Responses of the female gonad of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus intermedius to effects of heavy metals
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文摘
Responses of the female gonad of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus intermedius to increased concentrations of copper, zinc and a mixture of copper, zinc and cadmium were studied in long-term experiments. The copper promoted gonado- and gametogenesis; mature gametes appeared in experimental animals faster than in the control ones. The zinc and the mixture of three metals provoked only a short-term stimulative effect to the growth of gametes; by the end of the experiments irreversible pathological changes were found in the gametes and the growth of oocytes retarded. The number of previtellogenic oocytes in the experiments remained constant. The response of sea urchin ovaries to heavy metals are nonspecific and depend on the strength of stress impact.