Physiological and Transcriptomic Responses of the Freshwater Hydrozoan Craspedacusta sowerbii to Acute Antibiotic and Cadmium Exposure.

ABSTRACT: Chemical contaminants are increasingly detected in freshwater environments, yet the physiological and molecular responses of many non-model freshwater invertebrates to acute chemical stress remain poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the physiological and transcriptomic responses of the freshwater hydrozoan Craspedacusta sowerbii to two widespread aquatic pollutants: the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole (20 μM) and the heavy metal salt CdSO₄ (10 μM). Morphological and behavioral observations showed that sulfamethoxazole exposure led to reduced motility and body shrinkage, whereas cadmium exposure caused rapid loss of movement and complete mortality within 24 h. RNA sequencing revealed distinct transcriptional response patterns to the two stressors. Sulfamethoxazol

SUBMITTER: Yan H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12837586 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature