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Assessment of Heavy Metal Toxicity in Four Species of Freshwater Ciliates (Spirotrichea:Ciliophora) from Delhi, India


Affiliations
1 Acharya Narendra Dev College, University of Delhi, Delhi 110 019, India
2 Maitreyi College, University of Delhi, Delhi 110 021, India
3 Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, SW7 5BD, United Kingdom
 

In vitro laboratory experiments were conducted to determine the toxicity (per cent survival and LC50) of essential and non-essential heavy metals (cadmium, copper, nickel, lead and zinc) in four spirotrich ciliates: Euplotes sp., Notohymena sp., Pseudourostyla sp. and Tetmemena sp. isolated from three different freshwater ecosystems in the Delhi region, India. The toxicity of the heavy metals was found to vary among the different ciliates. Copper was most toxic (24 h-LC50 value ranged between 0.125 and 0.74 mg/l) and zinc was least toxic (24 h LC50 value ranged between 46.98 and 144.32 mg/l) to each of the ciliates. Of the four ciliates, Notohymena sp. had the highest tolerance limit to three heavy metals (Cu, Cd and Pb) out of the five tested. This study shows the high potentiality of using freshwater ciliates for monitoring the intensity and potency of ecological damage caused by heavy metals in aquatic ecosystems.

Keywords

Ciliates, Freshwater, Heavy Metals, Toxicity.
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  • Assessment of Heavy Metal Toxicity in Four Species of Freshwater Ciliates (Spirotrichea:Ciliophora) from Delhi, India

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Authors

Jeeva Susan Abraham
Acharya Narendra Dev College, University of Delhi, Delhi 110 019, India
S. Sripoorna
Acharya Narendra Dev College, University of Delhi, Delhi 110 019, India
Ashish Choudhary
Acharya Narendra Dev College, University of Delhi, Delhi 110 019, India
Ravi Toteja
Acharya Narendra Dev College, University of Delhi, Delhi 110 019, India
Renu Gupta
Maitreyi College, University of Delhi, Delhi 110 021, India
Seema Makhija
Acharya Narendra Dev College, University of Delhi, Delhi 110 019, India
Alan Warren
Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, SW7 5BD, United Kingdom

Abstract


In vitro laboratory experiments were conducted to determine the toxicity (per cent survival and LC50) of essential and non-essential heavy metals (cadmium, copper, nickel, lead and zinc) in four spirotrich ciliates: Euplotes sp., Notohymena sp., Pseudourostyla sp. and Tetmemena sp. isolated from three different freshwater ecosystems in the Delhi region, India. The toxicity of the heavy metals was found to vary among the different ciliates. Copper was most toxic (24 h-LC50 value ranged between 0.125 and 0.74 mg/l) and zinc was least toxic (24 h LC50 value ranged between 46.98 and 144.32 mg/l) to each of the ciliates. Of the four ciliates, Notohymena sp. had the highest tolerance limit to three heavy metals (Cu, Cd and Pb) out of the five tested. This study shows the high potentiality of using freshwater ciliates for monitoring the intensity and potency of ecological damage caused by heavy metals in aquatic ecosystems.

Keywords


Ciliates, Freshwater, Heavy Metals, Toxicity.

References





DOI: https://doi.org/10.18520/cs%2Fv113%2Fi11%2F2141-2150