Quantitative analyses of relationships between ecotoxicological effects and combined pollution

Abstract

The responses of wheat Triticum aestivum, rice Oryza sativa, earthworms Eisenia foetida, and prawns Penaeus japonicus to combined acetochlor-Cu, Cd-Zn were studied in hydroponic and soil-culturing systems using the methods of ecotoxicology. In particular, systematically quantitative analyses were documented by field experiments. Results showed that ecotoxicological effects under the combined pollution were not only related to chemical properties of pollutants but also dependent on the concentration level of pollutants, in particular on the combination of concentrations of pollutants in ecosystems. Additionally, species of organisms, especially the type of ecosystem, determined the influences. To some extent, biological tissue targets attacked by pollutants were an important factor.