ABSTRACT
Aquatic toxicology is the study of the effects of manufactured chemicals and other anthropogenic and natural materials and activities on aquatic organisms at various levels of organization, from subcellular through individual organisms to communities and ecosystems. There are various perspectives on the origin, development, and landmark events of aquatic toxicology. A working knowledge of aquatic ecology, one or more biological subdisciplines such as physiology, biochemistry, histology, and behavior, and environmental chemistry is required to understand the effects of toxic agents on aquatic organisms. The physical and chemical properties of aquatic ecosystems can have a profound effect on the biological activity and impact of chemicals and xenobiotics. The high latent heat of vaporization of water also stabilizes the temperature of aquatic systems and land masses. The latent heat of vaporization is the amount of heat required for the vaporization of 1 g of water.
