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Persistence of chironomids in metal polluted andean high altitude streams: Does melanin play a role?

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dc.contributor.author Loayza Muro, Raul Augusto
dc.contributor.author Marticorena-Ruiz, Jenny K.
dc.contributor.author Palomino, Edwin J.
dc.contributor.author Merritt, Camille
dc.contributor.author De Baat, Milo L.
dc.contributor.author Van Gemert, Maarten
dc.contributor.author Verweij, Rudo A.
dc.contributor.author Kraak, Michiel H. S.
dc.contributor.author Admiraal, Wim
dc.date.accessioned 2022-01-04T20:29:57Z
dc.date.available 2022-01-04T20:29:57Z
dc.date.issued 2013
dc.identifier.uri https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12866/10447
dc.description.abstract In high altitude Andean streams an intense solar radiation and coinciding metal pollution allow the persistence of only a few specialized taxa, including chironomids. The aim of the present study was therefore to determine the mechanisms underlying the persistence of chironomids under these multiple stress conditions, hypothesizing that melanin counteracts both the adverse effects of solar radiation and of metals. Melanin was determined in chironomids from reference and metal polluted streams at 3000 and 4000 m altitude, being 2-fold higher at 4000 m compared to 3000 m, and 2-fold higher in polluted streams than in reference streams at both altitudes. The field observations were experimentally verified by assessing the combined effects of Cu and UV-B on the survival and melanin concentration in larvae of the model species Chironomus riparius (Chironomidae, Diptera). In laboratory exposures, the highest melanin concentrations were found in larvae surviving toxic Cu concentrations, but not in those exposed to the highest UV-B radiation. Pre-exposure to UV-B decreased the sensitivity of the larvae to UV-B and to Cu+UV-B. It is concluded that in the field, melanin may protect chironomids partially against both elevated metal concentrations and solar radiation, allowing them to persist under the harshest conditions in high altitude streams. en_US
dc.language.iso eng
dc.publisher American Chemical Society
dc.relation.ispartofseries Environmental Science and Technology
dc.rights info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess
dc.rights.uri https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.es
dc.subject Animals en_US
dc.subject Peru en_US
dc.subject Rivers en_US
dc.subject Chironomidae en_US
dc.subject Larva en_US
dc.subject Melanins en_US
dc.subject Ultraviolet Rays en_US
dc.subject Water Pollutants en_US
dc.subject Chemical toxicity en_US
dc.title Persistence of chironomids in metal polluted andean high altitude streams: Does melanin play a role? en_US
dc.type info:eu-repo/semantics/article
dc.identifier.doi https://doi.org/10.1021/es302779b
dc.subject.ocde https://purl.org/pe-repo/ocde/ford#1.05.08
dc.relation.issn 1520-5851


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