Contact details:
Department of Botany & Zoology
University of Stellenbosch
Private Bag X1
Matieland 7602
South Africa
Tel: +27 21 808-2408
Fax: +27 21 808-2405
E-mail: sar@sun.ac.za
Prof SA Reinecke
Stress can affect living organisms in many ways and can manifest on a variety of levels of organization. I am interested in stress caused by pollutants in the environment and my research focus lies mainly in the field of ecotoxicology. The stress caused by anthropogenic chemical substances released into the environment can be observed at a very early stage of exposure on the sub-organism level. In my research I focus on below-individual levels such as the molecular, biochemical, genetic and cellular. Biomarkers, such as the Neutral Red Retention Assay, the Comet assay, the MTT test and the AchE inhibition assay are generally used by me and my students to study effects on these cellular and sub-cellular levels. I concentrate mainly on invertebrate soil organisms such as earthworms, snails and Collembola but also work in the field of marine ecotoxicology. I am especially interested in long-term exposure effects of heavy metals and the development of tolerance and resistance. The transfer of heavy metals in food chains from invertebrates to higher organisms is also a focus of interest in my research. Recently I have started to use other soil invertebrates (Enchytraeidae and Collembola), especially to determine effects of the ambient environment (temperature, moisture, pH, etc.) in combination with toxicants on these organisms. Techniques to obtain the necessary cells and serum from them to enable us to do biomarker work, using the methods mentioned above are being developed.
Current students and fields of study
Rudolf Maleri (Post Doc): Factors affecting bioavailability of toxicants for earthworms
Frana Fourie (PhD): Evaluating invertebrate responses on various organisational levels to develop a species sensitivity model for ecological risk assessment in soils. (Supervisor) - with Prof. AJ Reinecke as co-supervisor
Martine Jordaan (PhD): Effects of organophosphate pesticides on non-target organisms in freshwater and soil in agricultural environments. - with Prof. Danie Brink (Akwakultuur, dept. Genetika) as co-supervisor
Patricks Voua-Otomo (MSc): The effects of long-term exposure to cadmium on the earthworm Eisenia fetida (Oligochaeta): An investigation of the development of genetic metal resistance. (Supervisor)- with Dr. B. Jansen van Vuuren and Dr. A Swart as co-supervisors
Werner Schoeman (MSc): Cellular stress responses to heavy metal contamination (Cd) as measure of sensitivity distributions in intertidal molluscan species. (Co-Supervisor)
Publications in print and under review (2007)
FOURIE, F. REINECKE, SA, REINECKE AJ. 2007. The determination of earthworm species sensitivity to cadmium genotoxicity using the comet assay. EES (In Press - Electronically available)
MALERI, R, REINECKE, S.A., MESJASZ-PRZYBYLOWICZ,. J., REINECKE, A.J. 2007 Growth and reproduction of earthworms In ultramafic soils. Arch. Environmental Contamination and Toxicology (Accepted - In Press)
Other recent papers
REINECKE, SA and REINECKE, AJ. 2007 Biomarker response and biomass change in earthworms exposed to chlorpyrifos in microcosms. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 66:92-101.
REINECKE, SA and REINECKE, AJ. 2007 The impact of organophosphate pesticides on earthworms in orchards in the Western Cape , South Africa . Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety . 66: 244 - 251.
JAGER, T, REINECKE, S.A . and REINECKE A.J. 2006 Using process-based modelling to analyse earthworm life cycles. Soil Biology and Biochemistry (38:1-6)
SNYMAN, R.G., REINECKE A.J. and REINECKE , S.A. 2005. Quantitative changes in the digestive gland cells of the snail Helix aspersa after exposure to the fungicide copper oxychloride. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety. 60:47-52
REINECKE , S.A . 2005. Ou en nuwe tendense in die ekotoksikologie: Die relevansie van stres- ekologie en ekotoksikogenomika. Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir Wetenskap en Tegnologie . 14:52 - 59
REINECKE , S.A . and REINECKE, A.J. 2004 The comet assay as biomarker of heavy metal genotoxicity in earthworms. Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology. 46:208 - 215
SNYMAN, R.G., REINECKE A.J. and REINECKE , S.A . 2004. Quantitative changes in the digestive gland cells of the snail Helix aspersa after exposure to the fungicide copper oxychloride. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety . 60:47-52
MABOETA, M.S., REINECKE , S.A. and REINECKE, A.J. 2004 The relation between biomarker and organismal responses in an acute toxicity test with Eisenia fetida (Oligochaeta) exposed to the fungicide copper oxychloride). Environmental Research. 96: 95 - 101
REINECKE, A.J. and REINECKE , S.A. 2004. Die bepaling van ekotoksikologiese risiko vir die beskerming van biologiese diversiteit deur gebruik te maak van die gevoeligheidsvariasie van spesies vir tolksiese stowwe. Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir Wetenskap en Tegnologie. 22(4): 94-102.
REINECKE, A.J . & REINECKE , S.A. 2003 The influence of exposure history to lead (Pb) on the lysosomal response in Eisenia fetida (Oligochaeta). . Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety . 55:30 -37
MABOETA, M.S., REINECKE , S.A. & REINECKE,A.J. 2003 Linking lysosomal biomarker and population responses in a field population of Aporrectodea caliginosa (Oligocheata) exposed to the fungicide copper oxychloride. Ecotoxocology and Environmental Safety . 56: 411-418
REINECKE , S.A . , HELLING, B. & REINECKE, A.J. 2002 Lysosomal response of earthworm ( Eisenia fetida ) coelomocytes to the fungicide copper oxychloride and relation to ecologically relevant endpoints. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 21: 1026 – 1031.
REINECKE, AJ, MABOETA , MS , VERMEULEN , LA and REINECKE, SA 2002. Assessment of lead nitrate and Mancozeb toxicity in earthworms using the avoidance response. Bulletin of Environmental Toxicology and Contamination 68: 779 – 786.
REINECKE, A.J, HELLING, B, LOUW, P.J.E., FOURIE, J. & REINECKE , S.A . 2002 The impact of different herbicide treatments and cover crops on soil biological activity vineyards in the Western Cape , South Africa . Pedobiologia 46: 475 - 484
MABOETA, M.S. REINECKE, SA . & REINECKE, AJ . 2002 The relation between lysosomal biomarker and population responses in a field population of Microchaetus sp (Oligochaeta) exposed to the fungicide copper oxychloride. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 52 :280-287.
SNYMAN, R.G., REINECKE, A.J. & REINECKE , S.A . 2002. The field application of a lysosome assay as biomarker of copper oxychloride exposure in the snail, Helix aspersa . Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 69:117-122
REINECKE, A.J., REINECKE, S.A ., & MABOETA, M.S. 2001. Cocoon production and viability as endpoints in toxicity testing of heavy metals with three earthworm species. Pedobiologia. 45:61- 68
REINECKE, A.J., REINECKE, S.A ., MUSIBONO, D.E. & CHAPMAN, A.A. 2001. The transfer of lead (Pb) from earthworms to shrews ( Myosorex varius ). Arch. Environ. Cont. Toxicol . 39: 392–397
VERMEULEN, L.A. , REINECKE, A.J. & REINECKE, S.A . 2001. Evaluation of the fungicide manganese-zinc ethylene bis (dithiocarbamate) (Mangozeb) for sublethal and acute toxicity to Eisenia fetida (Oligochaeta). Ecotox. Environ. Safety 48:183-189
HELLING, B., REINECKE , S.A. & REINECKE, A.J. 2000. Effects of the fungicide copper oxychloride on the growth and reproduction of Eisenia fetida (Oligochaeta). Ecotox. Environ. Safety. 46: 108 -116.
SNYMAN, R.G., REINECKE, S.A . & REINECKE, A.J. 2000. Haemocytic lysosome response in the snail Helix aspersa after exposure to the fungicide copper oxychloride. Ecotox. Environ. Safety. 39:480 - 485.
Books:
REINECKE, A.J . & REINECKE , S.A . 2004 Earthworms as test organisms in ecotoxicological assessment of the impact of toxicants on ecosystems. In: Earthworm Ecology . C.A. Edwards (Ed.) CRC Press, Boca Raton . pp.299-327.
REINECKE, A.J, VAN GESTEL, C.A.M. & REINECKE , S.A. 2004. Using biomarkers in soil organisms for assessing bioavailablity and toxicity of environmental toxicants. In Soil Animals and Sustainable Development, W. Z. Mikhail (ed), Inst. of African Research and Studies, Cairo University, Egypt. 427 - 447.
Current International Collaboration
The Netherlands
Dr.Ir. C.A.M. (Kees) van Gestel
Department of Animal Ecology,
Institute of Ecological Science
Vrije Universiteit
Amsterdam
Prof. Dr. Herman Eijsackers
Voorsitter Wetenschappelijke Adviesraad
Wageningen Universiteit & Researchcentrum
Wageningen
Germany
Prof. Dr. Otto Larink
Zoologisches Institut der TU Braunschweig
Spielmannstr.
8 38106 Braunschweig
France
Dr. Annette Gomot-de Vaufleury
Department of Biology and ecophysiology
University of France-Compte
Besançon
Dr. Daniel Cluzeau
Paimpont Research Station
University of Rennes
Bretagne
Switzerland
Dr. Otto Daniel
FAL
Zürich
Norway
Prof. J?rgen Stenersen
Biologisk Institutt,
Program for Toksikologi og økofysiologi
BlindernOslo
Current National Collaboration
Dept. of Botany and Zoology
Stellenbosch
Dr. Amanda Swart
Department of Biochemistry
Stellenbosch
Dr. Reinette Snyman
Department of Life Sciences
Technical University of the Western Cape
Cape Town
Dr. Kobus Slabbert
Department of Radio Biology
iThemba LABS
Somerset West
Cape Town