Acute Toxicity Bioassay with the Amphipod, Grandidierella bonnieroides S. After Exposure to Sediments from an Urban Estuary (Macae´ River Estuary, RJ, Brazil) (original) (raw)
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Ecotoxicological assessment of sediments from the Santos and São Vicente estuarine system- Brazil
Brazilian Journal of Oceanography, 2006
Sediments represent an important repository of pollutants and a source of contamination for the aquatic food web. Toxicity tests using amphipods as test-organisms have been employed in the assessment of marine and estuarine sediments, together with chemical analyses. The present work aimed to evaluate the quality of sediments from six stations situated in the Santos and São Vicente Estuarine and Harbour System (São Paulo - Brazil) using acute whole sediment toxicity tests with amphipods (Tiburonella viscana) and chemical analyses of metals, PCB's, and PAH's. Other sediment parameters, such as organic carbon and grain size distribution were also analysed. Higher contamination levels were observed in the internal portion of the estuary, where Santos harbour and the industrial zone are located. The toxicity tests showed significant adverse results for most of the samples tested, and the sediments from the internal portion of the estuary presented the highest toxicity. The principal component analyses (PCA) indicated a close relationship between sediment contamination and toxicity. Positive correlation of these factors in the samples studied was used to establish the ranges of the chemical concentrations associated with adverse effects. Such ranges allowed the estimation of preliminary effect threshold values for sediment contamination, by means of multivariate analysis. These suggested values are: Cu, 69.0; Pb, 17.4; Zn, 73.3 (mg.kg-1); PAHs, 0.5 (mg.kg-1) and PCBs, 0.1 (µg.kg-1).
Short- and Long-Term Sediment Toxicity Test Methods with the Amphipod Grandidierella Japonica
Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 1989
Methods are described for conducting flow-through sediment toxicity tests with the marine amphipod Grundidierellu juponicu. exposures were conducted at 15°C in I-liter beakers containing a 2-cm layer of sediment and 700 ml overlying seawater. Long-term (28-d) tests were conducted in I-liter beakers at 19°C with the weekly addition of food to the test chambers. Both methods were used to measure the toxicity of sediments from five locations in southern California. These sites included highly contaminated areas adjacent to large municipal wastewater outfalls and within industrialized harbors.
The present study aimed to evaluate the toxic potential of superficial sediments collected in Areia Branca harbor (AB) and Potengi River Estuary (PR). Both areas are situated in Rio Grande do Norte state and are under pressure of anthropogenic activities. Particle size, calcium carbonate content, organic matter, and Fe, Cd, Cu and Zn levels of all samples were analyzed. Acute toxicity assays using the amphipod Tiburonella viscana were performed with whole sediment samples, as well as chronic assays using copepods Tisbe biminiensis and Nitocra sp were conducted with samples from AB and PR, respectively. Principal component analysis (PCA) was performed to observe relationships between sediment variables and toxicity. The sediment analyses showed influence of anthropogenic sources for metals, especially Cu and Zn, while bioassays revealed toxicity in most samples from both areas (acute and chronic effects). PCA results showed the contribution of contamination sources on toxicity and an unexpected relationship between toxicity and CaCO 3 rich sediments. These results emphasize the need for further studies to elucidate the relationship of calcium carbonates with contaminants in sediments, as well as the necessity of an integrated assessment using different lines of evidence (LOE) in order to subsidize the environmental management of tropical marine environments. Resumo. Avaliação da toxicidade dos sedimentos do Terminal Portuário offshore de Areia Branca e do Estuário do Rio Potengi (RN), Nordeste do Brasil. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar o potencial tóxico de sedimentos coletados no Porto de Areia Branca e no Estuário do Rio Potengi, localizados na zona costeira do estado do Rio Grande do Norte e sujeitas a atividades antrópicas. As amostras de sedimentos foram caracterizadas quanto a granulometria, teores de carbonatos de cálcio e matéria orgânica, além dos metais Fe, Cd, Cu e Z. Testes com sedimento integral foram empregados para avaliar a toxicidade aguda usando o anfípodo Tiburonella viscana e para avaliar a toxicidade crônica foram utilizados os copépodos Tisbe biminiensis e Nitocra sp. Objetivando identificar associações entre as variáveis, foi empregada a Análise de Componentes Principais (PCA). Os resultados mostram a influência de fontes antrópicas para os metais analisados, principalmente Cu e Zn, além da toxicidade observada na maioria das amostras. O uso da PCA evidenciou a contribuição da contaminação para a toxicidade além da associação não esperada dos efeitos biológicos com sedimentos ricos em carbonatos. Estes resultados reafirmam a necessidade estudos complementares para elucidar a relação dos carbonatos de cálcio com contaminantes em sedimento, além da necessidade de avaliações integradas usando diferentes linhas de evidências (LOE) no sentido de subsidiar a gestão ambiental em ambientes marinhos tropicais. Palavras chave: qualidade de sedimentos, poluição marinha, testes de toxicidade, ambientes marinhos tropicais
This study aimed to evaluate the environmental quality of the marine portion of Xixová-Japuí State Park (XJSP), an urban marine protected area, which is influenced by multiple contamination sources, by using ecotoxicological and geochemical analyses. Sediments were predominantly sandy, with low CaCO 3 and organic matter contents, and presented contamination by metals (Cd, Cu, Zn). Acute toxicity was detected in three tested samples, and copepod exposed to sediments from four stations exhibited lower fecundi-ties, despite the absence of significant effects. Contamination and toxicity seemed to be associated, suggesting that the environment is degraded and presents risks to the biota. Whole sediment TIE indicated ammonia as a main responsible for toxicity, suggesting sewage is a main contributor to sediment degradation. As external contamination sources seem to be negatively influencing the sediment quality, the park conservation objectives are not being fully reached, demanding actions to mitigate impacts.
Marine Environmental Research, 2005
This study was meant to test the performance of the amphipod Gammarus locusta (L.) in chronic sediment toxicity tests. It constitutes part of a multi-level assessment of chronic toxicity of estuarine sediments, integrating organism and population-level endpoints with biochemical markers responses. Here we account for organism and population-level effects, while biomarker responses were reported in a companion article. Five moderately contaminated sediments from Sado and Tagus estuaries were tested, comprising 3 muddy and 2 sandy sediments. These sediments either did not show acute toxicity or were diluted with control sediment as much as required to remove acute toxicity. Subsequent chronic tests consisted in 28-day exposures with survival, individual growth and reproductive traits as endpoints. Two of the muddy sediments induced higher growth rates in the amphipods, and alongside improved reproductive traits. This was understood to be a consequence of the amount of organic matter in the sediment, which was nutritionally beneficial to the amphipods, while concurrently decreasing contaminant bioavailability. Biomarker responses did not reveal toxicant-induced stress in amphipods exposed to these sediments.
Marine Environmental Research, 2007
Acute sediment toxicity tests do not test key life stage events such as moulting and reproduction and therefore do not reveal the longer-term effects of contaminant exposure. A laboratory method is described for determining the chronic toxicity of contaminants associated with whole sediments. The test is conducted using neonates of the estuarine amphipod Corophium volutator at 15 °C, salinity 25 psu and a 12h light:12h dark photoperiod. The endpoints are survival and growth after 28 days and survival, growth and reproduction of amphipods upon termination of test i.e. reproduction within all control vessels (ca75 days). The sediment chronic toxicity test was used to investigate the effects of sediments spiked with environmentally relevant preparations of slightly weathered Alaskan North Slope crude oil, including a water-accommodated-fraction (WAF) and a chemically-dispersed (Corexit 9527) WAF. Sediment oil concentrations were quantified using Ultra-Violet Fluorescence. The amphipods exposed to chemically dispersed oil had higher mortality and lower growth rates than control-, Corexit 9527-and WAF-exposed organisms, resulting in reduced reproduction. The described method supplements the standard acute sediment test and would be particularly useful when long term ecological effects are suspected but acute tests reveal no significant mortality. The sediment chronic test reported herein has shown that sediment that was not evidently toxic during 10-day acute tests could have population-level effects on sediment-dwelling amphipods. M. (2005) Multi-level assessment of chronic toxicity of estuarine sediments with the amphipod Gammarus locusta: II. Organism and populationlevel endpoints. Marine Environmental Research 60: 93-110. de la Huz R., Lastra M., Junoy J., Castellanos C. & Vieitez J. M. (2005) Biological impacts of oil
Marine Environmental Research, 2005
We report on biomarker responses conducted as part of a multi-level assessment of the chronic toxicity of estuarine sediments to the amphipod Gammarus locusta. A companion article accounts for organism and population-level effects. Five moderately contaminated sediments from two Portuguese estuaries, Sado and Tagus, were assessed. Three of them were muddy and two were sandy sediments. The objective was to assess sediments that were not acutely toxic. Three of the sediments met this criterion, the other two were diluted (50% and 75%) with clean sediment until acute toxicity was absent. Following 28-d exposures, the amphipods were analysed for whole-body metal bioaccumulation, metallothionein induction (MT), DNA strand breakage (SB) and lipid peroxidation (LP). Two of the muddy sediments did not cause chronic toxicity. These findings were consistent with responses at organism and population levels that showed higher growth rates and improvement of reproductive traits for amphipods exposed to these two sediments. Two other sediments, one muddy and one sandy, exhibited pronounced chronic toxicity, affecting SB, MT induction (in muddy sediment), survival and reproduction. Potential toxicants involved in these effects were identified. The last sandy sediment exhibited some loss of DNA integrity, however growth was also enhanced. Present results, together with the organism/population-level data, and also benthic communities information, were analysed under a weight-of-evidence approach. By providing evidence of exposure (or lack of it) to contaminants in sediments, the biomarkers here applied assisted in distinguishing toxicants’ impacts in test organisms from the confounding influence of other geochemical features of the sediments.