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Updated: Jan 21, 2026

Quantification of Heavy Metals and Other Inorganic Contaminants on the Productivity of Microalgae
Published on: July 10, 2015
Insect response to environmental metal contamination
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Anthropogenic metal contamination poses a serious threat to all forms of life. As a result, insect populations are declining globally. Many insect species serve as excellent indicators of metal stress in their environment through population dynamics and physiological changes mediated by conserved metal-response pathways. We highlight the general metal response mechanism associated with metal homeostasis by metal-responsive transcription factor 1 and metallothioneins, as well as examples of metal-specific transport pathways (copper, zinc, and cadmium). While essential metals have well-characterized metal-specific transporters, nonessential metals either require general xenobiotic transporters or interact with established essential metal-specific pathways. This review highlights recent advancements in identifying anthropogenic sources of contamination, insect responses to metal contamination, and the underlying response and transport pathways. We emphasize the importance of considering diversity within and between species, beyond classical models, to better understand biological responses.
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