Ecotoxicology

STUDIES 'DIRECTION: ENVIRONMENTAL AND PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY / ECTS: 4 / semester 1

Profile: akademic level/ Form and level: SMc

status: directional / obligatory

Prerequisites: None

The aim of the course is to present the fate of toxic substances in living organisms and ecosystems, and the processes of their detoxification. The course includes also topics related to applied ecotoxicology and legal acts.

Definition and classification of toxins. Factors conditioning toxicity. Fate of toxins in organisms, ecosystems and their mechanisms. Toxicity and methods of detoxication. Biotests.

Lectures

1.Ecotoxicology as an interdisciplinary science.The basic terms of ecotoxicology.

2.Fate of toxic substances in the ecosystem.

3.Interactions of toxic substances and the effects of physical and chemical factors on their toxicity, transport and transformation in the environment.

4.Fate of toxic substances in living organism. Methods of detoxication.

5.Applied ecotoxicology - toxicity tests. Ecotoxicology - legal regulations and decision-making.

Classess

1.Dose-response relationships. Quantitative indices of toxic effects assessment. Computing of LD50 and EC50 on the basis of experimental data.

2.Analysis of the toxicity of soil/bottom sediment using Phytotoxkit test

3.Analysis of factors determining movement and distribution of pollutants in soil.

4. The toxicity of mercury - determination of mercury in fish

5. Toxicity of natural substances - to evaluate the content of oxalates in the stimulants.

6. Toxicity chloride - salt toxicity analysis

7. Assessment of health and ecological risk connected with exposure to chemical substances

Student activity structure:

classes with the academic 30, ECTS ** 1.2

academic level

including:

lectures 10 hours

classess and seminars 20 hours

consultation 0 hours

shares in research 0 hours

obligatory internships and internships 0 hours

participation in the exam and passing 0 hours.

personal workload (without or with academics participation during consultations) (2.8 ECTS **) 100 hours

Basic literature

1. Baran A., Kołton A. 2015. Ecotoxicology. w: Agroecology, Ropek D. (red.), 2014, Publishing House of the University of Agriculture, ISBN 978-83-64758-06-5, 117-130.

2. Walker C.H, Hopkin P., Silby R.M., Peakall D.B. Principles of Ecotoxicology. Taylor&Francis, 2000.

2. Begom G.(red). Ecotoxicology. InTech, 2012.

3. Hoffman D., Barnett A., Ratner G., Allen Burton Jr., John Carns Jr. Handbook of Ecotoxicology. CRC Press LLC

Supplementary literature

1. Williams P.LJames R.C, Roberts SM. Principles of Toxicology. Environmental and Industrial Application. John Wiley & Sons, 2000

knowledge:

- Identify toxic substances in the environment and their fate in the environment

- Integrate knowledge from different disciplines in order to understand the toxicity of chemicals

ability

- Calculate the toxicity of substances to animals and humans

- Indicates substances in different parts of the environment and biological materials

- Estimate the health risks associated with exposure to xenobiotics in the environment

social competence:

-Organize the work in a small team in order to perform exercises

Lectures

written exam - open questions, computational tasks

The percentage scale of the evaluation of learning outcomes was defined, defined as follows:

1. Insufficient grade (2.0): it is issued if at least one of the three components (N, A, SC) of the learning outcomes achieved, the student obtains less than 55% of the mandatory effects for a given component.

2. Sufficient assessment (3.0): it is issued if, in the scope of each of the three components (N, A, SC) of the learning outcomes, the student obtains at least 50% of the applicable effects for a given component.

3. Over-satisfactory grade (3.5): it is issued on the basis of the arithmetic mean of the three components (N, A, SC) of the learning outcomes (average 61-70%).

4. A similar way of calculating grades as presented in point 3 were accepted for good grades (4.0 - average 71-80%), over good (4.5 - average 81-90%) and very good (5.0 - average> 90%).

exercises

Assessment of the performance of analytical and computational tasks, efficiency and organization of work in a team

Final grade = 0.5 x exam grade (lectures) + 0.5 x final grade (classess)