ABSTRACT
Static-renewal ecotoxicity trials monitored growth of Hydrilla verticillata in conjunction with exposure to Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii whole-cell extracts containing the cyanotoxin cylindrospermopsin (CYN). Maximum exposure concentrations were 400 microg L(-1) CYN over 14 days. The responses of Hydrilla to the treatments were variable according to the toxin concentrations and lengths of exposure. Plant deaths, chlorosis, and necrosis were not recorded from treated plants. However, Hydrilla experienced significant growth stimulation and redistribution of plant resources in conjunction with exposure to the whole-cell extracts. Root production was particularly impacted. The results of this study imply that root production could aid in reducing C. raciborskii cell concentrations and CYN toxicity. Results of chlorophyll analyses differed, indicating that CYN in whole-cell extracts might exert complex effects on photosynthesis. This is the first study to describe the responses of an aquatic macrophyte following exposure to C. raciborskii whole-cell extracts containing the cyanotoxin cylindrospermopsin.
Subject(s)
Bacterial Toxins/toxicity , Cylindrospermopsis/chemistry , Hydrocharitaceae/drug effects , Uracil/analogs & derivatives , Alkaloids , Chlorophyll/metabolism , Cyanobacteria Toxins , Hydrocharitaceae/growth & development , Hydrocharitaceae/metabolism , Plant Roots/drug effects , Plant Roots/growth & development , Plant Roots/metabolism , Uracil/toxicityABSTRACT
Histological examinations were made of cane toad (Bufo marinus) tadpoles after exposure to freeze-thawed Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii whole cell extracts and live C. raciborskii cultures containing sublethal concentrations of the blue-green algal toxin, cylindrospermopsin (CYN). Toxin exposure resulted in tissue injuries to multiple organs, with particular severity noted in the liver, intestine, nephric ducts and gill epithelia. The extent of cellular damage was similar across trials exposing tadpoles to aqueous and cell-bound toxins, despite unequal toxin concentrations being present in each. It was concluded that the presence of cell-bound toxin, which may be directly ingested via grazing, plays a crucial role in the exertion of histological effects in B. marinus. This work provides baseline information regarding the ecotoxicity of CYN toward amphibians. The range of cellular effects noted in CYN-exposed tadpoles suggests that toxic C. raciborskii blooms could represent considerable health risks to amphibian populations and indicate potentially far-reaching ecological impacts of toxic C. raciborskii blooms.
