Determining the bioavailability of contaminants and assessing the quality of sediments

Marklevitz, Stephen Ac; Almeida, Elizabete; Flemming, Joanna Mills; Hellou, Jocelyne

doi:10.1065/jss2008.02.275.1

Cited by 12 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…The behavioural response of mud snails relative to harbour sediments was also studied (Marklevitz et al 2008a, b). Experiments were modified with time going from using two sediments overlaid with seawater to only one sediment overlaid with variable amounts of seawater or to using only seawater (Hellou et al 2009a; Erskine et al 2010).…”

Section: Research Integrating Body Residue and Behaviourmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Snails offered two choices of sediments avoided harbour sediments, and the response was statistically more pronounced between the 48- and 72-h period (Marklevitz et al 2008a, b). The snails also moved away from sediments containing solvent extracts obtained from harbour sediments or containing a mixture of the seven abundant PAH tested with amphipods.…”

Section: Research Integrating Body Residue and Behaviourmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Behavioural ecotoxicology, an “early warning” signal to assess environmental quality

Hellou

2010

Environ Sci Pollut Res

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266

154

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BackgroundIn this review, the position of behavioural ecotoxicology within the available means to assess the status of marine environments is described as filling the gap for the needed “early warning” signals. A few examples of studies performed since the 1960s are discussed to highlight the sensitivity of these approaches in investigating the effects of chemicals, including priority pollutants and emerging contaminants, relative to conventional toxicity tests measuring survival.DiscussionThe advantage of the behavioural response is due to the integration of biochemical and physiological processes that reflect changes at higher levels of organisation with ecological relevance. Avoidance often represents a behavioural symptom easily detected in many animals exposed to contaminants and would be a useful test to explore more widely. This rapid response would reflect a defence mechanism protective against further exposure and the potential development of more pronounced deleterious effects, whilst in some cases, escape could lead to the relocation of a species with negative consequences. An investigation of the avoidance behaviour of mud shrimp, Corophium volutator, along with the chemical analyses of sediments and amphipods to assess the quality of harbour sediments is summarised. The body burden of the amphipods was 1,000 times lower than the one associated with narcosis, emphasizing the sensitivity of this endpoint. The application of this acute toxicity test is briefly compared to additional work that involved intertidal mussels collected in the field.ConclusionsRecent research undertaken with mud snails, Ilyanassa obsoleta, and harbour sediments confirmed the usefulness of the escape behaviour as an assessment tool. However, the limits of the state of knowledge regarding the fate of contaminants in species with the ability to metabolise contaminants is further discussed along with directions to be pursued to address questions arising from the reviewed literature.

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Section: Research Integrating Body Residue and Behaviourmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Research Integrating Body Residue and Behaviourmentioning

confidence: 99%

Behavioural ecotoxicology, an “early warning” signal to assess environmental quality

Hellou

2010

Environ Sci Pollut Res

Self Cite

266

154

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Avoidance of contaminated sediments by an amphipod (Melita plumulosa), A harpacticoid copepod (Nitocra spinipes), and a snail (Phallomedusa solida)

Ward

Simpson

Jolley

2012

Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry

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Abstract-The distribution of contaminants is seldom homogeneous in aquatic systems. In the present study, the avoidance response of Melita plumulosa, Nitocra spinipes, and Phallomedusa solida when exposed to contaminated sediments was investigated. Test vessels were designed to allow the congruent placement of two sediments and assessment of the movement of organisms between the sediments. When exposed to reference sediment, each species dispersed evenly between test chambers regardless of differences in sediment particle size. In the presence of contaminated sediment, the magnitude and rate of avoidance varied. Avoidance assays showed that test species avoided contaminated sediment as early as 6, 6, and 24 h following exposure for N. spinipes, P. solida, and M. plumulosa, respectively. The 48-h avoidance response of M. plumulosa for nine contaminated sediments of varying toxicity showed that avoidance was generally greater for sediments which elicited greater 10-d lethality to this species. The study demonstrated that each of these species has the ability to respond to chemical cues in the environment to inhabit sediment that provides the best opportunity for survival. The avoidance response for each species indicates the potential for developing rapid screening methods to assess sediment quality. Evidence suggests that avoidance was related to sediment toxicity and that static 10-d toxicity methods are likely to overestimate toxicity for species, which would avoid contamination in heterogeneous field settings. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 2013;32:644-652. # 2012 SETAC

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Measuring the avoidance behaviour shown by the snail Hydrobia ulvae exposed to sediment with a known contamination gradient

2011

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This study tested the hypothesis that the snail Hydrobia ulvae will recognise differences in the contamination levels of sediment and avoid the more contaminated zones. Instead of testing avoidance behaviour in a two-compartment system, a linear contamination gradient has been devised in which several zones containing sediment with different contamination levels could be "chosen". A sediment of known severe contamination was collected and mixed with a non-toxic sediment to comprise a linear gradient with four concentrations of 0, 30, 60 and 100% contamination. Thus, the individuals were free to move between fields of different concentration (unforced conditions). During 24 h of exposure, the distribution of the organisms on fields was recorded and organisms' percentage that avoided each field was calculated for each concentration. At 30 and 60% of contamination, avoidance was around 50% for all periods of exposure. Avoidance at 100% contamination ranged between 11 and 56% (rates lower than expected). Organisms that did not avoid the 100% contamination revealed that they were inactive, indicating either that non-mobility and retraction within their shell may be alternative defence strategies, or else the high contamination may have impaired their ability to escape. The percentage of preference shown to the uncontaminated sediment ranged between 64 and 74%. The initial hypothesis was supported: H. ulvae avoids the more contaminated sediment. The assay proposed has been shown to be simple, rapid and effective; in addition, it is considered ecologically useful since the effects resulting from the avoidance are similar to the extinction of the population.

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Determining the bioavailability of contaminants and assessing the quality of sediments

Cited by 12 publications

References 20 publications

Behavioural ecotoxicology, an “early warning” signal to assess environmental quality

Behavioural ecotoxicology, an “early warning” signal to assess environmental quality

Avoidance of contaminated sediments by an amphipod (Melita plumulosa), A harpacticoid copepod (Nitocra spinipes), and a snail (Phallomedusa solida)

Measuring the avoidance behaviour shown by the snail Hydrobia ulvae exposed to sediment with a known contamination gradient

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