Journal of Environmental Biology

Radiation induced effects on viability and antioxidant enzymes

of crustaceans from different habitats

 

D. Mukherjee¹, M. Manna², S. Selvaraj³, S. Bhattacharya⁴, S. Homechoudhury⁴ and A. Chakraborty*³

 

¹Department of Environmental Science, University of Calcutta, Kolkata - 700 019, India

²Department of Zoology, Bethune College, Kolkata - 700 006, India

³UGC- DAE Consortium for Scientific Research, Calcutta Center, Kolkata - 700 098, India

⁴Department of Zoology, University of Calcutta, Kolkata - 700 019, India

 

(Received: May 06, 2008; Revised received: March 13, 2009; Re-revised received: July 25, 2009; Accepted: August 07, 2009)

 

Abstract: The paper describes differential tolerance of two fresh water crustaceans Mesocyclops hyalinus and Allodiaptomus satanus to ⁶⁰Co gamma radiation. Mesocyclops hyalinus is dominant species at site 1, near a Thermal Power Plant at Kolaghat? East Midnapore where fly ash deposition is a regular phenomenon. Allodiaptomus satanus is dominant species at site 2 at Kolkata, Ballygung where anthroponotic activities are more pronounced. M. hyalinus is naturally exposed to more stressful situation than A. satanus as revealed by comparing the hydrological parameters of the two habitats. Experimental exposure to ionizing radiation resulted in differential changes in viability, morphology and antioxidant enzyme activities in the two selected species. Survival experiments showed greater tolerance of M. hyalinus compared to A. satanus up to 8Gy (absorbed dose) after which it showed drastic fall in survival. More pronounced morphological changes were observed in A. satanus as compared to that in M. hyalinus. The pattern of changes in antioxidant enzyme activity is distinctly opposite in the two radiation exposed species. While in M. hyalinus stimulation in activity of both CAT (excepting at 10Gy absorbed dose) and SOD was observed? A. satanus showed decrease in activity of both the enzymes when compared to their unirradiated counterparts.

Key words:? Radiation, Zooplanktons, Oxidative stress, Viability, Antioxidant enzymes

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