ECOTOXICOLOGY

AND
RISK ASSESSMENT
Review of two papers in the
importance of chemical speciation
By Ivn Loaiza Alamo


BIODYNAMIC UNDERSTANDING OF MERCURY ACCUMULATION IN MARINE AND
FRESHWATER FISH (WANG W. X.,2012)

GENERAL ASPECTS
SPECIATION & RESULTS
CONCLUSION

EFFECTS OF SALINITY ON COPPER ACCUMULATION IN THE COMMON KILLIFISH
(FUNDULUS HETEROCLITUS) (BLANCHARD J. AND GROSELL .M., 2005)


GENERAL ASPECTS

SPECIATION & RESULTS

CONCLUSION


BIODYNAMIC UNDERSTANDING OF MERCURY ACCUMULATION IN MARINE AND
FRESHWATER FISH (WANG W. X., 2012)

GENERAL ASPECTS

GENERAL ASPECTS

caused by

MeHg

etc.


BIODYNAMIC UNDERSTANDING OF MERCURY ACCUMULATION IN MARINE AND
FRESHWATER FISH (WANG W. X., 2012)

GENERAL ASPECTS
SPECIATION & RESULTS

SPECIATION & RESULTS

Hg2+

Hg0

LIGANDS!
o
r
g
a
n
i
c

Cl-

DOC

i
n
o
r
g
a
n
i
c

CH3-Hg+

methylation
&
demethylation
CH3HgCH3

SPECIATION & RESULTS

Radiotracer
methodology - dietary
assimilation efficiency
(AE)?

Food conditions: type

and density?

Subcellular distribution?
Source: Wang W. X, 2012

SPECIATION & RESULTS

Hg

Significance of Hg speciation and fish physiology in

waterborne uptake

+
Cl-

DOC

Mercury
- DOC

HgCl2
HgCL3HgCl42-

(f) Salinity

Bioavailability

SPECIATION & RESULTS

MeHgCl

METAB

OLISM

O2, T,
water
flow

MeHg

MeHgOH

ITY
N
I
L
SA

UPTAKES RATES


BIODYNAMIC UNDERSTANDING OF MERCURY ACCUMULATION IN MARINE AND
FRESHWATER FISH (WANG W. X.,2012)

GENERAL ASPECTS
SPECIATION
CONCLUSION

CONCLUSION

Hg increases with the food chain and MeHg is one of the few metals to be biomagnified in
marine food chains

Hg mainly exists as inorganic Hg0 and Hg2+, and organic as CH3-Hg+ or MeHg

Inorganic and organic mercury can be transformed through methylation and demethylation
into each other as mediated by biological activity or physicochemical

The dietary AEs of MeHg are higher than the AEs of Hg(II).

DOC and the Cl complex are the dominant binding ligands for Hg.

Physiological processes which are regulated under various environmental factors change
the Hg uptake.



EFFECTS OF SALINITY ON COPPER ACCUMULATION IN THE COMMON KILLIFISH
(FUNDULUS HETEROCLITUS) (BLANCHARD J. AND GROSELL .M., 2005)

GENERAL ASPECTS


SPECIATION & RESULTS

CONCLUSION

GENERAL ASPECTS
Copper is an essential, yet potentially toxic, element for all
organisms.
Cu is readily taken up by the
gill, it inhibits the action of
Na+- K+ adenosine
triphosphatase
Cu disturbs the excretion of
Na+ gained from the saline
environment



EFFECTS OF SALINITY ON COPPER ACCUMULATION IN THE COMMON KILLIFISH
(FUNDULUS HETEROCLITUS) (BLANCHARD J. AND GROSELL .M., 2005)

GENERAL ASPECTS


SPECIATION & RESULTS

CONCLUSION

SPECIATION & RESULTS

Fundulus heteroclitus

Whole body FW and 5ppt

Gill all salinities ( SW)

SPECIATION & RESULTS

Fundulus heteroclitus

Intestine all salinities ( SW)

SPECIATION & RESULTS

Fundulus heteroclitus

Liver FW, 5ppt and 11ppt

SPECIATION & RESULTS

1. Liver: 57 to 86%
3. Intestine: 1.34 8.06%

11. Gill: 0.572.30%

13

12. Muscle: 3.2112.3%

12

5 and 6: Swim bladder and Kidney: 0.1%

13. Carcass: 6.8428.14%

SPECIATION & RESULTS

Gill/Liver/Body/Intestine
Gill/Liver/Body/Intestine
Cu(CO3)22-

CuCO3
Gill/Liver/Body
-

Cu(OH)2

Cu2+

FW

Gill/Liver/Body
CuOH+

SALINITY GRADIENT

CuHCO3+

CuSO4

SW



EFFECTS OF SALINITY ON COPPER ACCUMULATION IN THE COMMON KILLIFISH
(FUNDULUS HETEROCLITUS) (BLANCHARD J. AND GROSELL .M., 2005)

GENERAL ASPECTS


SPECIATION & RESULTS

CONCLUSION

CONCLUSION

The most important inorganic form for accumulation is CuCO3 (not necessarily
toxic)

Accumulation is highest at the lowest salinities and decreases with increasing

salinity (in overall).

The gill accumulates more copper at the lower salinities, whereas the intestine
appears to accumulate more at higher salinities.
Toxic speciation (Cu2+ CuOH+ and Cu(OH)2 are more present in low salinities
and the non-toxic speciation (CuCO3, CuSO4, CuHCO3+, Cu(CO3)22-) at high
salinities.

THANKS!