Cadmium bioaccumulation dynamics during amphibian development and metamorphosis
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Date
2024-08
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Elsevier
Abstract
Cadmium pollution poses a significant threat to aquatic ecosystems due to its propensity to bioaccumulate and cause toxicity. This study assessed the complex dynamics of cadmium uptake, accumulation and distribution across anuran development to provide new insights into the fate of cadmium burdens during metamorphosis and compare the susceptibility of different life stages to cadmium accumulation. Tadpoles of various developmental stages were exposed to dissolved 109-cadmium and depurated in clean water in a series of experiments. Temporal changes in whole-body and tissue concentrations were analysed using gamma spectroscopy, and anatomical distributions were visualised using autoradiography. Results showed that animals exposed at the onset of metamorphic climax (forelimb emergence) retained significantly less cadmium than animals exposed through larval stages. After exposure, cadmium partitioned predominantly in the skin, gills and remains of metamorphs, whereas larvae accumulated cadmium predominately through their gut. This shows a shift in the primary route of uptake at the onset of climax, which relates to the structural and functional changes of uptake sites through metamorphosis. During climax, some cadmium was redistributed in tissues developing de novo, such as the forelimbs, and concentrated in the regressing tail. Our findings highlight the need for stage-specific considerations in assessing exposure risks. © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. Open Access CC-BY 4.0
Description
This study was conducted at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) under research proposal AP11943 and ANSTO Animal Care and Ethics Committee approval P315. CL was supported by an Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Early Career Award (DE180101286) funded by the Australian Government. We thank ANSTO staff members Lida Mokhber-Shahin for gamma analyses of standards, Henri Wong for ICP-MS analysis and Charmaine Day for animal support.
Keywords
Cadmium, Amphibians, Metamorphosis, Toxicity, Animal tissues, Spectroscopy, Water, Metals, Tracer techniques, Skin, Respiratory system, Toxins, Health hazards
Citation
Lanctôt, C., Callaghan, P., & Cresswell, T. (2024). Cadmium bioaccumulation dynamics during amphibian development and metamorphosis. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 474, 134773. doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.134773