25th fractions of LC₅₀) and the experimental fishes were exposed for the periods of 15, 30, 45 and 60 days. Most of the significant alterations in enzymes were observed at 1/5th and 1/10th fractions except at few places in the liver where a significant alteration in the enzyme acid phosphatase occurs at 1/15th fraction. Glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GPT) and glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT) and lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) showed a significant increase in different tissues in all the fractions of treatment.     

Hexavalent chromium: Toxicity and impact on carbohydrate metabolism and haematological parameters of carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) from Saudi Arabia

The effect of hexavalent chromium on the carp,Cyprinus carpio was assessed using static bioassay. The 96h LC₅₀ was found to be 93.6mg · l^–1. In carp exposed to sublethal concentrations of chromium (15 and 25 mg · l^–1), significant depletion of liver and muscle glycogen and decreasing leucocyte counts were recorded during prolonged exposure and with increasing concentration of chromium. The other blood parameters examined (haemoglobin, erythrocyte count, hematocrit, serum protein, serum glucose) increased similarly during exposure to two chromium concentrations.     

提升小波:可用于重磁资料处理的新方法

小波变换在重磁资料处理中得到了广泛应用．通过提升结构构造的二代小波继承了一代小波的优良属性,并且具有灵活性、适应性、易于快速实现等优点．二代小波比一代小波有很多优点和好的属性,其应用范围更为广泛．本文介绍了提升结构构造二代小波的思想,并讨论了其在重磁资料处理中的应用前景．     

Effects of Chronic Exposure to Sublethal Doses of Two Pesticides on Alkaline and Acid Phosphatase Activities in the Intestine of a Fresh Water Teleost,Channa striatus BL. (Channidae)

The effects of chronic exposures to sublethal concentration of two pesticides Carbaryl and Endosulfan on alkaline and acid phosphatase activities in the intestine of a fresh water teleost Channa striatus have been observed by exposing the fish for a period of two to thirty days to 10 ppm and 20 ppm of Carbaryl and 0.00075 and 0.001 ppm of Endosulfan. The inhibition of alkaline phosphatase activity has been dependent on the duration of exposure, concentration and the type of pesticide used. The acid phosphatase activity increased with the duration of exposure in higher concentration of Carbaryl and both the concentrations of Endosulfan. Endosulfan produced more pronounced effects than Carbaryl.     

Effects of heavy metals on the survival and feeding behaviour of the sandy shore scavenging gastropod Nassarius festivus (Powys)

The effects of Cu, Cd, Zn and Cr on the survival and feeding behaviour of the sandy shore scavenging gastropod Nassarius festivus were compared. The 96-h LC₅₀ for Cu, Cd, Zn and Cr were 0.36, 1.52, 1.76 and 36.9 mg l⁻¹, respectively. Four sublethal concentrations of each metal plus a control were prepared and the snails were exposed to experimental solutions for 96 h. Feeding behaviour was studied after the snails were starved for five days. As compared with the control, the number of individuals feeding was significantly reduced by exposure to 0.05 mg l⁻¹ Cu, 0.2 mg l⁻¹ Zn, 0.5 mg l⁻¹ Cd and 5 mg l⁻¹ Cr. The time spent feeding was greater for individuals exposed to greater concentrations of Zn and Cd but no effect was found for Cu and Cr. Chemoreception of food was studied by placing the snails at a fixed distance of 15 cm from the bait. The success rate of reaching the bait was less for individuals exposed to Cr but no effect was found for Zn, Cu or Cd. The time required for an individual to reach the bait decreased as the concentration of Zn increased. In contrast, a longer time was required for individuals exposed to Cr whereas the effect of Cd and Cu was insignificant. The potential of using feeding behaviour and chemoreception in contaminant evaluations is discussed.     

Histochemical Observation on Crude Oil Poisoning in the Respiratory Epithelium of Puntius sophore

The sensitivity of respiratory mucus cells to the aqueous extracts of 200… 2000 ppm of crude oil has been determined in Puntius sophore using histochemical techniques. The results indicate the mucus cells to be highly susceptible to the crude oil poisoning in both lethal and sublethal concentrations. Sublethal extracts induce excessive mucus production and form a protective covering over branchial epithelia. Lethal extracts, however, reduce the number and size of the mucus cells causing scanty mucus secretion in short-term exposure (≦4 h), but degenerate the mucus cells when the exposure period is prolonged (≧12 h).     

Lethal and estrogenic effects of 4-nonylphenol in the cockle Cerastoderma glaucum

The lethal and sublethal effects of the xenoestrogen 4-nonylphenol (NP) were evaluated in the cockle Cerastoderma glaucum. In a 96-h lethality test, bivalves were exposed to 0, 0+ acetone, 0.19, 0.38, 0.75, 1.5 and 3.0 mg NP/l. The 96-h LC(50) value was 0.3mg NP/l. No mortality was observed at 0.1 mg NP/l. The potential estrogenicity of NP was studied in both sexually undifferentiated (resting phase) and differentiated (pre-spawning phase) cockles, exposed for 7 and 14 days to 0, 0+ acetone, 0.0125, 0.025, 0.05, and 0.1 mg NP/l. Vitellogenin (Vg)-like protein levels were determined in both haemolymph and digestive gland by the alkali-labile phosphate (ALP) assay. In the resting phase, exposure for 7 days to 0.1 mg NP/l resulted in significant increases in ALP in both haemolymph and digestive gland, compared with controls. A significant increase was also observed in digestive gland of animals exposed to 0.0125 mg NP/l-exposed animals. After 14 days of exposure, haemolymph ALP levels were significantly increased in exposed animals at all NP concentrations tested, whereas no difference was recorded in digestive gland. In the pre-spawning phase, exposure for 7 days to NP significantly increased ALP levels in haemolymph from males exposed at all NP concentrations tested, whereas no significant variations were found in haemolymph from females. NP (0.05 and 0.1 mg/l) was also shown to increase ALP concentrations significantly in digestive gland of males, but not in those of females. Likewise, after 14 days' exposure, ALP levels significantly increased in haemolymph from males only at 0.1 mg NP/l. Conversely, NP caused significant increases in ALP levels in digestive gland from both males (at all NP concentrations tested) and females (at 0.025 and 0.1 mg NP/l). These results demonstrate that NP induces Vg synthesis in C. glaucum. Interestingly, males were more responsive to NP than females.     

Influence of Venezuelan crude oil on lobster larvae

Emulsions of crude oil are lethal to larvae of the American Iobster at concentrations of 100 ppm and appear to have sublethal effects at concentrations down to 1 ppm.     

Effects of crude oil on the locomotory activity of Arctic marine invertebrates

The effects of exposure to seawater dispersions of northern crude oils on the locomotory activity of two Arctic marine invertebrates, the amphipod Onisimus affinis and the coelenterate Halitholus cirrattus have been examined. Low concentrations of the oils significantly impair activity in both species. The ecological implications of such sublethal effects may be important.     

Effects of heavy metals on the survival and feeding behaviour of the sandy shore scavenging gastropod Nassarius festivus (Powys)

The effects of Cu, Cd, Zn and Cr on the survival and feeding behaviour of the sandy shore scavenging gastropod Nassarius festivus were compared. The 96-h LC₅₀ for Cu, Cd, Zn and Cr were 0.36, 1.52, 1.76 and 36.9 mg l⁻¹, respectively. Four sublethal concentrations of each metal plus a control were prepared and the snails were exposed to experimental solutions for 96 h. Feeding behaviour was studied after the snails were starved for five days. As compared with the control, the number of individuals feeding was significantly reduced by exposure to 0.05 mg l⁻¹ Cu, 0.2 mg l⁻¹ Zn, 0.5 mg l⁻¹ Cd and 5 mg l⁻¹ Cr. The time spent feeding was greater for individuals exposed to greater concentrations of Zn and Cd but no effect was found for Cu and Cr. Chemoreception of food was studied by placing the snails at a fixed distance of 15 cm from the bait. The success rate of reaching the bait was less for individuals exposed to Cr but no effect was found for Zn, Cu or Cd. The time required for an individual to reach the bait decreased as the concentration of Zn increased. In contrast, a longer time was required for individuals exposed to Cr whereas the effect of Cd and Cu was insignificant. The potential of using feeding behaviour and chemoreception in contaminant evaluations is discussed.     

Toxicity of 1,4-dichlorobenzene in sediments to juvenile polychaete worms

Investigation of sediment contamination associated with a marine sewage outfall in Victoria (BC, Canada) found elevated concentrations of 1,4-dichlorobenzene (1,4-DCB). Juvenile polychaete worm (Neanthes) growth was significantly reduced at or near the outfall, roughly corresponding to elevated 1,4-DCB concentrations. There are few data on 1,4-DCB toxicity to marine organisms and no published literature on its toxicity to benthic marine organisms. To determine whether reduced polychaete growth (measured as dry weight) was due to 1,4-DCB exposure, a laboratory investigation was conducted. Uncontaminated marine sediment was spiked with 1,4-DCB and juvenile Neanthes were exposed in 20-d sublethal toxicity tests. There were no adverse effects on survival at any test concentration; mean survival was 80–100%. Statistically significant decreases in average dry weight only occurred at the highest 1,4-DCB concentration (19,900 μg/kg, dry weight); this represented a 1,4-DCB concentration more than 10 times higher than previously measured at the outfall (1710 μg/kg, dry weight). There were no adverse effects on survival or dry weight at the range of concentrations previously measured in sediments from the vicinity of the outfall.