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Metal concentrations, sperm motility, and RNA/DNA ratio in two echinoderm species from a highly contaminated fjord (the Sørfjord, Norway)
Author(s) -
Catarino Ana I.,
Cabral Henrique N.,
Peeters Kris,
Pernet Philippe,
Punjabi Usha,
Dubois Philippe
Publication year - 2008
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 - 10.1897/07-402.1
Subject(s) - echinoderm , sperm , sperm motility , biology , rna , asterias , motility , ethidium bromide , fjord , zoology , dna , human fertilization , starfish , ecology , microbiology and biotechnology , biochemistry , botany , anatomy , oceanography , gene , geology
The present study evaluated the effects of field metal contamination on sperm motility and the RNA/DNA ratio in echinoderms. Populations of Asterias rubens and Echinus acutus that occur naturally along a contamination gradient of sediments by cadmium, copper, lead, and zinc in a Norwegian fjord (the Sørfjord) were studied. Sperm motility, a measure of sperm quality, was quantified using a computer‐assisted sperm analysis system. The RNA/DNA ratio, a measure of protein synthesis, was assessed by a one‐dye (ethidium bromide)/one‐enzyme (RNase), 96‐well microplate fluorometric assay. Although both species accumulate metals at high concentrations, neither sperm motility parameters in A. rubens nor the RNA/DNA ratio in both species were affected. The Sørfjord is still one of the most metal‐contaminated marine sites in Europe, but even so, populations of A. rubens and E. acutus are able to endure under these conditions.