Changes in Lumbriculus variegatus metabolites under hypoxic exposure to benzo(a)pyrene,chlorpyrifos and pentachlorophenol: Consequences on biotransformation

The regulation of endogenous metabolites is still not fully understood in aquatic invertebrates exposed concurrently to toxicants and hypoxia. Despite the prevalence of hypoxia in the aquatic environment, toxicity estimations seldom account for multiple stressors thereby differing from natural conditions. In this study, we examined the influence of hypoxia (<30% O₂) on contaminant uptake and the composition of intracellular metabolites in Lumbriculus variegatus exposed to benzo(a)pyrene (B(a)P, 3 μg L⁻¹), chlorpyrifos (CPF, 100 μg L⁻¹) or pentachlorophenol (PCP, 100 μg L⁻¹). Tissue extracts of worms were analyzed for 123 metabolites by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and metabolite levels were then related to treatments and exposure time. Hypoxia markedly increased the accumulation of B(a)P and CPF, which underlines the significance of oxygen in chemical uptake. The oxygen effect on PCP uptake was less pronounced. Succinate and glycerol-3-phosphate increased significantly (p < 0.0001) following hypoxic treatment, whereas sugars, cysteine, and cholesterol were effectively repressed. The buildup of succinate coupled with the corresponding decline in intracellular 2-oxo- and 2-hydroxy glutaric acid is indicative of an active hypoxia inducible factor mechanism. Glutamate, and TCA cycle intermediates (fumarate, and malate) were disturbed and evident in their marked suppression in worms exposed concurrently to hypoxia and PCP. Clearly, hypoxia was the dominant stressor for individuals exposed to B(a)P or CPF, but to a lesser extent upon PCP treatment. And since oxygen deprivation promotes the accumulation of different toxicants, there may be consequences on species composition of metabolites in natural conditions.     

Desorption of sediment-associated polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, dibenzofurans, diphenyl ethers and hydroxydiphenyl ethers from contaminated sediment

The transport and bioavailability of sediment-associated contaminants are often controlled by the contaminants' desorbing behaviour. This study examines the desorption kinetics of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), dibenzofurans (PCDFs), diphenyl ethers (PCDEs) and hydroxydiphenyl ethers (HO-PCDEs) from the highly contaminated River Kymijoki sediment in Finland. The desorption kinetics data were generated using Tenax((R)) extraction, and a first-order three-compartment kinetic model was fitted to the data. The desorption data was compared to the previously published accumulation data from this same location to investigate the relationship between the rapidly desorbing fraction (F(r)) and biota-sediment accumulation factors (BSAFs) as well as semipermeable membrane device sediment accumulation factors (SSAFs). The PCDDs, PCDFs, PCDEs and HO-PCDEs were tightly attached to sediment particles and formed a large very slowly desorbing fraction (F(vs)). Rapidly desorbing fractions (F(r)) varied between 0.8% and 8% of total amount in sediment. The size of the desorbing fraction was congener-specific and F(r) decreased with the increasing lipophilicity of congeners. The size of the F(r) was unable to explain the small variation in the BSAFs of Lumbriculus variegatus but may help to explain the observed variation in the SSAFs. To our best knowledge, this study is the first effort to investigate the desorption of PCDDs, PCDFs, PCDEs and HO-PCDEs in field-contaminated sediments. The major finding that the very slow desorption of these chemicals will continue years, provides essential information for the modern risk assessment process.     

Aqueous uptake and sublethal toxicity of p,p'-DDE in non-feeding larval stages of Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba)

This study evaluated the toxicological sensitivity of non-feeding larval stages of a key Antarctic species (Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba) to p,p'-dichlorodiphenyl dichloroethylene (p,p'-DDE) exposure. The aqueous uptake clearance rate of 84 mL g(-1) preserved weight (p.w.) h(-1) determined for p,p'-DDE in Antarctic krill larvae is comparable to previous findings for small cold water crustaceans and five times slower than the rates reported for an amphipod inhabiting warmer waters. Natural variations in larval physiology appear to influence contaminant uptake and larval krill behavioural responses, strongly highlighting the importance of time of measurement for ecotoxicological testing. Sublethal narcosis (immobility) was observed in larval Antarctic krill from p,p'-DDE body residues of 0.2 mmol/kg p.w., which is in agreement with findings for adult krill and temperate aquatic species. The finding of comparable body residue-based toxicity of p,p'-DDE between polar and temperate species supports the tissue residue approach for environmental risk assessment of polar ecosystems.     

Bleached kraft pulp mill discharged organic matter in recipient lake sediment

Environmental properties of organic matter contained halogen and sulfur were studied in sediments of bleached kraft pulp mill effluent (BKME) recipient lakes and 2 m³ outdoor enclosures (mesocosms). The BKME contributed to 1% (v/v) of the total water flow in the lake downstream of the pulp mill where the sediments contained 1.7 to 4 mg of tetrahydrofuran extractable organic halogen (EOX-Cl) and 0.6 to 0.8 mg of tetrahydrofuran extractable organic sulfur (EOS-S) g⁻¹ of organic matter. Upstream sediment contained 0.03 mg of EOXCl and 0.7 mg of EOS-S g⁻¹ of organic matter. EOX was a better indicator for the influence of BKME in the recipient sediment than EOS. The polarity of BKME contained EOX corresponded to log K^ow of < 1, and that of the downstream sediment contained EOX to > 4.5. HP-SEC analysis of the molecular weight distribution (MWD) of the EOX showed a peak between 300 to 600 g mol⁻¹ for the BKME and between 1000 to 2000 g mol⁻¹ for the downstream sediment. The MWD of the BKME contained EOS peaked at 300 to 1000 g mol⁻¹, and that of the downstream sediment contained EOS at 1000 to 5000 g mol⁻¹. These results indicate that BKME contained organic halogen and sulfur undergo major structural transformations when incorporated into sediment. The biota-to-sediment accumulation factor (BSAF) of EOX from sediments formed downstream of the mill and in the mesocosms to the lipids ofLumbriculus variegatus was 0.4 to 0.7. This is of a similar order of magnitude to the BSAF reported for 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzop-dioxin and 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzofuran.     

Managing Biodiversity in a Forestry Environment

In forest management and other land-use planning, ecological, social, and economical demands often conflict. Forest planning in particular has been biased towards maximizing economic output while disregarding the ecological effects of forestry practices. In this paper we present an approach for taking biological diversity into account in strategic forest management planning. We used the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method for resource allocation and priority setting. We carried out a case study, whereby a set of management strategies was evaluated in order to identify the strategy which best fulfills the requirement of maintaining biological diversity while at the same time yielding a reasonable income from timber production. We discuss applicability of the approach in solving different forest management and conservation planning problems, as well as in assessment of ecological impacts.