Effects of copper on the survival, hatching, and reproduction of a pulmonate snail (Physa acuta)

Transgenerational Effects of Copper on a Freshwater Gastropod, Planorbella pilsbryi

“…However, once Cu exposure was terminated, these effects dissipated, and oviposition returned to levels within the control range. Similar behavioral responses were seen by Gao et al (2017) with exposure of the freshwater pulmonate snail Physella acuta to Cu. Exposure to 40 lg Cu/L resulted in inhibition of movement and reproduction in the first 24 h of exposure, and complete inhibition was observed at 80 lg Cu/L in water with a hardness of 84.8 mg/L as CaCO 3 (Gao et al 2017).…”

“…Despite the inhibition of mobility, feeding, and reproduction in the adults exposed to copper concentrations over 9.4 lg/L, all exposed individuals quickly recovered once removed from Cu exposure, and the initial exposure concentration had no influence on recovery time. While Cu is an essential element at very low concentrations, even slight elevations above background Cu levels can have significant adverse effects on freshwater gastropods (Gao et al 2017). For example, in Lymnaea stagnalis juveniles, exposure to increasing concentrations of Cu for 96 h was proportional to decreases in Na and Ca concentrations in the soft tissues, which was hypothesized to cause adverse effects on the nervous and muscular systems (Ng et al 2011).…”

“…Additionally, freshwater gastropods make up 80% of freshwater molluscs by species (Brown 2001;Strong 2008). Molluscs are often at higher risk of exposure to elevated concentrations of contaminants because of their sedentary lifestyle, resulting in prolonged exposure compared to more motile organisms (Gao et al 2017). Additionally, pulmonate gastropods are known to be especially susceptible to accumulating metals from the environment relative to other aquatic organisms (Pyatt et al 2002).…”

“…Copper is also a common ingredient in agricultural fertilizers and pesticides, and it can enter the water column via overland runoff or when applied directly to water bodies as an algaecide or molluscicide. In small concentrations, Cu is No change Lock and Janssen 2002 essential to metabolic function including mitochondrial activity in most organisms (Gao et al 2017), and therefore, it must be obtained from the environment. However, above normal background concentrations, copper can cause significant damage to metabolic pathways (Ng et al 2011).…”

Signal Decoding for Glutamate Modulating Egg Laying Oppositely in Caenorhabditis elegans under Varied Environmental Conditions

“…Exposure of even low-level Cu (down to 0.05 μg/L) caused a hatching delay in Zebrafish Brachydanio rerio ( Dave and Xiu, 1991 ). The long-term exposure of excessive Cu decreases successful hatching and suppresses the development of eggs in pulmonate snail, Physa acuta ( Gao et al., 2017 ), and reduces C. elegans brood size and lead to internal hatching of offspring inside their mothers (bagging) ( Calafato et al., 2008 ). High level of Cu deteriorates hatching success and hatched juvenile survival in antarctic terrestrial nematode Plectus murrayi ( Brown et al., 2020 ).…”