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Modelling copper bioaccumulation in Gammarus pulex and alterations of digestive metabolism

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Abstract

Bioaccumulation enables to integrate the ability of aquatic organisms to regulate metals and effects of water chemistry on metal bioavailability. Linking this process to biological responses offers thus promising lines of enquiry for protecting aquatic ecosystems. This study aims at characterizing the mechanisms involved in waterborne Cu bioaccumulation and assessing metal impact on digestive metabolism in an ecosystem engineer widely distributed in Europe, Gammarus pulex. The organism was exposed to several Cu concentrations (from 0.5 to 100 μg/L) in aquatic microcosms to establish kinetic parameters for the construction and comparison of two bioaccumulation models, i.e. the biodynamic and saturation models. Cu uptake was recorded in waters exhibiting various concentrations of Na, Mg and Ca at environmental levels to assess the influence of cationic composition on bioaccumulation. Then, the effect of increasing Cu in exposure media on the digestive metabolism of G. pulex was investigated by measuring enzymatic activities (β-glucosidase, N-acetyl-β-glucosaminidase, β-galactosidase). We showed that the saturation model is more suitable than the biodynamic model to describe Cu bioaccumulation in gammarids due to a maximal capacity of animals to accumulate the metal. Cationic composition of water affected insignificantly Cu uptake. All activities of tested enzymes decreased with increasing Cu in exposure media but with different degrees. High correlations were established between the inhibition of enzymatic activities and amounts of Cu bioaccumulated by gammarids. These biological responses could thus provide early-warming of Cu impact on aquatic biota.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank both the ONEMA (Office National de l’Eau et des Milieux Aquatiques) and the Région Ile-de-France for their financial support. We are also grateful to Ph.D. Christian Mougin (INRA Versailles, PESSAC Unity) for achievement of enzymatic assays.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire d’Ecotoxicologie, Irstea, UR HBAN Hydrosystèmes et Bioprocédés, 92761, Antony, France

    Jérémie D. Lebrun, Marine Perret & Catherine Gourlay-Francé

  2. Unité Interactions Animal-Environnement EA4689, UFR Sciences Exactes et Naturelles, Université Reims Champagne Ardenne, 51687, Reims Cedex 2, France

    Alain Geffard

  3. Irstea, HBAN—Ecotoxicology, 1 rue Pierre-Gilles de Gennes, CS 10030, 92761, Antony Cedex, France

    Jérémie D. Lebrun

Authors
  1. Jérémie D. Lebrun
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  2. Marine Perret
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  3. Alain Geffard
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  4. Catherine Gourlay-Francé
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Correspondence to Jérémie D. Lebrun.

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Lebrun, J.D., Perret, M., Geffard, A. et al. Modelling copper bioaccumulation in Gammarus pulex and alterations of digestive metabolism. Ecotoxicology 21, 2022–2030 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10646-012-0955-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10646-012-0955-7

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