The extensive use of nanoparticles in a variety of applications has raised great concerns regarding theirbiological effects and environmental fate. Silver nanoparticle, often referred to as nanosilver (n-Ag), maycause health problems because of its wide and ever growing use in many applications. n-Ag is used intreatments of wounds, disinfection of water and/or air and coatings textiles. n-Ag is...

So far, ecotoxicological studies used biomarkers of exposure or of effects in order to investigate the impacts of contaminated areas on biota (Peakall, 1994 [6]). However, although these results are important in the ecotoxicological risk assessment, biomarkers are very specific and only provide information on the biological processes or physiological pathways targeted by the biomarkers experime...

The euryhaline amphipod Gummarus dueheni colonized the saline sewage treatment plant at Looe, Cornwall, in 1973 and has established a thriving population [I] . After full operation was started, the primary settlement tanks became too anoxic for amphipod survival, recruitment ceased and the population became confined to the filter beds and humus tanks. I t is from the latter that individuals are...

Photoaldrin, photodieldrin, and photoheptachlor are more toxic than their corresponding parent compounds (aldrin, dieldrin, and heptachlor) to freshwater invertebrates and vertebrates, and to adult houseflies. The increase in toxicity is very significant in the case of the amphipod, Gammarus (1 .5 -12 times), bluegill fry (3.6 5.7 times), mosquito larvae, Aedas (2 .3 -6 times), minnow fry (2.5 ...

The effects of multiple experimental floods in the same year on the ecology of a river (River Spöl) below a large reservoir were investigated. In the flood year (2000), three floods of different magnitude (10 m/s on 15 June, 25 m/s on 5 July, and 10 m/s on 10 August) were implemented, each lasting 7–8 h. Regulated baseflow discharge was maintained at less than 2.5 m/s. Samples of macroinvertebr...

Biomonitoring using benthic macroinvertebrates has been used to assess water quality in Europe since the early 20th century. Most methods use community-level measurements, and the use of single-species responses has been limited, despite their potential benefits as sensitive, early warning indicators. Here we evaluate a single-species in situ assay in which the response is feeding inhibition of...

Ninety-six-hour static acute toxicity tests were conducted in the laboratory to determine the effects of a 47 ml/m2 (50 gal/acre) application of Arosurf MSF (2 mole ethoxylate of isostearyl alcohol) on Fundulus similus, Palaemonetes pugio, Palaemonetes paludosus, Uca spp., Procambarus spp., Gammarus spp., Asellus spp., Streptocephalus seali, Physa spp., Laeonereis culveri and an unidentified am...

1 year and the receiving system batteries are replaced by divers at intervals of up to 4 weeks. In field tests, crab (Cancer pagurus L.) and lobster (Homarus gammarus (L.)) activity was monitored at an artificial reef for 14 months. Examples of the type of information acquired are presented to illustrate the capabilities of the system and potential applications are discussed. Limitations of dig...