Aquatic invertebrates organisms

The major routes of uptake of xenobiotics by animals and plants are discussed in Chapter 4, Section 4.1. With animals, there is an important distinction between terrestrial species, on the one hand, and aquatic invertebrates and fish on the other. The latter readily absorb many xenobiotics directly from ambient water or sediment across permeable respiratory surfaces (e.g., gills). Some amphibia (e.g., frogs) readily absorb such compounds across permeable skin. By contrast, many aquatic vertebrates, such as whales and seabirds, absorb little by this route. In lung-breathing organisms, direct absorption from water across exposed respiratory membranes is not an important route of uptake. 

TBT, like most other organic pollutants, is metabolized more rapidly by vertebrates than by aquatic invertebrates such as gastropods. 

PAHs can be bioconcentrated or bioaccumulated by certain aquatic invertebrates low in the food chain that lack the capacity for effective biotransformation (Walker and Livingstone 1992). Mollusks and Daphnia spp. are examples of organisms that readily bioconcentrate PAH. On the other hand, fish and other aquatic vertebrates readily biotransform PAH so, biomagnification does not extend up the food chain as it does in the case of persistent polychlorinated compounds. As noted earlier, P450-based monooxygenases are not well represented in mollusks and many other aquatic invertebrates (see Chapter 4, Section 4.2) so, this observation is not surprising. Oxidation catalyzed by P450 is the principal (perhaps the only) effective mechanism of primary metabolism of PAH. 

Because of the high toxicity of pyrethroids to aquatic invertebrates, these organisms are likely to be adversely affected by contamination of surface waters. Such contamination might be expected to have effects at the population level and above, at least in the short term. In one study of a farm pond, cypermethrin was applied aerially, adjacent to the water body (Kedwards et al. 1999a). Changes were observed in the composition of the macroinvertebrate community of the pond that were related to levels of the pyrethroid in the hydrosoil. Diptera were most affected, showing a decline in abundance with increasing cypermethrin concentration. Chironimid larvae first declined and later recovered. 

Tributyltins and other organotins induce chromosomal aberrations in mammals, although this was not observed in tests with aquatic invertebrates (Dixon and Prosser 1986). Studies with isolated rat hepatoma cells, TBT, and PCB 126, show that TBT inhibits cytochrome P-4501A activity, and PCB 126 induces EROD activity. However, PCB-induced EROD activity was potentiated by coexposure to low noncytotoxic concentrations of TBT (Kannan et al. 1998b). Authors concluded that TBT does not interfere with Ah receptor binding and that potentiation of EROD activity and cytotoxicity as a result of coexposure to PCB 126 and TBT is significant because they coaccumulated in a variety of marine organisms. 

The SPs have been shown to be highly toxic to fish and aquatic invertebrates, particularly arthropods, with toxicities as low as the nanogram per liter range in laboratory studies (see Sect. 3). However, due to their high lipophilicity and octanol water partition coefficient (Koc) values, they are rapidly adsorbed to suspended and bottom sediments [1], effectively limiting the exposure of water column organisms. 

Smital T, Luckenbach T, Sauerborn R, Hamdoun AM, Vega RL, Epel D (2004) Emerging contaminants - pesticides, PPCPs, microbial degradation products and natural substances as inhibitors of multixenobiotic defense in aquatic organisms. Mutat Res 552 101-117 Snyder MJ (2000) Cytochrome P450 enzymes in aquatic invertebrates recent advances and future directions. Aquat Toxicol 48 529-547... 

A limited amount of information is available on the formation of metabolites of aromatic hydrocarbons in aquatic invertebrates however, some studies have elucidated the structures of conjugated and non-conjugated derivatives produced in these organisms. The bioconversion of naphthalene by the spider crab (Maia squinado) has been studied by Corner et al. (45). These workers identified... 

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