Mercury(II) bioaccumulation and antioxidant physiology in four aquatic insects.

We examined Hg(II) bioaccumulation and compartmentalization patterns in conjunction with antioxidant responses in four aquatic insect species: two caddisflies (Chimarra sp. and Hydropsyche betteni) and two mayflies (Maccaffertium modestum and Isonychia sp). Total antioxidant capabilities differed among unexposed larvae, with both caddisfly species exhibiting elevated antioxidant activities relative to the mayflies.

Changes in the timing of reproduction following chronic exposure to ibuprofen in Japanese medaka, Oryzias latipes.

Effluents from wastewater treatment plants and untreated sewage constitute a low concentration but continuous source of pharmaceutical products to the aquatic environment. One such drug, ibuprofen, is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agent that primarily acts through inhibition of cyclooxygenase (COX) activity. Oryzias latipes (Japanese medaka) were exposed for 6 weeks via water to three concentrations of ibuprofen (1-100 microg/L nominal concentrations) and a water control.