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Histological and electron microscopical observations on the effects of different salinities and heavy metal Ions, on the gills of Jaera nordmanni (Rathke) (Crustacea, Isopoda)

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Summary

The effects of different salinities and concentrations of copper, mercury and cadmium ions on the gills of Jaera nordmanni are investigated by means of light and electron microscopy. After exposure to 10% and 50% sea water the gill epithelium cells show a marked uniformity in appearance, possessing characteristically large, sub-cuticular spaces which are prominent between microvilli. With exposure to the heavy metal ions a similar sequence of histological and ultrastructural changes occur in all the gill epithelial cells, culminating in cell breakdown. The ultrastructural changes include distended microvilli, dilated endoplasmic reticulum, dissociated ribosomes, diffuse (swollen) cytoplasm, swollen mitochondria and a basal membrane withdrawn from the basal lamina. An increase in the number of haemocytes is also commonly observed in the haemolymph spaces during heavy metal ion exposure. The significance of the morphological changes undergone by the gill epithelial cells after exposure to different salinities and heavy metal ion concentration, are discussed in relation to the physiological functioning of the gill.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Portsmouth Polytechnic, Department of Biological Sciences, The Marine Laboratory, Ferry Road, PO11 ODG, Hayling Island, Hants, England

    Andreas Bubel

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  1. Andreas Bubel
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The author wishes to thank Dr. M.B. Jones and Mr. R.H. Moore for setting up the experiments and to Professor E. Naylor for providing laboratory facilities at the Department of Marine Biology, University of Liverpool, Port Erin, Isle of Man. This work was supported by a Ministry of Defence (Navy) Contract No. AT/2198/010/CDL.

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Bubel, A. Histological and electron microscopical observations on the effects of different salinities and heavy metal Ions, on the gills of Jaera nordmanni (Rathke) (Crustacea, Isopoda). Cell Tissue Res. 167, 65–95 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00220160

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00220160

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