Bioaccumulation of paraquat by Lumbriculus variegatus in the presence of dissolved natural organic matter and impact on energy costs, biotransformation and antioxidative enzymes Original Research Article

Dissolved organic matter from natural sources (DNOM) is omnipresent in aquatic ecosystems. Besides affecting bioavailability of substances including xenobiotics, it directly influences physico-chemistry of the habitat and there is increasing evidence for it is interaction with organisms. We investigated direct and interacting effects of DNOM from three sources, Lake Valkea-Kotinen, Svartberget Brook, and Lake Fuchskuhle with the herbicide paraquat on the oligochaete worm Lumbriculus variegatus. Bioavailability of paraquat to L. variegates as well as activities of antioxidative enzymes catalase (CAT) and peroxidase (POD) and biotransformation enzyme soluble glutathione S-transferase (sGST) were assessed without and in the presence of DNOM. Furthermore, metabolic heat dissipation due to the exposure was quantified. Uptake of paraquat into the worms was concentration dependently reduced by DNOM, and with differences concerning the DNOM sources. sGST and CAT responded with increased activities to DNOM (5 and 25 mg C l−1) and paraquat (5.0, 50, and 500 μg l−1) separately. Paraquat at 5.0 μg l−1 and DNOM in combination caused increased activities of sGST, especially at 5 mg C l−1, but inhibition of CAT activities. The latter probably occurred due to saturation of the enzyme. Changes in enzyme activities were independent from the source of DNOM. Increasing DNOM concentrations raised metabolic heat dissipation in L. variegatus with maximum at 3 h of exposure. In the combined treatments, metabolic heat dissipation changed more due to the source of DNOM than due to the bioavailability of paraquat.