Organism

Model organism

Melanogaster

Drosophila melanogaster

Biology

Gene

Environmental chemistry

Chemistry

Heavy metals

Metal toxicity

Toxicology

Genetics

Toxics

The biological effects of environmental metal contamination are important issues in an industrialized, resource-dependent world. Different metals have different roles in biology and can be classified as essential if they are required by a living organism (e.g., as cofactors), or as non-essential metals if they are not. While essential metal ions have been well studied in many eukaryotic species, less is known about the effects of non-essential metals, even though essential and non-essential metals are often chemically similar and can bind to the same biological ligands. Insects are often exposed to a variety of contaminated environments and associated essential and non-essential metal toxicity, but many questions regarding their response to toxicity remain unanswered.

The Effects of Essential and Non-Essential Metal Toxicity in the Drosophila melanogaster Insect Model: A Review