Overview
Currently I am a PhD researcher at the University of Exeter studying the effects of pharmaceuticals and related organic contaminants on marine invertebrates. This research extends to cover investigating the influences that climate change events such as ocean acidification could have on the toxicity of these contaminants.
I first became interested in ocean acidification during my undergraduate degree where I had the privilege of working with Dr. Piero Calosi at Plymouth, looking at the life-history consequences of adaptation to ocean acidification in the marine polychaete worm Ophryotocha labronica.
Sticking with marine worms, my PhD work to date, in collaboration with AstraZeneca, has focused on the ragworm Hediste diversicolor as a model species for studying the effects of organic contaminants. Compounds which I have studied for this research include the antidepressant fluoxetine, neonicotinoid pesticides and illicit compounds such as cocaine, all of which are present in marine and estuarine environments worldwide and have the potential to impact our ecosystems.
Outside of work I am a keen hobby marine aquarist and hobby numismatist. I love to SCUBA dive when I have the chance and I am a passionate supporter of Norwich City Football Club.
Broad research specialisms:
- Pharmaceuticals in the environment
- Ocean acidification
- Biology of invertebrates
- Aquatic ecotoxicology
- Scientific outreach and teaching
Qualifications
PhD Biological Sciences, University of Exeter, 2014-Present
1:1, BSc (Hons) Marine Biology, Plymouth University, 2011-2014
HSE Part IV Professional SCUBA Diver, 2012
Research
Research projects
Project Title: Ecotoxicology in the Benthic Zone: Investigating Life-History Factors that Influence Species Sensitivity
Supervisors: Tamara Galloway, Ceri Lewis, Jason Snape (AstraZeneca)
Funding Body: BBSRC / AstraZeneca CASE Award
Project Description:
Aquatic invertebrates make up over 95% of the species that live in marine and freshwater habitats, yet we know very little of their biology or the factors that contribute to species sensitivity. Of particular importance are those organisms that have adopted a benthic (bottom-dwelling) lifestyle, since they greatly influence ecosystem functions including energy flow, nutrient cycling and sediment mixing. This project aims to investigate whether life-history strategies, such as feeding mechanism, alter the species sensitivity of aquatic invertebrates to common organic pollutants, including pharmaceutical chemicals. Furthermore, climate change mechanisms such as ocean acidification have the potential to alter the bioaccumulation and effects of these contaminants, hence this project will investigate this further.
Publications/Presentations:
Hird, C.M., Urbina, M.A., Lewis, C.N., Snape, J.R. and Galloway, T.S. (2016) Fluoxetine exhibits pharmacological effects and trait-based sensitivity in a marine worm. Environmental Science and Technology 50:8344-8352
Publications
Key publications | Publications by category | Publications by year
Publications by category
Journal articles
Nielson C, Hird C, Lewis C (2019). Ocean acidification buffers the physiological responses of the king ragworm Alitta virens to the common pollutant copper.
Aquatic Toxicology,
212, 120-127.
Abstract:
Ocean acidification buffers the physiological responses of the king ragworm Alitta virens to the common pollutant copper
© 2019 Ocean acidification (OA) has the potential to alter the bioavailability of pH sensitive metals contaminating coastal sediments, particularly copper, by changing their speciation in seawater. Hence OA may drive increased toxicity of these metals to coastal biota. Here, we demonstrate complex interactions between OA and copper on the physiology and toxicity responses of the sediment dwelling polychaete Alitta virens. Worm coelomic fluid pCO2 was not increased by exposure to OA conditions (pHNBS 7.77, pCO2 530 μatm) for 14 days, suggesting either physiological or behavioural responses to control coelomic fluid pCO2. Exposure to 0.25 μM nominal copper caused a decrease in coelomic fluid pCO2 by 43.3% and bicarbonate ions by 44.6% but paradoxically this copper-induced effect was reduced under near-future OA conditions. Hence OA appeared to ‘buffer’ the copper-induced acid-base disturbance. DNA damage was significantly increased in worms exposed to copper under ambient pCO2 conditions, rising by 11.1% compared to the worms in the no copper control, but there was no effect of OA conditions on the level of DNA damage induced by copper when exposed in combination. These interactions differ from the increased copper toxicity under OA conditions reported for several other invertebrate species. Hence this new evidence adds to the developing paradigm that species’ physiology is key in determining the interactions of these two stressors rather than it purely being driven by the changes in metal chemistry under lower seawater pH.
Abstract.
Full text.
Publications by year
2019
Nielson C, Hird C, Lewis C (2019). Ocean acidification buffers the physiological responses of the king ragworm Alitta virens to the common pollutant copper.
Aquatic Toxicology,
212, 120-127.
Abstract:
Ocean acidification buffers the physiological responses of the king ragworm Alitta virens to the common pollutant copper
© 2019 Ocean acidification (OA) has the potential to alter the bioavailability of pH sensitive metals contaminating coastal sediments, particularly copper, by changing their speciation in seawater. Hence OA may drive increased toxicity of these metals to coastal biota. Here, we demonstrate complex interactions between OA and copper on the physiology and toxicity responses of the sediment dwelling polychaete Alitta virens. Worm coelomic fluid pCO2 was not increased by exposure to OA conditions (pHNBS 7.77, pCO2 530 μatm) for 14 days, suggesting either physiological or behavioural responses to control coelomic fluid pCO2. Exposure to 0.25 μM nominal copper caused a decrease in coelomic fluid pCO2 by 43.3% and bicarbonate ions by 44.6% but paradoxically this copper-induced effect was reduced under near-future OA conditions. Hence OA appeared to ‘buffer’ the copper-induced acid-base disturbance. DNA damage was significantly increased in worms exposed to copper under ambient pCO2 conditions, rising by 11.1% compared to the worms in the no copper control, but there was no effect of OA conditions on the level of DNA damage induced by copper when exposed in combination. These interactions differ from the increased copper toxicity under OA conditions reported for several other invertebrate species. Hence this new evidence adds to the developing paradigm that species’ physiology is key in determining the interactions of these two stressors rather than it purely being driven by the changes in metal chemistry under lower seawater pH.
Abstract.
Full text.
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