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Dynamic features of ecophysiological response of freshwater clam to arsenic revealed by BLM-based toxicological model

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Abstract

The objective of this study was to use a quantitative process-based damage assessment model (DAM) associated with biotic ligand model (BLM) to examine the ecophysiological responses of freshwater clam Corbicula fluminea to waterborne arsenic. We carried out a 14-day exposure experiment to obtain bioaccumulation parameters and a 7-day acute toxicity bioassay to obtain survival data. To investigate the survival dynamics, we examined 2 key parameters characterizing bioaccumulation and damage regulation: capacity to eliminate body arsenic burden and reversible ability to recover the damage. Results show that uptake rate constant of 2.075 ± 0.442 (mean ± SE) ml g−1 d−1 during uptake phase and elimination rate constant was estimated to be 0.1995 ± 0.022 d−1. The derived bioconcentration factor of 10.401 ml g−1 suggests that arsenic has a high potential for bioaccumulation in C. fluminea. Our results show that a negative association between bioaccumulation and the fraction of arsenic binding in biotic ligand at 50% mortality, indicating that C. fluminea with higher arsenic binding in gill biotic ligand at 50% mortality level gives a lower capacity to accumulate bioavailable arsenic. We found a linearly positive correlation between elimination rate and recovery rate constants. Yet, a potential tradeoff between ability to eliminate arsenic and ability to recover the damage is not found. We showed that an ecophysiological significance of C. fluminea exposed to arsenic can be revealed by the elimination–recovery regime. This research may also provide mechanistic insights into the development of biomonitoring organism such as C. fluminea mimicking metal bioaccumulation in a real situation.

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Abbreviations

As:

Arsenic

[a]:

Formation of the As complex with inorganic matter and binding to biotic ligand (M−1)

{ions}:

Ions activity concentration (mg l−1)

BCF:

Bioconcentration factor (ml g−1)

BCF{ions}:

BCF of As to organism considering the competition of ions (ml g−1)

[BL−]:

Biotic ligand (μg g−1)

BLM:

Biotic ligand model

C b :

As concentration in freshwater clam (mg g−1)

C w :

Waterborne As concentration (mg l−1)

DAM:

Damage assessment model

DOC:

Dissolved organic carbon

D :

Cumulative damage level (–)

D 0 :

Threshold of cumulative damage level (–)

D L, 50 :

Cumulative damage level for median lethal (–)

DL, 50/ka:

Compound equivalent toxic damage level for median lethal

\( f_{\rm AsBL}^{50\% } \) :

Fraction of the total number of As binding sites occupied by As at median effect (–)

H :

Cumulative hazard (–)

K ionsBL :

Stability constants for the binding of ions to the biotic ligand (M−1)

k a :

Damage accumulation rate constant (g μg−1 d−1)

k k :

Killing rate constant (g μg−1 d−1)

k r :

Recovery rate constant (d−1)

k 1 :

Uptake rate constant (ml g−1 d−1)

k 2 :

Depuration rate constant (d−1)

POC:

Particular organic carbon

LC50:

External median lethal As concentration (mg l−1)

LT50:

Median lethal time (d)

S :

Survival probability (–)

ST50:

Median survival time (d)

WHAM:

Windermere humic aqueous model

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  1. Department of Bioenvironmental Systems Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan, ROC

    Wei-Yu Chen & Chung-Min Liao

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  1. Wei-Yu Chen
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  2. Chung-Min Liao
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Correspondence to Chung-Min Liao.

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Chen, WY., Liao, CM. Dynamic features of ecophysiological response of freshwater clam to arsenic revealed by BLM-based toxicological model. Ecotoxicology 19, 1074–1083 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10646-010-0489-9

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