Andrew Zbigref Burzynski
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THE UNIVERSITY OF I/I.A.NITOBÀ ACCUMULÀTION AND ELIMINATION OF CESIUM-L3? BY FIVE AEDINE SPECTES OF MOSQUITOES AND BY A COMMON PREDATOR, NOTONECTA UNDUI,ATA by Andrew Zbigref Burzynski A THESIS SUBI{ITTED IN THE F.A,CULTY OF GRAÐUATE STTIÐIES IN PARTIAI FULFTLLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE MASTER OF SCTENCE DEPARTIVTENT OF ENTOMOLOGY WINNÏPEG, MANITOBA SEPTEMBER, L976 .'ACCUMULATION AND ELIMiNATiON OF CESIUM-137 BY FIVE AEDINE SPECI ES 0F M0SQUITOES AND BY A COMMON PREDATOR, NOTONECTA UNDULATA'' by ANDREW ZBIGNEF BURZYNSKI A clissertation submitted to the Faculty of Gradr¡ate Sturlies of the University ot'Manitobu in partiul fulfillment of the requirernents of the degrcc of MASTER OF SCIENCE @ tqze Per¡nissio¡r lus l¡eL'¡r grantctl to thc L¡BRARY OÍ¡ TllU UNIVER" S¡TV OF. MAI{lTOl}A tr¡ lond or soll copies of this dissertutio¡t. to the NATIONA¡- LIBRARY Olì CANADA to microfilm tl¡is rlissert¡¡tion and to lend or sell copies of the filnr, und UNTVURSITY MlCltOFl¡-MS to publish un abst¡-¿ct of this dissertation. The autlror reserves other publicatio¡r rights, and neitl¡er the dissert¿¡tion nor extensivc cxtracts t'ronr it nray bc printed or other- wise reprocluced without t!¡o uutl¡or's writtc¡r pr:rnrission. ABSTRACT by Andrew Zbignef Burz¡mski ACCUMuLATTON AND ELIMINATION OF CESIUIVÍ-I37 BY FIVE AEÐINE SPECïES 0F MOSQUIÎOES AND By A CoMMON PREDATOR, NOTONECTA UNDULAT¡. Cesium-I3? as a radloactive labe1 for entomo- logical investigations in the laboratory is described.. Accumulation and elimination ot- 137c" ¡y five aedine species of mosquitoes (.A.edes aeg/pti, A. atropalpus, A. dorsalisr .4., triseriatus, and A. vexans) are studied. Species differences exist in both accumuLation and erimination rates for a variety of reasons. The pupal and, adult studies are inconclusive. .A.ceunulatlon and elimination of cesiu¡n-L3? Uy 4tn instar normar and degilled larvae in potassium and potas- sium-free mediu¡n is studied. Iliost of the rad.iocesium enters the larvae via the anal papillae. potassium in the med.ium decreases the amount of radioeesium accumurated, but not the rate of uptake. carbon partictes are used to show that degilled larvae inerease their gut uptake, Elimination is not affected by either removal of the anal gills or the presence of potassium. .À study of eesiun-L37 accurnulation and elimination by an aquatic liernipterarr, Notoneeta undurata, the common backswimmer, shows a decrease in radiocesiun uptake by the nymphs prior to morting. .A,dult baekswimmers have a single 11 accumulation rate and a two phase elinination. The food consumption of adult backswimmers is caleulated. ]-11 ACKN0'IITLEDGMENTS I gratefully aclmowledge my debt to Dr. J. E. Guthrie, Environmental Control, W.N.R.E, who made ít possible for ¡ne to undertake these studiés, and also for his efforts on my behalf, and his eneouragement during the course of the study. The direetion of Dr. R. A, Brust, Department of Entomologv, University of Ma¡ritoba, was greatly appreciated. f wish to thank Ðr. R. H. Betts for his review of this manuscript. f would also like to express my gratitude to my wife for her encouragement and her cheerfulness until the eompletion of this work. tv TABLE OF CONTENTS C}IAPTER ,PAGE 1. GENERA.L INTRoDUCTI0N .,. .. , , ., . r............,. I Contamination of Aquatie environments I The Aquatic insgcts ...,...,............ Z Cesium-lJf .r................r........... ) ¿. MATERTAI,S AND METHODS .I' " .. ........ ........ 6 Experimental organisrns . r . I 6 General rearing methods r. aa a a. a t a a a a t a a a ? Rearing of N. undulata .aaraaaaaa¡aa ? Cesium-13? accumulation and elimination I Mosquito larvag ......r.,.......,..... I Mosquito pupae ..... o................ r I Notonecta undulata (baekswimrners) . 9 Mgasurengnt of cesiurn-l3? ......e ......... 10 Renoval of anal gills (papillae) l2 Carbon particle uptake .... o. o........ ... L3 Statistical analysis ..... r.. r...... ..... L3 ), ACCIJMULATION AND ELIMINATION 0F cESruM-L3? BY M0SQUIToES . r........... r aaaaraaa t5 Introduction r r..................... o... r L5 Rgsults and discussion .....,. ....... .... L6 Accumulation by mosquito larvae ...... L6 Elimination by mosquito larvae .. r., r. L9 Uptake of cesium-l3/ by pupae ..... r.. 27 Conclusions c... t.c..rrcc................ 2g v CHAPTER PAGE 4. rHE EFFECT OF POTASSIUM ION AND REMOVAL OF rHE .A.NAI, GTILS ON CESIUM-l37 .A.CCUMULATION .â.ND ELIMIN.A,IION BY 4TH INSTAR MOSSUTTO LARVAE .. r..... r... r.. r..................... 30 fntroduction ....r.............o......, 30 Mgthods r...i.........r.c..o.......... 3L Results and discussion .. r... r... ... , 32 Effect of K+ and. degilling on Uptakg ......rr...................... 32 Effect of degilting on uptake of carbon partielgs ... r....... ... r.... j4 Effeet of K+ and. degilling on elinination of cesium-L3? .......... j5 Conclusions ......................., r r. 39 5. UPTAKE i.ND ETIMINATI0N 0F CESIUM-L3? By NOIoNEqTA UNDULATÂ, .A. LARVÂL MoSQUITO PREDATOR ... i.......,.......... r..... o...... 4O fntroduction ...........,....r......... 40 Methods ............... r..r..o.... 40 Results and discussion .. o.. r.,... r. 41 Nymph uptake ...,....r............., 41 Uptake and elimination by adults ... 43 Measurement of food consumption .... 46 Conclusions ....o.........c.r.,o....... 48 vi CHAPTER PAGE 6. SUMMARY ..o. r......... r............. o..... r.. 50 BIBLIOGRAPHY..... t.. r. r........ ... ê.. ¡ '.. ...... r r ¡.... 52 APPENDIX . r . t. r . r . 5? v]-1 LTST OF TABÍ,ES TåBTE PÂGE 1. Doubling times, Td.o of eesium-IJf Ín hours for five aedine species of mosquitoest ¡ r r..... 18 2, TO and E, for the elimination of eesiun-L3? by mosquito larvae. .. '...... '........... r..... 25 3, Cesium-I3| uptake by mosquito pupae. ¡.... ... 28 vl1r_ LTST OF FTGURES FTGURE PAGE 1. Accumulation or I37c" ¡y five aedine species of mosquito larvae at Z6oC. ......... r,. r..... L? 2a, Elimination or 137c" uy 4th j.nstar Ä. aeE¡pti larvae at Z6oc. .. r................... Zo 137c" 2b, Elimination ot uy 4th instar À. atropalpus larvae at Z6oC. ,....... r ....... .. , ZL I37c" 2e, Elimination of uy 4tn instar d.. dorsalis larvag at z6oC. ....... r..... ..., .... zz 137c" 2ð., Elimination or uy 4th instar Å. trisgriatus larvae at z6oc. ..,. r.... r., ....., ?j 13?c" 2e, Elimination or ty 4tn i.nstar A. vexans larvag at Z6oC. ....,. c.. !.,....,. ..... Zt+ 3, The effect of potassiurn ion and degilling 137c. on the uptake or uy 4tn instar .A.. aenrpti larvae reared. at Z6oCr ............... 3j 4. Ðisplacement values for a earbon gutted mosquito larva. ... ¡ '......................... 36 5, The effect of degitling on carbon particle uptake by 4tn instar A. aegypti larvae. ...... 3? 6, The effect of potassium j.on and, degilling on the eliminati.on of fl?c" oy þth instar A. aegyïlti larvag at Z6oC. ..... r.. r.... ....., jB 137c. ?. Uptake or by various instars of U. t37cs gnd.ulata fed, label-ed. mosquito larvaeo .. I+? 1X FIGURE PAGE 137c" B. Uptake or by adult N. undulata fed t37cs labeled mosquito rarvae, .... t+4 t37Cs g, Elioination of by adult N, undulata. ... 45 1 CH.å.PTER 1 GENERÀL INTRODUCTTON Contamination of the .A.quatic Environment It has been estimated that by the year 2000 more than 115 GW of electricity will be generated in Canada by nuclear power stations (Crawford and i{äussermann, L975). This increase in nuclear generating capacity together with the use of radioisotopes in industry and medicine, has raised public concern about the impact on the environment of the radioactive waste products of the nuclear industry (Citizen Âction Group, L9?I+), Fallout from nuclear weapons tests conducted in the atmosphere and. articles which have appeared in the popular press deseribing the diffieulties assoeiated with the handling of radioactive wastes stress the need for aceurate assessment of the eapacity of the environment to assimilate radioaetive materials without incurring an unacceptable risk of biological damage caused by ionizing radiation. The biosphere has been exposed to radiatj-on since the beginning of geological tine, The various life-forms inhabiting the planet have evolved in a natural radiation background, exposed to an annual dose whieh varies from 90 mrad to 1500 mrad depending on the geographical location (un¡sce¡.n, L972), This background radiation results from naturally occurring radioactive minerals in the rocks and soil of the planetr ârrd. from cosnic rays. To this natural 2 background there has now been added a man-made component: fallout from nuclear weapons tests, tailings from uranium mining and ore processing operatj.ons, and radioactive wastes from nuclear power stations and fuel reprocessing plants. The man-made radiation eomponent, however, arnounts to less than 3/" of the natural background radiation (UNSCe¡,n, Lg?Z), ïf the Moscow agreement whieh bans the testing of nuclear weapons in the atmosphere and in water eontinues, the major souree of man-mad.e radionuclides entering the environmentn will be the nuelear fuel eycle. Canadian nuclear power stations use a natural uranium fueled, heavy water sloderated. reactor, the CANDU reactor (¡rCf,, 1976), In an accident situation it is the aquatie eomponent of the environment that will be exposed to the greatest potential impact from nuclear power generation in Canada, The Àquatic fnseets The most abundant and diverse group of animals on the Earth are to be found in the class fnsecta, many of which spend their juvenile stages in an aquatic habitat and the adult stage on land. lience, because of the large