Morpho-functional characteristics of bivalve mollusks under the experimental environmental pollution by heavy metals

The effects of a week-long exposure to copper sulfate (0.05–5000 mg/l) and cadmium chloride (2 and 10 mg/l) upon the morpho-functional characteristics of the Black Sea bivalve mollusks Anadara cf. inaequivalvis and Chamelea gallina were studied. The changes in the morpho-functional state of mollusks at the impact of these metals are distinguished. These changes included a 60% decrease in the hemocytes’ concentration in the hemolymph and a 5- to 7-fold decline of the hemocyte adenosine triphosphate (ATP) content, along with the appearance in the mollusks of “brown” cells and lipofuscin-like pigment. The exposure to both metals caused similar changes.