Skip to main content
Go to the home page of the European Commission (opens in new window)
English English
CORDIS - EU research results
CORDIS
Content archived on 2024-05-28

Biodynamic modelling of toxic metal accumulation by the lugworm Arenicola marina, a keynote deposit feeding polychaete in European estuaries: ecotoxicological and regulatory implications

Objective

It is proposed to model the bioaccumulation of the toxic trace metals zinc (Zn) (essential), cadmium (Cd) and silver (Ag) (both non-essential) by an infaunal benthic invertebrate, the lugworm Arenicola marina, a keynote species in European estuaries, from solution and diet (sediment) using biodynamic modelling. The predictions of a model constructed from biodynamic accumulation parameters (uptake and efflux rates, assimilation efficiencies) measured in the laboratory will be validated against field data (from biological and physical (water and sediment) samples) from reference and metal-contaminated estuaries, particularly in southwest England. The subcellular compartmentalisation of accumulated trace metals in the lugworms will be fractionated into detoxified and non-detoxified components to model the metabolically available metal fraction, thereby predicting the potentially toxic fraction of accumulated metal, and hence toxicity. Toxicity tests will then be used to seek correlations between modelled concentrations of the potentially toxic component of accumulated metal and the environmental exposure conditions causing ecotoxicological effects in the field. The conclusions of the project will contribute to the advancement of our ability to develop a scientifically consistent basis for making a transition from the predictive modelling of bioaccumulation to the prediction of environmental thresholds of ecotoxicological effects. The results have the great potential to contribute to the implementation of environmental quality standards – for example, those for sediments in the Water Framework Directive.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.

You need to log in or register to use this function

Keywords

Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)

Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

FP7-PEOPLE-2007-2-1-IEF
See other projects for this call

Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

MC-IEF - Intra-European Fellowships (IEF)

Coordinator

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM
EU contribution
€ 162 498,35
Address
CROMWELL ROAD
SW7 5BD London
United Kingdom

See on map

Region
London Inner London — West Kensington & Chelsea and Hammersmith & Fulham
Activity type
Public bodies (excluding Research Organisations and Secondary or Higher Education Establishments)
Links
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

No data
My booklet 0 0