DETERMINATION OF PRIMARY AND SECONDARY RESPONSES TO ENVIRONMENTAL STRESSORS AND BIOTA HEALTH

摘要

The conventional ecotoxicological methods cannot provide an adequate assessment of environmental health and ecological risk. In this communication we present an innovative scientific base of warning monitoring and selected examples of the using microfluorometrical vital methods to characterize the health of studied species and predict their future ecological fate. For such monitoring we perfect and use the pilot biophysical devices, particularly contact microfluorometers. Our health parameters include measurements of (1) activity of anti-xenobiotic defense mechanisms, particularly export pumps, enzymes of detoxification and conjugation; (2) cell and tissue viability; (3) frequencies of DNA and chromosome damages; (4) frequencies and expression of cyto- and histopathological alterations. This methodology are used to characterize the environmental health of (1) selected molluscan and fish species along the Israeli Mediterranean and Red Sea shores as well as the German North and Baltic Sea shores; (2) selected fish species along the Israeli stream, Yarqon River; (3) Mediterranean benthic foraminifera and Red Sea corals and some other aquatic and terrestrial animals. Our data demonstrate that all living organisms have numerous anti-xenobiotic defense mechanisms and their activities mediate effects of pollutants, determine the health of biota and its further fate, particularly selection and development of new populations and communities. Our methodology allows assessing the biota health and ecological risk of man-made stressors that may be important both for developing and developed countries.