Development of a Technique to Analyze the Extent of Environmental Pollution based on ATP Levels in Cells of Physarum Polycephalum

This paper was to consider methods to sensitively detect the effects of environmental pollution. A variety of environmental pollution exists in Japan and abroad, and biomonitoring with organisms is the main way levels of pollution in environmental specimens are determined. This paper considered changes in pH due to industrial effluent, sodium sulfite, and NaCl as factors for pollution. Physarum polycephalum is a protist that is sensitive to environmental pollution. This paper examined the effects of pollution on ATP levels in P. polycephalum and this paper explored the potential for these effects to serve as an index of environmental pollution. Results indicated that ATP levels were lowered by (1) a rise in the pH of a mixture of sulfuric acid and nitric acid, (2) increased levels of sodium sulfite, and (3) increased levels of sodium chloride. In addition, ATP levels and factors for environmental pollution were also examined. Results revealed the tolerance limits of P. polycephalum to pollutants. Thus, results revealed that ATP levels decrease as a result of environmental pollution. Results also suggested that ATP levels cannot be used as a pollution index since ATP levels cannot sensitively detect the effects of environmental pollution.