The Effect Of Metal Content On Different Trophic Levels

b. [3.3] Is there more mercury in the phytoplankton at the base of the food chain or in the fish at the top? (2pts)

Studies of Daphnia presented information which elluded to the idea that Daphnia would react to environmental pollutants within a relatively short timeframe; therefore, a lab was constructed to find the effects of copper sulfate in a Daphnia’s system. Before beginning, the hypothesis was gathered: if the concentrations of copper sulfate in the water are high, then the Daphnia would be afflicted with symptoms associated with physical decline. Daphnia, known as water fleas, are small crustaceans who get their common name from their jerky movements. The organisms reside within lakes and ponds often in limestone-based areas found all over the world. Daphnia consume algae, specifically the free-living green type, yeasts, and bacteria; therefore,

Different aquatic invertebrates live in different micro habitats (smaller habitats) at Lake Tonetta. Some live on the surface of the water. Others live in the bottom of the lake, or deep within the sediments at the bottom of the lake. The water pH is important because they only can live in a specific pH 6.5-7.5.When we visit the lake our group checked the biodiversity (The variety of plants and animal species in an environment)of Lake Tonetta by counting the aquatic invertebrates in a sample obtained using dip nets and bottom scrapers. During our trip, we found beetles, snails, worms ,

A group of researchers studied this at Rio de la Plata, a bay between Argentina and Uruguay. Using satellite telemetry from nine Chelonia mydas the researchers tagged and data on the concentration and distribution of marine waste (accounting only for plastics debris) they created a map displaying the overlapping areas of debris and Chelonia mydas foraging areas (González et al., 2014). The researchers report that the map depicts the average green turtle encountered 9 pieces of plastic every square kilometer of the overlapping areas of debris and foraging (González et al., 2014). Which led to Chelonia mydas accidentally ingesting copious amounts of debris, though death by consumption of plastic debris is rare, the ingestion of chemicals from plastic debris can hinder somatic growth and procreation turnout (González et al., 2014). To gain better understanding how much plastic debris was consumed due to their exposure, the research team examined 62 adolescent Chelonia mydas, 90 percent of the 62 turtles had eaten 13 pieces of plastic on average, 98 percent of it was found in the green turtle’s large intestines (González et al., 2014). While ingestion of plastic debris can have negative effects on the development and reproduction of Chelonia mydas, but two biggest

In the past several decades years, human activities - particularly polluting the environment, have quickly revolutionized the complex life-forms. Atlantic Tomcod, for example, are now resistant to toxic PCBs (polychlorinated biphenuls) dumped in lake, rivers, and coastal waters during the 20th century. In addition, yellow perch, a type of Canadian fish, also managed to be adapt to 80 years of heavy metal. As you can see, these problems are now growing, where brown trout (Salmo trutta) living in England, are also facing the same problem. Areas where brown trout lives, have history of mining, “Dating back to the bronze age, and zinc, copper, tin, arsenic and other heavy metals, continue to get washed into the watercourse.” In fact, certain rivers

-Mercury is a persistent substance which means a number of mercury increases in concentration as you go the in the food chain, so the higher up the chain and the higher amount of mercury. This tendency is called biomagnification. For instance, plankton contains 0.00001 ppm of mercury and if you go up 5 levels to the top of the pyramid which is a shark, it contains 1 ppm of mercury. This may pose a potential health threat to those animals and humans who consume the fishes or shark.

The purpose of this study was to understand and based on results to support the predictable negative effects of ocean acidification on phytoplankton and projected pH values. However, changes in ocean pH did not negatively impact the productivity of phytoplankton according to the log response ratios, which compared the growth rates at projected years (2000, 2100,

Readings from the late 1980s in the northern-tier states of the U.S. states found that fish, mostly from nutrient-poor lakes and commonly in very isolated areas, commonly have high levels of mercury. More recent fish selection surveys in other regions of the U.S. have shown widespread mercury contamination in streams, wet-lands, lakes.

The study compared the crab tissue of Vieques crabs and Puerto Rican mainland crabs. Fiddler crabs collected in the firing range contained significantly higher concentrations of copper, zinc, nickle, cobalt, and cadmium. The crabs were found to have up to 20 times the normal levels of cadmium and cobalt, both carcinogenic metals, which means exposure, increases the risk of getting several cancers. Both birds and humans eat crabs. Human ingestion of cadmium, which isn’t easily digestible, may cause hypertension or nausea. Prior to 1979, cancer, birth defects, and mortality rates were lower in Vieques than in the mainland. From 1985-86 the incident ratios for Vieques exceeded alert levels, surveillance done by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. From 1990-1995, the likely hood of giving birth to underweight babies is 65.3% more than on the mainland. In 1997, the mortality rate was 47% greater than the mainland’s mortality rate.

Based on the results of the present work, one may be tempted to infer that hepatopancreas levels as low as 50 µg/g dw may be life threatening to C. aspersus juveniles. This metal was not only frequently reported to accumulate to higher concentrations in the hepatopancreas of different land snail species without causing lethality, but it is also homeostatically regulated in eukaryotes (Balamurugan and Schaffner, 2006), thus drastically limiting the use of gastropod soft tissue levels as a toxicicity biomarker. Therefore, such reference values are difficult to be used for assessing the environmental hazard of soil copper. However, recent data provide evidence that rhogocytes from the hepatopancreas of land pulmonates may function as a sensitive endpoint for this purpose. These cells contain Cu in granular form, which unlike the metallothionein-bound form, is responsive to overphysiological uptake (Dallinger et al., 2005). As a result, future studies should be conducted for assessing tissue levels over which it can induce toxic effects on terrestrial gastropods. It is also necessary to identify the precise contribution of various additional factors (e.g., chemical form, snail age, species, and metabolic status, etc.) on the degree to which this metal accumulates in land snails and the corresponding toxic effects. Moreover, it is suggested to develop molecular biological techniques to strengthen and facilitate this research. Emphasis should be on gene(s) involved in synthesizing the specific metallothioneins and gastropod homologues of genes for copper tolerance in other invertebrates (Nica et al., 2013). Such fundamental work must be accomplished before standardizing a targeted ecotoxicological test with C. aspersus juveniles

The world we live in is so vast and exciting. Seventy percent of our world is liquid water we call the ocean. In the ocean there are many creatures that each are unique in their own way. However, it is possible that in our lifetime, many marine organisms will become endangered or possibly extinct. The loss of these mejestic marine creatures will be caused mainly because of human advancements in which fossil fuels are used to produce energy. Biodiversity is greatly affected by this increase in acidity. As the ocean acidifies, multiple social and economic issues arise. As humans, we rely on the ocean for almost everything. Much of our food, clothing, cleaning products and cosmetics come from the ocean. With the loss of

The article describes briefly how the mercury ends up in the fish we eat, how the rain grabs the mercury from the atmosphere and deposits it into the lakes and oceans. Because of the food chain, the largest of the aquatic animals will have the highest amount of mercury, whales and sharks for example. So, communities high in whale and shark consumption will show the greatest risk of mercury poisoning.

Biogeochemical cycles are important to the sustainability of all life. Chemical elements necessary for the growth and reproduction of all organisms have a limited quantity on earth at any one time, other than the occasional meteor that brings with it new matter. It is therefore important that the recycling of these chemical elements is efficient. Autotrophs are the basis of almost all ecosystems. The rate that autotrophs produce and transfer energy is vital to the capacity of organisms that can inhabit these ecosystems. To understand the rates in which certain species’ leaves decay and release the energy stored within them can demonstrate how quickly the energy becomes available to organisms in higher trophic levels.

Benthic macroinvertebrates have been used to assess the health of aquatic environments. Quality analysis involves looking at benthic species composition and organization within the stream (Resh and Unzicke 1975). Different macroinvertebrates have differing sensitivities to pollutant, with some being more susceptible to environmental toxins than others (Metcalfe 1989). Such methods group macroinvertebrates in regards to their tolerance to pollution.

As the world develops and the human population grows there is more pollution being dumped into the oceans, causing major problems to marine life and ecosystems. Major causes of marine pollution involve non-point pollutants, marine garbage, toxic ocean pollutants and sewage disposal in oceans. From heavy metal poisoning including lead and mercury killing predators such as sharks and whales, to waste getting trapped in the digestive tracts of marine animals, this essay focuses on how human interference causes horrifying problems to the marine life, but also how to fix it. It will also explore the normal activities of people including farming and how this can cause an imbalance in an ecosystem. Everyday activities can cause massive nutrient