Organisms and Metals
Research group
Aims
To study mineral stability, metal mobility and metal uptake by organisms, and the impact of metal contamination on biodiversity and on environmental quality.
Description
A cross-disciplinary programme involving scientists in the Mineralogy, Botany, Entomology and Zoology Departments. A number of processes at the Earth's surface influence the availability of potentially toxic metallic elements in rock, soils and waters, and the origin of these metals could be through mineral breakdown or from anthropogenic introduction into the environment. At present, lower plants and invertebrates, such as lichens, algae, chironomids and protists, are used to investigate processes of metal uptake at the base of the food chain and in the development of bioassays for use in environmental impact assessment and ecotoxicological studies. Current projects involving Mineralogy Department staff include:
Environmental effects of mining and metallurgical processing in Romania,
Research team
- Dr Chris Stanley
- Dr Eva Valsami-Jones
- Dr Andrew Fleet
- Dr William Purvis (Department of Botany)
For further information contact:
Dr Chris Stanley
Tel: +44 (0)20 7942 5627
Fax: +44 (0)20 7942 5537
email
Toolbox
Until 1938 whale carcasses were buried in the Museum grounds so that their flesh would decay leaving only the skeletons.