Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 14, 2026
09:13
Plasmonic Trapping and Release of Nanoparticles in a Monitoring Environment
Published on: April 4, 2017
8.0K
Nanoparticles in the environment: where do we come from, where do we go to?
Mirco Bundschuh1,2, Juliane Filser3, Simon Lüderwald4
11Functional Aquatic Ecotoxicology, Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Koblenz-Landau, Fortstrasse 7, 76829 Landau, Germany.
Environmental Sciences Europe
|February 20, 2018
Summary
The increasing use of nanoparticles in industry raises environmental concerns. Research shows nanoparticles impact aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, affecting organisms and interacting with other pollutants.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Ecotoxicology
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Nanoparticles (NPs) are increasingly produced for industrial and domestic use, leading to their environmental release.
- Understanding the sources, fate, and effects of NPs in natural systems is crucial due to potential adverse impacts.
- Environmental concentrations of NPs can now be predicted by models and confirmed by field measurements.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent advancements in nano-ecotoxicology for both aquatic and terrestrial systems.
- To identify current knowledge gaps and areas requiring future research in NP environmental impact.
- To discuss the interaction of NPs with co-occurring contaminants and their effects on biota.
Main Methods:
- Review of recent scientific literature on nano-ecotoxicology.
- Analysis of studies on NP environmental concentrations, fate, and effects.
- Examination of research on NP interactions with biota and co-contaminants.
Main Results:
- Significant progress has been made in understanding NP environmental behavior and effects.
- Analytical techniques for NP characterization and quantification in complex matrices are still developing.
- NPs can interact with organisms via physical pathways, affecting growth and behavior, and act as sinks for co-contaminants.
Conclusions:
- Nano-ecotoxicology has advanced, but challenges remain in analytical methods and understanding NP-contaminant interactions.
- Further research is needed to address the environmental risks associated with widespread NP use.
- NPs pose risks to aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems through direct biological interactions and by influencing the toxicity of co-contaminants.
Related Concept Videos
01:20Gene-Environment Interactions
1.2K
Gene expression is a dynamic process that is significantly influenced by environmental factors. This interaction underlies the complex nature of biological development and the phenotypic differences observed among individuals, even among those with identical genetic makeups. Factors such as radiation, temperature, behavior, nutrition, and stress play pivotal roles in determining how genes are expressed. The concept of the reaction range is central to understanding this interaction. It posits...
1.2K
02:27Background and Environment Affect Phenotype
7.7K
Although the genetic makeup of an organism plays a major role in determining the phenotype, there are also several environmental factors, such as temperature, oxygen availability, presence of mutagens, that can alter an organism’s phenotype.
An example of how genetic background affects phenotype can be seen in horses. The Extension gene in horses is responsible for their coat color. A wild-type gene (EE) produces black pigment in the coat, while a mutant gene (ee) produces red pigment. A...
An example of how genetic background affects phenotype can be seen in horses. The Extension gene in horses is responsible for their coat color. A wild-type gene (EE) produces black pigment in the coat, while a mutant gene (ee) produces red pigment. A...
7.7K
01:25Transmission-based Precautions II: Airborne and Protective Environment
2.0K
Transmission-based precautions are for patients infected or suspected to be infected (or colonized) with organisms posing a significant risk to others. The transmission precautions include airborne and protective environment precautions.
Airborne precautions:
Use airborne precautions when treating patients known or suspected to have diseases that spread through the air—for example, tuberculosis or measles. These organisms are present in smaller droplets expelled by an infected person and...
Airborne precautions:
Use airborne precautions when treating patients known or suspected to have diseases that spread through the air—for example, tuberculosis or measles. These organisms are present in smaller droplets expelled by an infected person and...
2.0K
01:32What is Natural Selection?
129.8K
Natural selection is an evolutionary process in which individuals with survival-promoting traits reproduce at higher rates. These favorable traits become more common within a population or species. Naturally selected traits initially arise via random genetic mutations. In order for selection to occur, there must be variation within a population, the trait controlling the variation must be heritable, and there must be an evolutionary advantage for variation in the trait.
129.8K
02:16Light Acquisition
9.6K
In order to produce glucose, plants need to capture sufficient light energy. Many modern plants have evolved leaves specialized for light acquisition. Leaves can be only millimeters in width or tens of meters wide, depending on the environment. Due to competition for sunlight, evolution has driven the evolution of increasingly larger leaves and taller plants, to avoid shading by their neighbors with contaminant elaboration of root architecture and mechanisms to transport water and nutrients.
9.6K
00:53Tonicity in Plants
60.0K
Tonicity describes the capacity of a cell to lose or gain water. It depends on the quantity of solute that does not penetrate the membrane. Tonicity delimits the magnitude and direction of osmosis and results in three possible scenarios that alter the volume of a cell: hypertonicity, hypotonicity, and isotonicity. Due to differences in structure and physiology, tonicity of plant cells is different from that of animal cells in some scenarios.
60.0K