Alterations in the osmoregulation of the pulmonate gastropod Biomphalaria glabrata due to copper

Abstract

Specimens of Biomphalaria glabrata were exposed to 0.06 ppm of copper in the form of CuSO 4, and the resulting changes in the wet and dry weights of the soft tissues and in the osmolality of the hemolymph were measured. The wet weights of snails exposed to copper increased as a function of time, while those of the controls decreased. The dry weights of both the experimental and control snails decreased equally. Finally, the ratio of wet weight to dry weight of the experimental snails was significantly higher than that of the controls after 24 and 48 hr of exposure to copper. In addition, the osmolality of the hemolymph of snails exposed to copper was significantly lower than that of the controls after 12, 24, and 36 hr of exposure. These data have led to the conclusion that exposure of B. glabrata to copper results in an osmotic influx of water into its tissues and thereby causes death.