Bi5580 General Ecotoxicology

Faculty of Science
Autumn 2006
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 2 credit(s) (plus extra credits for completion). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
prof. RNDr. Luděk Bláha, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
prof. RNDr. Luděk Bláha, Ph.D.
RECETOX – Faculty of Science
Contact Person: prof. RNDr. Luděk Bláha, Ph.D.
Timetable
Mon 16:00–17:50 kamenice
Prerequisites (in Czech)
NOW( Bi5580c General Ecotoxicology - pr. )
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 50 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/50, only registered: 0/50, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/50
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
During the lectures, students are introduced to the principles of ecotoxicology. Concepts are based on the following scheme: stressors (chemical compounds, physical and biological stressors) are interacting with organisms resulting in adverse effects (organisms are understood as receptors of the stress); ekotoxicology studies the toxic and adverse effects in organisms in natural environment, in ecosystems (bacteria, algae, plants, invertebrates, vertebrates including man). The lectures cover i) basic principles of ecotoxicology, ii) methodological approaches in ecotoxicology, iii) applications of ecotoxicology. Introduction: ecotoxicology - toxicology and ecology, basic terminology (exposure, toxokinetics, toxodynamics; mechanisms and types of adverse ecological effects). General principles: 1) stressors and their fate in the environment (chemical compounds, physical and biological stressors); 2) biological systems = organisms - effects of the stress on various organisation levels; effects in various trophic and taxonomy groups; adverse effects in populations and communities; 3) ecosystems - parameters of ecosystems in ecotoxicology, aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, quality of the air; Methodological approaches: 1) stressors - classes of chemical pollutants, physico-chemical and ecotoxicological characterization, chemical monitoring; 2) biological systems - studies of effects - laboratory biotests, in situ testing, studies of effects in populations; microbial ecotoxicology; ecological interpretation of the toxicity testing results; 3) ecosystems - methods for the studies of effects in communities and ecosystems; biomonitoring. Applications of ecotoxicology: predictive models (QSAR, fate and effects modelling); ecological and human risk assessment; national and international standards and laws, practical aspects of ecotoxicology.
Syllabus
  • 1 - history and present ecotoxicology frame ecotoxicology - the science of effects of (chemical) stressors on ecosystems and their living parts (organisms); knowledge base of ecotoxicologist; ecotoxicology vs. (human) toxicology; relations and connections between ecotoxicology and other biological and environmental sciences; terminology of toxicology and ecology. retrospective and prospective ecotoxicology; types of ecosystems and ecotoxicology (aquatic and terrestrial ecotoxicology); 2 - chemical compounds in ecosystems environmentally relevant properties of chemical compounds (basic and specific descriptors - partition coefficients, sorption constants, lipophility); introduction to principles of study of fate of chemicals in the environment - transport, distribution, transformations; bioconcentrations and bioavailability - specifities of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems; biotic transformations - biodegradation and metabolism of xenobiotics. 3 - biological systems in ecotoxicology exposure-dose-response concept, toxokinetics and toxodynamics; acute and chronic toxicity vs. genotoxicity vs. karcinogenity; biomarkers; hierarchy of biological systems - specifications and effects of (chemical) stresors in different levels. 4 - effects in various levels of the organism subcellular and cellular level - biochemical and molecular modes of toxic action; mutagenicity and genotoxicity; effects on organ level of auto- and heterotrophic organisms; organismal level - health vs. letality, reproduction and developlmental effects; 5 - effects in various levels of trophic chains ecotoxicology of producents - cyanobacteria, algae, plants ecotoxicology of predators - invertebrates, vertebrates, man as a component of ecosystems ecotoxicology of destruents - bacteria, fungy 6 - (chemical) stress in communities and ecosystems properties, structure and functions of ecosystems, spatial and temproral changes, connections and relationships between components of ecosystems, trophy and food chains; effects of chemical stress, respones and recovery in ecosystem level; aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, case studies, indicator of ecosystem health; organic pollution vs. toxicity. 7 - experimental approaches laboratory testing vs. in situ studies vs. biomonitoring; experiments of different complexity - design and principles; standardization, reproducibility, and ecological interpretations; biological factors affecting toxicity (nutrition, sex, annual and life cycles ...) 8 - methods in ecotoxicology (I) - laboratory biotests biotests - hierarchy and batteries of tests - trophic levels; studies of effects and their parametrization - derivation and interpretation of ECx, LCx, LO(A)EL, NO(A)EL values. Methods for aquatic and terrestrial organisms - representatives and examples; multispecies testing - laboratory microcosms. microbial ecotoxicology 9 - metody in ecotoxicology (II) - ecological studies metods of in situ studies - types and selection of organisms and exposures, negative-background localities, mesocosms. biomonitoring - field studies, concept of biological integrity, characteristics and parametrizations of community structure; problems and specifities of bioindicators; 10 - major classes of important contaminants: chemical individuals vs. mixtures and complex samples; industrial and urban pollution; basic characterisitics of major classes - sources, fates and effects: inorganic compounds (metals, gases, nutrients - phosphorus, nitrogen); organic pollutants (organic gases, solvents, pesticides, products and byproducts of industrial activities, combustion products). 11 - Applications of ecotoxicology predictive ecotoxicology (principles and characteristics of structure-activity relationship modelling (QSAR) mathematical models for fate and transport of chemicals in the environment and food chains; risk assessment - basic concepts and realization, hazard vs. risk, fate and effects analyses and synthesis - risk evaluation; human vs. ecological risks national and international standards in ecotoxicology, regulatory frame for ecotoxicology, corresponding practical aspects, derivation and interpretation of safety limits or benchmarks.
Literature
  • BLÁHA, Luděk. Podkladové materiály (PDF) k výuce obecné ekotoxikologie (Handout materials (PDF) for lectures from general ecotoxicology). 2005. URL info
  • CALOW, P. Handbook of Ecotoxicology Vol. I and II. London, U.K.: Blackwell Scientific publications, 1993. info
  • HOFFMAN, D.J. and B.A. RATTNER. Handbook of Ecotoxicology. Boca Raton, FL, USA: CRC Press, 1994. info
Language of instruction
Czech
Further Comments
The course is taught annually.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2007 - for the purpose of the accreditation, Autumn 2010 - only for the accreditation, Autumn 2002, Autumn 2003, Autumn 2004, Autumn 2005, Autumn 2007, Autumn 2008, Autumn 2009, Autumn 2010, Autumn 2011, Autumn 2011 - acreditation, Autumn 2012, Autumn 2013, Autumn 2014, Autumn 2015, Autumn 2016, autumn 2017, Autumn 2018.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2006, recent)
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