TY - JOUR
T1 - From sea squirts to squirrelfish
T2 - Facultative trace element hyperaccumulation in animals
AU - Thompson, E. David
AU - Hogstrand, Christer
AU - Glover, Chris N.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.
PY - 2018/6
Y1 - 2018/6
N2 - The hyperaccumulation of trace elements is a widely characterized phenomenon in plants, bacteria, and fungi, but has received little attention in animals. However, there are numerous examples of animals that specifically and facultatively accumulate trace elements in the absence of elevated environmental concentrations. Metal hyperaccumulating animals are usually marine invertebrates, likely owing to environmental (e.g. constant exposure via the water) and physiological (e.g. osmoconforming and reduced integument permeability) factors. However, there are examples of terrestrial animals (insect larvae) and marine vertebrates (e.g. squirrelfish) that accumulate high body and/or tissue metal burdens. This review examines examples of animal hyperaccumulation of the elements arsenic, copper, iron, titanium, vanadium and zinc, describing mechanisms by which accumulation occurs and, where possible, hypothesizing functional roles. Groups such as the ascidians (sea squirts), molluscs (gastropods, bivalves and cephalopods) and polychaete annelids feature prominently as animals with hyperaccumulating capacity. Many of these species are potential model organisms offering insight into fundamental processes underlying metal handling, with relevance to human disease and aquatic metal toxicity, and some offer promise in applied fields such as bioremediation.
AB - The hyperaccumulation of trace elements is a widely characterized phenomenon in plants, bacteria, and fungi, but has received little attention in animals. However, there are numerous examples of animals that specifically and facultatively accumulate trace elements in the absence of elevated environmental concentrations. Metal hyperaccumulating animals are usually marine invertebrates, likely owing to environmental (e.g. constant exposure via the water) and physiological (e.g. osmoconforming and reduced integument permeability) factors. However, there are examples of terrestrial animals (insect larvae) and marine vertebrates (e.g. squirrelfish) that accumulate high body and/or tissue metal burdens. This review examines examples of animal hyperaccumulation of the elements arsenic, copper, iron, titanium, vanadium and zinc, describing mechanisms by which accumulation occurs and, where possible, hypothesizing functional roles. Groups such as the ascidians (sea squirts), molluscs (gastropods, bivalves and cephalopods) and polychaete annelids feature prominently as animals with hyperaccumulating capacity. Many of these species are potential model organisms offering insight into fundamental processes underlying metal handling, with relevance to human disease and aquatic metal toxicity, and some offer promise in applied fields such as bioremediation.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85048934302&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1039/c8mt00078f
DO - 10.1039/c8mt00078f
M3 - Review article
C2 - 29850752
AN - SCOPUS:85048934302
SN - 1756-5901
VL - 10
SP - 777
EP - 793
JO - Metallomics
JF - Metallomics
IS - 6
ER -