Relatively high levels of mitochondrial heteroplasmy have been observed in the tick Amblyomma VE-822 ATM/ATR inhibitor cajennense, but the phenomenon has yet to be described in Ixodes. Further in-depth population studies into more populations dispersed throughout the eastern seaboard and states east of the Mississippi would appear to be in order. In addition to the markers we have described here, there are others that could, collectively provide a more robust data set. With the advent of next generation sequencing and overall cost of sequencing becoming more affordable, it will be possible to conduct multi-gene sequencing studies on a population-wide scale. Over the last few decades, heavy metal pollution has become a global problem posing threat on both soil and marine ecosystems, as a result of the mass industrialization and various agricultural activities such as the intensive use of chemical fertilizers, wastewater and biosolids. Many heavy metals accumulate in marine organisms, which may be subsequently transferred to human body via the food chain. Marine algae, particularly seaweeds, are a food source for marine animals such as sea urchins and fishes, and are the base of many marine food webs. For several centuries, there has been a traditional use of seaweeds as food in East-Asian countries, like China, Japan and the Republic of Korea. Sargassum fusiforme, an endemic brown algae from the western coast of the North Pacific, is widely consumed in Japan and Korea. This alga, in great demand, is also cultivated in EastAsian counties, especially in China, where the cultivation area was 2.6% of the entire coastal area for commercial cultivation of seaweeds with a total production reached 32,000 tonnes per year . It is reported that concentration of copper found in standard reference material from China was above 100 mgg 21, indicating a serious Cu pollution in these coastal areas. Although Cu is an essential micronutrient, excessive amount can be extremely harmful to algae. Seaweeds are often exposed to low concentrations of metals including Cu for long periods. In the cases of ocean outfall, they may even abruptly exposed to high levels of metals. In the study of short- and long-term response of the marine green macroalga Ulva fasciata to Cu excess, regulation of mRNA expression involved in redox homeostasis and antioxidant defense were different. In another study, distinct changes in the antioxidant responses to acute or chronic treatment with Cu were observed in the unicellular alga Gonyaulax polyedra, suggesting a different oxidative status of these two types of metal stresses. Thus, it seems that both micro- and macroalgae have different responsive mechanisms to short- and long-term exposures of Cu. Chemical analysis alone is not able to provide a satisfying assessment of the environmental quality of an ecosystem due to the biotransforming of an individual pollutant by living organisms. To gain more information regarding the health state of a particular ecosystem, it is important to monitor the response of biota to the pollutants as well.