Summary
Stress associated with exposure to chemical pollutants is a topic of increasing concern. Yet study of population responses to chemical stress remains largely a descriptive science. Being able to predict population responses to toxic chemicals and understanding the mechanisms by which organisms adapt to them (or not) can contribute to the development of ecological and evolutionary theory and may lead to more effective approaches for minimizing undesirable consequences of pollutant stress. Here we examine the effects of pollutant stress at the population level, focusing primarily on marine and freshwater aquatic systems. We provide examples from the ecotoxicological literature that demonstrate how study of the responses of organisms to chemical pollutants can provide insight into key ecological and evolutionary phenomena, and conversely we show how the application of ecological and evolutionary theory can contribute to solving practical problems related to the evaluation of potential chemical hazards (e.g. deciding which aquatic organisms to use in regulatory test systems and developing ecological risk assessment models for aquatic populations). We argue for greater integration between theory development and its application for predicting and managing chemical stress in natural systems.
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Forbes, V.E., Calow, P. (1997). Responses of aquatic organisms to pollutant stress: Theoretical and practical implications. In: Bijlsma, R., Loeschcke, V. (eds) Environmental Stress, Adaptation and Evolution. Experientia Supplementum, vol 83. Birkhäuser, Basel. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-0348-8882-0_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-0348-8882-0_2
Publisher Name: Birkhäuser, Basel
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