Mechanistic characterization of waterborne selenite uptake in the water flea, Daphnia magna, indicates water chemistry affects toxicity in coal mine-impacted waters

Coal mining activity is one of the major sources of elevated selenium concentration in aquatic systems; however, little is known about its uptake mechanisms in aquatic organisms. Here, we demonstrate that high waterborne selenite uptake in the water flea, Daphnia magna, is likely mediated by a phosphate transporter. Abstract Concentrations of selenium that exceed regulatory guidelines have been associated with coal mining activities and have been linked to detrimental effects on aquatic ecosystems and the organisms therein. Although the major route of selenium uptake in macroinvertebrates is via the diet, the uptake of waterborne selenite (HSeO3−), the prominent form at circumneutral pH, can be an important contributor to selenium body burden and thus selenium toxicity. In the current study, radiolabelled selenite (Se75) was used to characterize the mechanism of selenite uptake in the water flea, Daphnia magna. The concentration dependence (1–32 μM) of selenite uptake was determined in 1-hour uptake assays in artificial waters that independently varied in bicarbonate, chloride, sulphate, phosphate and selenate concentrations. At concentrations representative of those found in highly contaminated waters, selenite uptake was phosphate-dependent and inhibited by foscarnet, a phosphate transport inhibitor. At higher concentrations, selenite uptake was dependent on waterborne bicarbonate concentration and inhibited by the bicarbonate transporter inhibitor DIDS (4,4′-diisothiocyano-2,2′-stilbenedisulfonic acid). These findings suggest that concentrations of phosphate in coal mining-affected waters could alter selenite uptake in aquatic organisms and could ultimately affect the toxic impacts of selenium in such waters.