The relationships between metal exposure, dose and response were investigated in two
sediment dwelling marine bivalves: a deposit feeder Tellina deltoidalis and a filter feeder
Anadara trapezia. The bivalves were exposed in the laboratory to individual metal spiked
sediments: Cadmium 10 and 50 Ag/g; lead 100 and 300 Ag/g; selenium 5 and 20 Ag/g dry
mass, T. deltoidalis for 28 days A. trapezia for 56 days. A. trapezia was also exposed in the
laboratory for 56 days to sediments from three sites along a metal contamination gradient of
cadmium, lead, selenium, zinc and copper from Lake Macquarie, NSW. Metal total tissue
dose was measured in whole tissue of T. deltoidalis over 28 days and in gill, hepatopancreas
and haemolymph tissues in A. trapezia over 56 days. Subcellular metal distribution,
biologically active metal (BAM) versus biologically detoxified metal (BDM) was measured
in whole tissues of T. deltoidalis at day 28 and in gill and hepatopancreas tissues of
A. trapezia at day 56. Biomarkers of response measured in spiked sediment exposed, at day
28 T. deltoidalis and day 56 A. trapezia were: total antioxidant capacity (TAOC); glutathione
peroxidase enzyme activity (GPx); total glutathione concentration (GSH+2GSSG); reduced to
oxidised glutathione ratio (GSH:GSSG); lipid peroxidation (TBARS); lysosomal membrane
stability and micronuclei frequency. Response indices measured in A. trapezia exposed to
Lake Macquarie sediments were: TAOC, TBARS, lysosomal membrane stability,
micronucleus frequency and condition index. Native A. trapezia and sediments were also
collected from Lake Macquarie and measured for sediment and tissue metal concentrations,
TAOC, TBARS, lysosomal membrane stability and condition index to allow comparison
between chronically exposed and previously unexposed organisms.
T. deltoidalis and A. trapezia accumulated metal over time in all sediment metal exposures
with most reaching equilibrium tissue metal concentrations by the end of the exposure period.
T. deltoidalis generally reached equilibrium with the exposure concentration for cadmium and
lead but had significantly higher selenium tissue concentrations than the sediment metal at the
5 Ag/g exposure. A. trapezia tissue lead was below the sediment concentration for all
exposures including in the native organisms. A high proportion of accumulated lead and
copper in A. trapezia was in the haemolymph, probably associated with haemoglobin which
has a high affinity for these metals`. A. trapezia cadmium tissue concentrations were higher
than the sediment metal in the 10 Ag/g spiked sediment exposure and between half and one
eighth the sediment concentrations in other treatments, including in native organisms.
A. trapezia including the native organisms exposed to selenium sediment concentrations at or
below 5 Ag/g in the Lake Macquarie mixed metal sediments accumulated significantly higher
than ambient selenium tissue concentrations while those exposed to 5 and 20 Ag/g selenium
spiked sediments had lower than ambient selenium tissue concentrations. The majority of
accumulated cadmium, selenium and zinc was associated with the gill/mantle tissues.
A. trapezia hepatopancreas contributed significant selenium concentrations in the later part of
the exposure period indicating and increased contribution from dietary derived selenium.
Native A. trapezia had significantly lower tissue concentrations of selenium, copper and zinc,
higher cadmium and approximately equal lead compared to organisms exposed to similar
sediment metal concentrations in the laboratory.
T. deltoidalis detoxified around 50 % of accumulated cadmium and 70 % of lead while
A. trapezia detoxified around 70 % of accumulated cadmium and 60 % of lead. Much of
T. deltoidalis BDM cadmium was converted to metal rich granules (MRG), while A. trapezia
had most in the metallothionein like proteins (MTLP) fraction. The conversion of lead to
MRG was 75 % of the total BDM in T. deltoidalis while A. trapezia had an even distribution
between MRG and MTLP. The majority of recovered selenium in both species was
associated with the nuclei+cellular debris fraction, probably as protein bound selenium
associated with plasma and selenium bound directly to cell walls. Selenium exposed
organisms had increased BDM selenium burdens which were associated with both MRG and
MTLP fractions, indicating selenium detoxification. The majority of BAM cadmium, lead
and selenium was associated with the mitochondrial fraction in both species with increases in
cadmium burden in this organelle of T. deltoidalis up to 7200 fold; lead 154 fold; and
selenium 7 fold and in A. trapezia up to 84 fold cadmium, 50 fold lead and selenium 7 fold in
exposed organisms compared to controls. The subcellular distribution of all three metals in
T. deltoidalis and A. trapezia indicates active metal detoxification processes which at these
exposure concentrations were unable to prevent significant metal burdens from accumulating
in sensitive organelles.
A contamination gradient of zinc, lead, copper, cadmium and selenium was established in
Lake Macquarie sediments which emanated from the same source. A. trapezia accumulated
all metals in each sediment exposure. Accumulation and tissue distribution patterns of
cadmium, lead and selenium were similar to those of the single metal spiked sediment
exposures. Cadmium and lead BAM burdens increased at all exposures while selenium, zinc
and copper did not.
T. deltoidalis and A. trapezia in the spiked sediment metal exposures generally had reduced
GPx activity. This resulted in an increase in total glutathione concentrations which the
reduced GSH:GSSG ratios indicated was due to a build up of oxidised glutathione.
T. deltoidalis and A. trapezia had reduced TAOC in all laboratory sediment metal exposures
which corresponded with increased TBARS concentrations, lysosomal destabilisation and
micronucleus frequency. A. trapezia exposed to Lake Macquarie metal contaminated
sediments also had a reduction in physiological condition, indicated by the reduced condition
index, after 56 days at the higher metal exposures.
Clear exposure - dose - response relationships have been demonstrated for T. deltoidalis and
A. trapezia exposed to single cadmium, lead and selenium spiked sediments and for
A. trapezia exposed to Lake Macquarie mixed metal contaminated sediments. Detoxification
of all metals was evident in both T. deltoidalis and A. trapezia but detoxification capacity was
exceeded for cadmium, lead and selenium leading to significant accumulation of these metals
in sensitive organelles. The significant relationships, in the laboratory exposed T. deltoidalis
and A. trapezia, between TAOC reduction with increased TBARS, lysosomal destabilisation
and micronuclei frequency and between increased TBARS with lysosomal destabilisation and
micronuclei frequency indicates that increased tissue metal dose and BAM burdens caused
significant impairment of the antioxidant reduction capacity which resulted in a cascade of
effects from lipid peroxidation to cellular perturbation and genotoxic damage. The reduction
in physiological condition in the organisms with the highest tissue metal doses suggests the
response goes beyond subcellular perturbations to whole organism and potentially population
effects.
Chronically metal exposed native Lake Macquarie A. trapezia did not show a clear metal
exposure - dose - response relationship. Accumulation of the essential elements zinc, copper
and selenium appeared to be regulated while cadmium and lead were not. TAOC was
significantly reduced and TBARS significantly increased compared to reference organisms
but lysosomal stability and condition were not significantly affected.
The suite of interrelated biomarkers used offers a weight of evidence approach for
demonstrating adverse effects of metal tissue accumulation in T. deltoidalis and A. trapezia
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/257136 |
| Date | January 2009 |
| Creators | Taylor, Anne Marie, n/a |
| Publisher | University of Canberra. Environmental Science |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | ), Copyright Anne Marie Taylor |
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