Abstract
Physiological modifications leading to death in marine organisms stressed by xenobiotics are poorly understood. Here we examine the effect of acute exposure to copper and zinc on the heart rate of the limpet Patella vulgata L. At 0.01 mg l −1 copper there was no effect on heart rate over a 1-week period of exposure. At 0.1 mg l −1 copper, a progressive bradycardia was evident after 24 h and the test animals were dead after 1 week. At 1 mg l −1 copper, the bradycardia was induced after 30 min and all animals were dead after 24 h. Limpets appeared to tolerate 0.5 mg l −1 zinc, though a bradycardia was evident after 24 h. At 5 mg l −1 zinc the heart rate slowed after 4 h and extrapolation indicates all animals would be dead by 1 week. The bradycardia may be adaptive in that it reduces blood flow and uptake of metal across the gills. Natural levels of metals in sea water indicate that heart rate will normally not be affected by the metals, but in areas of severe pollution there will be an effect. The current UK marine environmental quality standards for copper and zinc are well below the treatment levels used in this study and so are supported by this work.
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