Complex metabolic food chain

Food Chain Bioaccumulation. Simple cyanide compounds do not bioconcentrate in fish (ASTER 1994 Callahan et al. 1979 EPA 1985a). It would be useful to determine the bioconcentration potential for cyanide in fish from water dosed with less toxic and water-soluble cyanide complexes. There is no indication of biomagnification of cyanides in aquatic and terrestrial food chains. Because of the high toxicity of cyanides at high doses and rapid metabolism at low doses, biomagnification of cyanide in animals seems unlikely. 

Many fundamental concepts in modem biology have been established through studies on aquatic organisms. Fish are of special interest to research workers, because some of their metabolic features characterized early vertebrates. Fish have also evolved numerous adaptations, which have permitted them not only to survive but also to thrive in recent times. The range of structural and functional adaptations and metabolic flexibility, combined with individual specializations, has resulted in an immense diversity of fish - more than 20 000 species - which greatly exceeds that of amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. As the final link in many food chains, fish can be reliable indicators of the condition of complex ecosystems. Studies on fish provide an understanding of the pathways of metabolic substances and of energy transformations in bodies... 

At Sheffield Krebs embarked upon the work that would elucidate some of the complex reactions of cell metabolism (the processes that extract energy from food). This extraction of energy is achieved via a series of chemical transformations that remove energy-rich electrons fiom molecules obtained from food. These electrons pass along a chain of molecular carriers in a way that ultimately gives rise to water and adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is the primary source of chemical energy that powers cellular activity. 

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