Abstract
The purpose of this study was to assess the toxic effects of heavy metal compounds like Cadmium chloride (CdCl2) and Zinc sulphate (ZnSo4) on respiratory metabolism of the freshwater mussel Lamellidens consobrinus.The effect was observed for 24, 48, 72 and 96 h exposure. On exposure of mussels to toxic concentrations the respiratory metabolic rate was found profoundly decreased after two hours of intoxication in Cadmium chloride (0.0863 ± 0.0032 mg/gm/l/h) and Zinc sulphate (0.1517 ± .0018 mg/gm/l/h). The oxygen consumption was continuously decreased up to 96 h in CdCl2 (0.0303 ± 0.0019 mg/gm/l/h) and ZnSo4 (0.0746. ± 0.0019 mg/gm/l/h).The decrease in metabolic rate was more prominent in cadmium chloride than zinc sulphate. This impact may be due to inhibition of enzymatic pathways and osmoregulatory response which depends on the time of exposure to heavy metal compounds used for experimental work.
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