Previous studies performed in our laboratory have measured the effect of atrazine exposure on cytochrome P450-dependent monooxygenase activity and have found increased activity in midge larvae (Chironomus tentans) as a result of atrazine exposure (1– 10 ppm). Here we report the cloning and expression of a specific C. tentans CYP4 gene that is responsive to atrazine induction with an open readin...

The objective of this study was to analyze the colonization of Chironomidae (Diptera) larvae during the decomposition of Eichhornia azurea (Swartz) Kunth (Commelinales: Pontederiaceae) leaves in a lake in southeastern Brazil in two seasons of the year. The experiment was conducted from September to November 2007 and February to April 2008. In each period, 21 litter bags were used, each containi...

The acute toxicities of waterborne Cd, Cu, Pb, Ni, and Zn were determined in the first-instar larvae (generally considered to be the most sensitive) of Chironomus riparius, under standardized conditions. Toxicity tests were conducted in soft water (hardness, 8 mg/L as CaCO(3) equivalents) in the absence of food and were limited to 24 h to avoid control mortality associated with food deprivation...

An environmentally realistic method to test fullerene (C(60) ) toxicity to the benthic organism Chironomus riparius was created by allowing suspended fullerenes to settle down, making a layer on top of the sediment. To test the hypothesis that higher food concentrations will reduce toxic responses, two food concentrations were tested (0.5 and 0.8% Urtica sp.) in sediment containing fullerene ma...

African clawed frogs (Xenopus laevis) in a South Wales pond ate a wide variety and size range of prey. Zoobenthos and zooplankton made the greatest contribution to diets, both numerically and by weight. Terrestrial invertebrates made up a small proportion of the diet numerically but a large proportion of the diet mass during the spring and summer. Nektonic prey were present throughout the year ...