Lancelets are fish-like animals that burrow in shallow marine sediments and offer several advantages for understanding the biological impacts of heavy metal pollution.  Having already detected five genes associated with resistance to heavy metals in lancelets from the Gulf Coast and Mediterranean, we are developing DNA probes to trace the evolution of two key regulatory genes in these and two additional species from the South China Sea.  In collaboration with Paul Shin of the City University of Hong Kong, we will use these probes to assess the role of microevolution in the adaptation of the Asian species to heavy metal contamination of their habitat.

Heavy metal pollution and the ecotoxicology of lancelets

245th National Meeting (2013)

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