| Popis: |
The imposex response of the dogwhelk, Nucella lapillus, to tributyltin (TBT) pollution has been investigated in adults taken from four UK populations geographically separated over 10° of latitude. Exposure to TBT water concentrations of c.1 and 17 ng Sn/litre over a period of 12 weeks resulted in similar levels of accumulation of TBT within the body tissues and similar increases in female penis length in all four populations. The features are imposex in N. lapillus populations in south-west Brittany are described; they follow the same pattern as found in earlier surveys of the southern England coast, including sterilisation of females, population decline and disappearance of the species close to TBT sources. The evidence of these two investigations indicates that the level of sensitivity and development of imposex as a response to TBT pollution is uniform in N. lapillus throughout its distributional range. |
