PARENT SESSION
22 - Biochemical, Cellular and Molecular Background of Biomarkers
8:00 AM to 6:30 PM, Monday, 13 May 2002
Exhibition Area

(22-51) The differential sensitivity of three invertebrates to copper assessed using biomarkers of exposure.

Lowe, David², Brown, Mark¹, Dissanayake, Awantha¹, Jones, Malcolm¹, Galloway, Tamara¹, Depledge, Michael¹, Brown, Rebecca^*,1, ² Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Plymouth, Devon¹ Plymouth Environmental Research Centre, Plymouth, Devon

ABSTRACT- Mytilus edulis is widely used as a sentinel species in pollution monitoring of marine systems using biomarker techniques. Mussels are tolerant of a wide range of contaminants and are often present in polluted conditions where other species may not occur. However, it may be that this species is less sensitive to low levels of pollutants and that for routine monitoring of less heavily contaminated sites the use of alternative organisms would be more appropriate. This study considers the differential sensitivity to copper of M. edulis (filter-feeder), Carcinus maenas (predator) and Patella vulgata (grazer) using four biomarkers of contaminant exposure. The animals were exposed for 7 days to environmentally realistic concentrations of copper (0, 10, 50 and 100 g Cu l^-1). Biomarkers considered were metallothionein induction, lysosomal neutral red retention (NRR), acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition and heart rate. Patella vulgata showed greatest sensitivity to copper with 100% mortality at 100 g Cu l^-1 after 7 days exposure. There was no significant mortality for either C. maenas or M. edulis. The NRR time for haemocyte lysosomes was significantly reduced compared with the controls at 100 g Cu l^-1 in C. maenas and M. edulis and at 10 g Cu l^-1 in P. vulgata. There was no effect of heart rate over the exposure range tested in any of the species. Patella vulgata is highly sensitive to copper exposure in the laboratory and this is reflected in the biomarker responses. If P. vulgata were equally sensitive to other contaminants then their use in routine monitoring might ensure protection of a wider range of species.

Key words: biomarkers, copper, multi-species, sensitivity