Interactions between chemicals and other stress factors

The severity of chemical intoxication will depend on the living conditions of the organism. Both directly through the capacity to take up, metabolize excrete as well as adapt to the chemicals, but also indirectly, as environmental parameters such as humidity, pH, substrate composition and temperature, will affect the bioavailability of chemicals through effects on sorption, speciation, leaching, speed of degradation etc.

We investigate the interactions between chemicals and the occurrence of natural nano-particles and dissolved organic substances on uptake of chemicals in different aquatic invertebrates ranging from crustaceans, and insect larvae to worms and snails. Additionally, we study adaptation and transgenerational effects of chemical exposure in Daphnia magna. In another project we work in collaboration with Section of Organismal Biology to investigate the effects of two types of parasites; a tape worm and a pathogenic fungi, on uptake and metabolisation capacity of different pesticides in a beetle model insect. The aim is to elucidate and quantify the interactions between sublethal pesticide intoxications and parasite infections, and to understand the physiological mechanisms govering the interactions.

The work is financed by the Danish Environmental Agency and the Villum Kant foundation and includes close collaborations with University of York.