Aquatic live animal radiotracing studies for ecotoxicological applications: Addressing fundamental methodological deficiencies.

Mangrove metal pollution induces biological tolerance to Cd on a crab sentinel species subpopulation.

Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) and cadmium (Cd) are soil pollutants that persist in the environment and impacting soil health. Earthworms are selective consumers, yet little is known about how their feeding and burrowing habits translate into species-specific differences in pollution accumulation and distribution. Here, we exposed three ecophysiologically distinct earthworm species, Eisenia fetida (epigeic), Pheretima guillelmi (endogeic), and Metaphire guillelmi (anecic) to different concentrations (0, 1, 10, 30, 60, 100, 300, 500 mg/kg) of BaP or Cd in natural fluvo–aquic soil for 14 days. BaP and Cd accumulation and distribution patterns were analyzed at the individual and organ levels. The results showed that the adsorption behavior of BaP or Cd in earthworms and the organs fit the Langmuir adsorption model well (R2 > 0.8, p

Does ecotype matter? The influence of ecophysiology on benzo[a]pyrene and cadmium accumulation and distribution in earthworms

In studies of habitat-forming species, those that are not spatially dominant are often considered ‘non-primary’ habitat and may be overlooked. This is despite the fact that minority habitat formers can provide critical complexity, food, and other services that underpin ecosystem biodiversity. Octocorals and anemones are found in marine and estuarine habitats across all climate zones. Despite their potentially important ecological roles, to date there have been few studies of their specific threats and stressors or attempts at their restoration. Here we review studies of the ecology of octocorals and anemones with a focus on threats and restoration. We identify many threats including habitat damage, collection and trade, disease, predation, pollution, and the most wide-spread – climate change. While evidence suggests that some octocorals and anemone populations may be more resilient to disturbances than stony corals because they often recruit and grow quickly, resilience is not guaranteed. Instead, resilience or susceptibility within this large group is likely to be site and species specific. We find that the loss of octocorals and anemones has been difficult to quantify as most species have no hard structures that remain following a mortality event. Only through long-term monitoring efforts have researchers been able to document change in these populations. Due to the increasing extent and severity of human impacts in marine ecosystems, restoration of habitat forming species is becoming increasingly necessary after disturbance events. To illustrate the challenges ahead for octocoral and anemone restoration, we present two examples of ongoing restoration efforts assessed against the International Standards for the Practice of Ecological Restoration. Restoration planning and implementation progress are documented for the Mediterranean red coral Corallium rubrum and the temperate Australian cauliflower soft coral, Dendronephthya australis. This review and the detailed case studies demonstrate that while some octocorals and anemones can provide resilient habitat within reef systems, a greater research focus on their ecology, threats, and restoration potential is urgently required.

/pdf/know-thy-anemone-a-review-of-threats-to-octocorals-and-4075ez5klc.pdf

Know thy anemone: a review of threats to octocorals and anemones and opportunities for their restoration

One and multi-compartments toxico-kinetic modeling to understand metals' organotropism and fate in Gammarus fossarum.

The uptake, depuration, and organ distribution of the radioisotope 109Cd were used to explore the internal kinetics of this nonessential metal following accumulation from waterborne cadmium by the freshwater decapod crustacean Macrobrachium australiense. Short- (6 h) and long-term (7 to 14 days) exposures to the radioisotope in solutions of 0.56 μg Cd/L were followed by depuration in metal- and isotope-free water for up to 21 days. The anatomical distribution of the radionuclide was visualized using autoradiography at predefined time points. The gills did not become saturated with cadmium after 14 days of exposure and demonstrated a greater rate of cadmium uptake relative to the hepatopancreas. Cadmium concentrations decreased rapidly during depuration from both gills and hepatopancreas after short exposures but slowly following long-term exposures. This suggests that the duration of cadmium exposure influences the depuration rate for this organism. The study demonstrates the complex behavior of cadmium a...

Metal Transfer among Organs Following Short- and Long-Term Exposures Using Autoradiography: Cadmium Bioaccumulation by the Freshwater Prawn Macrobrachium australiense

Michael Corry

Papers

Metal Transfer among Organs Following Short- and Long-Term Exposures Using Autoradiography: Cadmium Bioaccumulation by the Freshwater Prawn Macrobrachium australiense

Functional role of the soft coral Dendronephthya australis in the benthic food web of temperate estuaries