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Accumulation of copper within the “Hepatopancreatic” caeca of Corophium volutator (Crustacea: Amphipoda)

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Abstract

The concentrations of various metals in specimens of Corophium volutator (Pallas) which have been taken from a site that receives freshwater drainage with a high concentration of copper, zinc and manganese, are compared with those in individuals from a site with a normal concentration of these metals for coastal waters. The amphipods at the contaminated site contain 259 μg g+1 dry weight of copper, which is three times that of individuals from the uncontaminated site. The concentrations of the other metals do not differ substantially between the two populations. The “hepatopancreatic” caeca of the midgut of amphipods with a high concentration of copper have numerous granules of homogeneous electron-dense material which can aggregate within the multivesicular bodies. Some of the amphipods with a lower concentration of copper have similar granules, but these are fewer in number. X-ray microporbe analysis shows that these granules contain copper and sulphur, and occasionally calcium. Various tests on the granules in frozen section indicate that they are relatively insoluble in a wide range of reagents and that the copper is probably complexed with organic matter.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. N.E.R.C. Unit of Marine Invertebrate Biology, Marine Science Laboratories, LL59 5EH, Menai Bridge, Gwynedd, North Wales, UK

    J. D. Icely & J. A. Nott

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  1. J. D. Icely
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  2. J. A. Nott
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Communicated by J. Mauchline, Oban

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Icely, J.D., Nott, J.A. Accumulation of copper within the “Hepatopancreatic” caeca of Corophium volutator (Crustacea: Amphipoda). Mar. Biol. 57, 193–199 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00390737

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