Ecotoxicology A Comprehensive Treatment

Integrating ecotoxicological concepts across a range of hierarchical levels, this resource focuses on the paradigms and fundamental themes of ecotoxicology while providing the detail and practical application of concepts often found in more specialized books.

Integrating ecotoxicological concepts across a range of hierarchical levels, Ecotoxicology: A Comprehensive Treatment focuses on the paradigms and fundamental themes of ecotoxicology while providing the detail and practical application of concepts often found in more specialized books. By synthesizing the best qualities of a general textbook and the narrower, more specific scope of a technical reference, the authors create a volume flexible enough to cover a variety of instructional vantages and thorough enough to engender a respect for the importance of understanding and integrating concepts from all levels of biological organization. Divided into six sections, the book builds progressively from the biomolecular level toward a discussion of effects on the global biosphere. It begins with the fundamentals of hierarchical ecotoxicology and vantages for exploring ecotoxicological issues. The second section introduces organismal ecotoxicology and examines effects to biochemicals, cells, organs, organ systems, and whole organisms, and bioaccumulation and bioavailability of contaminants. Population ecotoxicology, section three, places the discussion in the larger context of entire populations by analyzing epidemiology, population dynamics, demographics, genetics, and natural selection. Section four encompasses issues of community ecotoxicology. This section presents biotic and abiotic factors influencing communities, biomonitoring and community response, and the application of multimetric and multivariate approaches. Section five evaluates the entire ecosystem by describing assessment approaches, identifying patterns, analyzing relationships between species, and reviewing the effects of global atmospheric stressors. A detailed conclusion integrating the concepts discussed and promoting a balanced assessment of the overarching paradigms rounds out the coverage in section six.

Contents Hierarchical Ecotoxicology The Hierarchical Science of Ecotoxicology  An Overarching Context of Hierarchical Ecotoxicology  Reductionism vs. Holism Debate  Requirements in the Science of Ecotoxicology Organismal Ecotoxicology The Organismal Ecotoxicology Context  Organismal Ecotoxicology Defined  The Value of the Organismal Ecotoxicology Vantage Biochemistry of Toxicants  DNA Modification  Detoxification of Organic Compounds  Metal Detoxification, Regulation, and Sequestration  Stress Proteins and Proteotoxicity  Oxidative Stress  Enzyme Dysfunction Heme Biosynthesis Inhibition  Oxidative Phosphorylation Inhibition  Narcosis Cells and Tissues  Cytotoxicity  Genotoxicity  Cancer  Sequestration and Accumulation Organs and Organ Systems  General Integument  Organs Associated with Gas Exchange  Circulatory System  Digestive System  Liver and Analogous Organs of Invertebrates  Excretory Organs  Immune System  Endocrine System  Nervous, Sensory, and Motor-Related Organs and Systems Physiology  Ionic and Osmotic Regulation  Acid–Base Regulation  Respiration and General Metabolism  Bioenergetics  Plant-Related Processes Bioaccumulation  Uptake  Biotransformation  Elimination Models of Bioaccumulation and Bioavailability  Bioaccumulation  Bioavailability Lethal Effects  Quantifying Lethality  Lethality Prediction Sublethal Effects  General Categories of Effects  Quantifying Sublethal Effects Conclusion  General  Some Particularly Key Concepts  Concluding Remarks Population Ecotoxicology The Population Ecotoxicology Context  Population Ecotoxicology Defined  The Need for Population Ecotoxicology  Inferences within and between Biological Levels Epidemiology: The Study of Disease in Populations  Foundation Concepts and Metrics in Epidemiology  Disease Association and Causation  Infectious Disease and Toxicant-Exposed Populations  Differences in Sensitivity within and among Populations Toxicants and Simple Population Models  Toxicants Effects on Population Size and Dynamics  Fundamentals of Population Dynamics  Population Stability  Spatial Distributions of Individuals in Populations Toxicants and Population Demographics  Demography: Adding Individual Heterogeneity to Population Models  Matrix Forms of Demographic Models Phenogenetics of Exposed Populations  Toxicants and the Principle of Allocation (Concept of Strategy)  Developmental Stability in Populations Population Genetics: Damage and Stochastic Dynamics of the Germ Line Direct Damage to the Germ Line  Indirect Change to the Germ Line  Genetic Diversity and Evolutionary Potential Population Genetics: Natural Selection  Overview of Natural Selection  Estimating Differential Fitness and Natural Selection  Ecotoxicology’s Tradition of Tolerance Conclusion  Overview  Some Particularly Key Concepts  Concluding Remarks Community Ecotoxicology Introduction to Community Ecotoxicology  Definitions—Community Ecology and Ecotoxicology  Historical Perspective of Community Ecology and Ecotoxicology  Are Communities More Than the Sum of Individual Populations?  Communities within the Hierarchy of Biological Organization  Contemporary Topics in Community Ecotoxicology Biotic and Abiotic Factors that Regulate Communities  Characterizing Community Structure and Organization  Changes in Species Diversity and Composition along Environmental Gradients  The Role of Keystone Species in Community Regulation  The Role of Species Interactions in Community Ecology and Ecotoxicology  Environmental Factors and Species Interactions Biomonitoring and the Responses of Communities to Contaminants  Biomonitoring and Biological Integrity  Conventional Approaches  Biomonitoring and Community-Level Assessments  Development and Application of Rapid Bioassessment Protocols  Regional Reference Conditions  Integrated Assessments of Biological Integrity  Limitations of Biomonitoring Experimental Approaches in Community Ecology and Ecotoxicology  Experimental Approaches in Basic Community Ecology  Experimental Approaches in Community Ecotoxicology  Microcosms and Mesocosms  Whole Ecosystem Manipulations  What is the Appropriate Experimental Approach for Community Ecotoxicology? Application of Multimetric and Multivariate Approaches in Community Ecotoxicology  Multimetric  Multivariate Approaches Disturbance Ecology and the Responses of Communities to Contaminants  The Importance of Disturbance in Structuring Communities  Community Stability and Species Diversity  Relationship between Natural and Anthropogenic Disturbance  Contemporary Hypotheses to Explain Community Responses to Anthropogenic Disturbance  Biotic and Abiotic Factors that Influence Community Recovery  Influence of Environmental Variability on Resistance and Resilience  Quantifying the Effects of Compound Perturbations Community Responses to Global and Atmospheric Stressors  CO2 and Climate Change  Stratospheric Ozone Depletion  Acid Deposition  Interactions among Global Atmospheric Stressors Effects of Contaminants on Trophic Structure and FoodWebs Basic Principles of FoodWeb Ecology Effects of Contaminants on Food Chains and FoodWeb Structure Conclusions  General  Some Particularly Key Concepts Ecosystem Ecotoxicology  Introduction to Ecosystem Ecology and Ecotoxicology  Background and Definitions  Ecosystem Ecology and Ecotoxicology: A Historical Context  Challenges to the Study of Whole Systems  The Role of Ecosystem Theory  Recent Developments in Ecosystem Science  Ecosytem Ecotoxicology  Links from Community to Ecosystem Ecotoxicology Overview of Ecosystem Processes  Bioenergetics and Energy Flow through Ecosytems  Nutrient Cycling and Materials Flow through Ecosystems  Decomposition and Organic Matter Processing Descriptive Approaches for Assessing Ecosystem Responses to Contaminants Descriptive Approaches in Aquatic Ecosystems Terrestrial Ecosystems The Use of Microcosms, Mesocosms, and Field Experiments to Assess Ecosystem Responses to Contaminants and Other Stressors Microcosm and Mesocosm Experiments  Whole Ecosystem Experiments Patterns and Processes: The Relationship between Species Diversity and Ecosystem Function Species Diversity and Ecosystem Function The Relationship between Ecosystem Function and Ecosystem Services  Future Research Directions and Implications of the Diversity–Ecosystem Function Relationship for Ecotoxicology  Ecological Thresholds and the Diversity–Ecosystem Function Relationship Fate and Transport of Contaminants in Ecosystems Bioconcentration, Bioaccumulation, Biomagnification, and Food Chain Transfer  Modeling Contaminant Movement in FoodWebs  Ecological Influences on Food Chain Transport of Contaminants Effects of Global Atmospheric Stressors on Ecosystem Processes  Nitrogen Deposition and Acidification  Ultraviolet Radiation  Increased CO2 and Global Climate Change  Interactions among Global Atmospheric Stressors   Ecotoxicology: A Comprehensive Treatment—Conclusion Conclusion  Overarching Issues  Summary: Sapere Aude Index