Projects

Toxic pollutants increasingly threaten the integrity of natural populations. Metal pollution can have particularly detrimental effects on organisms and entire ecosystems. One potent means by which metal pollution may affect organisms is by elevating oxidative stress, resulting in biomolecular damage and fitness declines. However, the long-term behavioral and fitness implications of metal-induced oxidative stress are poorly understood. Using ...

The main focus of this project is to asses the signal value of carotenoid colouration in relation to oxidative stress levels and diet quality in the great tit (Parus major). The great tit has a carotenoid based signal, namely the yellow breast colour. The brightness of this colour is linked to the condition and the quality of the bearer. The research will be conducted in a well known metal pollution gradient. We expect that birds in polluted ...

The main focus of this project is to asses the signal value of carotenoid colouration in relation to oxidative stress levels and diet quality in the great tit (Parus major). The great tit has a carotenoid based signal, namely the yellow breast colour. The brightness of this colour is linked to the condition and the quality of the bearer. The research will be conducted in a well known metal pollution gradient. We expect that birds in polluted ...

Past studies have largely ignored the effects of toxic pollutants on long-term processes, including the rate of biological aging. Metal pollution may have particularly strong effects on aging rates by increasing disease and oxidative stress. Telomeres protect the ends of chromosomes, shorten with age and stress exposure, and modulate cellular senescence. Telomeres have recently emerged as markers of long-term stress exposure and aging, but ...

Metals are posing a worldwide threat to aquatic ecosystems. In the natural environment trace metals most often occur in different mixtures, in which metals can strongly interfere with each other, producing antagonistic, synergistic or additional toxic effects. Besides the presence of pollutants also natural stressors such as fluctuating temperature, food shortages and predators are present that might negatively affect organisms and alter metal ...

Metals are posing a worldwide threat to aquatic ecosystems. In the natural environment trace metals most often occur in different mixtures, in which metals can strongly interfere with each other, producing antagonistic, synergistic or additional toxic effects. Besides the presence of pollutants also natural stressors such as fluctuating temperature, food shortages and predators are present that might negatively affect organisms and alter metal ...

Environmental contamination with metals generally occurs as mixtures of different metals. Toxicity of metal mixtures is known to show all potential outcomes, i.e. metals act additive, more than additive or less than additive on organisms. There is a need to understand and quantify these interactions for a better assessment of environmental risks of metals. Here, we will analyze the mixture effects on metal uptake and toxicity by accounting for ...

The general objective is to analyze the interactions among toxic trace metals for uptake and toxicity in aquatic and terrestrial systems in terms of the mechanisms that affect metal bioavailability. More in particular, experiments will be designed to test the proof of concept for a model that can predict mixture effects starting from the water and soil composition, including total dissolved metals in water or total metal in soil.

The aim of the present project is to study effects of sediment-bound metal mixtures on benthic invertebrates, both in terms of metal uptake kinetics and bioaccumulation, aerobic respiration and bioturbation and its influence on key ecosystem processes.

The objective of this project is the accurate determination of the role of some genes that have occurred in the transcription analysis, which will also addresse the physiological / ecological aspect. The study will be extended by adding Zn, because Zn and Cd usually occurs togheter in contaminated soils. In published studies plants are usually exposed to a single metal. Since Cu and Zn are redox-active and therefore directly causes oxidative ...