A Whole Species Approach to Methyl Mercury Toxicity
Methyl mercury's toxicity has been widely studied for its effects on both terrestrial and aquatic systems. Efforts have focused on the effects of methyl mercury on specific biological systems and processes, based on single species assays; and its biomagnification through the trophic web, using multi-species assays. These approaches are functional in establishing the toxicity of methyl mercury within set parameters, but do not allow an accurate assessment of its total impact on a single species. The characteristics of methyl mercury toxicity require that it be approached with a broader scope, one that incorporates both the specific mechanisms of toxicity and the ecology of the species being studied. The purpose of this paper is not to critique the methods of the current literature, but to propose a different focus. A focus that applies the results of single species assays and trophic web studies to developing methods that better quantify the effect of methyl mercury on the! entire lifecycle of a single species. The characteristics of methyl mercury toxicity that warrant this alternative focus stem from its disposition for bioaccumulation and biomagnification in the trophic web, and permanant neurological damage. Methyl m
Khan, Abu T.: Weis, Judith S. "The Effect of Methyl Mercury Content on Egg and Juvenile Viability in Populations of Killfish, Fundulus heteroclitus." Environmental Research 44 (1987): 272-78. Zhou, T.; Weis, J.S. "Behavior and Predation Avoidance in Three Populations of Fundulus hetroclitus Larvae After Embryonic and/or Larval Exposure to Methyl Mercury." Aquatic Toxicology. 43 (1998): 131-148. Vernburg, John F.; Vernburg, Winona B. Pollution and Physiology of Marine Organisms. Acedemic Press: United States, 1974. Becker, D.S.; Bigham, G.N. "Distribution of Mercury in the Aquatic Food Web of Onondaga Lake, New York." Third International Conference on Mercury as a Global Pollutant 80 (1995): 563-571.
Some common words found in the essay are:
, Developing Methods, Applying Ecology, Devlin Muttet, Becker Bigham, Becker Bingham, Baatrup Doeving, methyl mercury, Killfish Crenichthys, Adults Methyl, Zhou Weis, methyl mercury's, methyl mercury concentration, trophic web, mercury concentration, potential exposure, near shore, bioaccumulation biomagnification, single species, effect methyl, methyl mercury content, et al, effect methyl mercury, near shore environment, biomagnification trophic web,
Approximate Word count = 1914
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
