Branchiura sowerbyi Reared in Two Sediments for Ecotoxicological Bioassays

Abstract

The present work compared the survival, growth, and reproduction of Branchiura sowerbyi reared in natural sediment and in artificial tropical sediment (composed of sand, clay, and coconut fibers). The artificial tropical sediment, in the tested composition, appeared not to be suitable for conducting bioassays with this species, since the results showed a high mortality of the juveniles and low reproduction of adults as compared to those observed for the natural sediment.