Application of a stable isotope technique to determine the simultaneous uptake of cadmium, copper, nickel, lead, and zinc by the water flea Daphnia magna from water and the green algae Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata.
Accumulation and toxicological effects of water and dietary metals in aquatic organisms can potentially be very different. Therefore, it is important to know the relative contribution of these different sources to metal exposure, availability, and accumulation. In the present study, a stable isotope technique was applied to investigate the uptake of Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn by the green alga Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata and the water flea Daphnia magna during simultaneous exposure to the five metals at environmentally realistic concentrations from separate water and dietary routes. Green algae take up Cu faster compared to Cd, Ni, Pb, and Zn, and the distribution of metals between the external and internal compartments is dependent on metal and population growth stage. The metal accumulation reached a steady state within 24 to 48 h for all metals. Metal uptake rate constants from water were highest for Cu and lowest for Ni. Metal assimilation efficiencies from the food source varied with metal, ranging from approximately 80% in the case of Cd to near 0% in the case of Ni. Because the data for the different metals were obtained on the same multimetal-exposed organisms, the results are directly comparable among the metals. For all five metals studied, water appeared to be the most important route of uptake by D. magna.
Komjarova
Irina
I
Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, Antwerp, Belgium. irina.komjarova@ua.ac.be
Blust
Ronny
R
D000818:Animals; D000460:Chlorophyta / Q000187:drug effects*; D003621:Daphnia / Q000187:drug effects*; D007553:Isotope Labeling; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000633:toxicity*; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000633:toxicity*
D019216:Metals, Heavy; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D014867:Water