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Genotoxic Response and Mortality in 3 Marine Copepods Exposed to Waterborne Copper
Author(s) -
Sahlmann Andrea,
Lode Torben,
Heuschele Jan,
Borgå Katrine,
Titelman Josefin,
Hylland Ketil
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
environmental toxicology and chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.1
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1552-8618
pISSN - 0730-7268
DOI - 10.1002/etc.4541
Subject(s) - acartia tonsa , genotoxicity , copepod , biology , comet assay , polychaete , pelagic zone , environmental chemistry , zoology , ecotoxicology , acartia , marine invertebrates , ecotoxicity , benthic zone , toxicology , ecology , crustacean , dna damage , toxicity , chemistry , dna , biochemistry , organic chemistry
Abstract Copper (Cu) is an essential trace metal, but may also be toxic to aquatic organisms. Although many studies have investigated the cytotoxicity of Cu, little is known about the in vivo genotoxic potential of Cu in marine invertebrates. We investigated the genotoxicity of Cu in 2 pelagic calanoid copepods, Acartia tonsa and Temora longicornis , and the intertidal harpacticoid copepod Tigriopus brevicornis by exposing them for 6 and 72 h to waterborne Cu (0, 6, and 60 µg Cu/L). A subsequent 24‐h period in filtered seawater was used to investigate delayed effects or recovery. Genotoxicity was evaluated as DNA strand breaks in individual copepods using the comet assay. Copper did not increase DNA strand breaks in any of the species at any concentration or time point. The treatment did, however, cause 100% mortality in A. tonsa following exposure to 60 µg Cu/L. Acartia tonsa and T. longicornis were more susceptible to Cu‐induced mortality than the benthic harpacticoid T. brevicornis, which appeared to be unaffected by the treatments. The results show major differences in Cu susceptibility among the 3 copepods and also that acute toxicity of Cu to A. tonsa is not directly associated with genotoxicity. We also show that the comet assay can be used to quantify genotoxicity in individual copepods. Environ Toxicol Chem 2019;38:2224–2232. © 2019 SETAC.