MOLECULAR MECHANISMS IN ECOTOXICOLOGY - AN INTERPLAY BETWEEN ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY AND BIOLOGY

A close collaboration between environmental chemistry and biological s ciences is required for a complete understanding of ecotoxicological e ffects. Bioavailability and uptake of pollutants cannot be regarded as isolated chemical or biological questions. Knowledge of the effective concentrations in the organism or at the target site(s) is essential to link the fate and effects of a chemical and is a prerequisite for q uantitative investigation of the modes of toxic action. These modes of action need to be unraveled using whole-organism or in vitro systems in order to be able to develop specific biomarkers and biosensors that can be applied as early warning systems. Our mode-of-action-based app roaches, in which chemical and biological analytical tools are combine d, should improve the understanding of ecotoxicological effects and sh ould be implemented in the future in risk assessment.