Title
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Metal concentrations, sperm motility, and RNA/DNA ratio in two echinoderm species from a highly contaminated fjord (the Sorfjord, Norway)
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Author
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Abstract
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The present study evaluated the effects of field metal contamination on sperm motility and the RNA/DNA ratio in echinoderms. Populations of Asterias rubens and Echinus acutus that occur naturally along a contamination gradient of sediments by cadmium, copper, lead, and zinc in a Norwegian fjord (the Sorfjord) were studied. Sperm motility, a measure of sperm quality, was quantified using a computer-assisted sperm analysis system. The RNA/DNA ratio, a measure of protein synthesis, was assessed by a one-dye (ethidium bromide)/one-enzyme (RNase), 96-well microplate fluorometric assay. Although both species accumulate metals at high concentrations, neither sperm motility parameters in A. rubens nor the RNA/DNA ratio in both species were affected. The Sorfjord is still one of the most metal-contaminated marine sites in Europe, but even so, populations of A. rubens and E. acutus are able to endure under these conditions. |
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Language
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English
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Source (journal)
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Environmental toxicology and chemistry. - New York, N.Y., 1982, currens
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Publication
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New York, N.Y.
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2008
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ISSN
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0730-7268
[print]
1552-8618
[online]
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DOI
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10.1897/07-402.1
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Volume/pages
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27
:7
(2008)
, p. 1553-1560
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ISI
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000256806700012
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Full text (Publisher's DOI)
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Full text (publisher's version - intranet only)
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