The amphipod Orchomenella pinguis – A potential bioindicator for contamination in the Arctic

Local anthropogenic contamination affects the fecundity and reproductive success of an Arctic amphipod

“…For the West Greenland marine ecosystem we suggest the benthic amphipod Orchomenella pinguis (Lysianassidae) as a useful bioindicator species, since it is a highly common macroinvertebrate in the area (Bach et al 2009). Further, O. pinguis is, like other lysianassid species, important in the benthic food chain where it forms an essential link by decomposing organic matter and as a food item for vertebrate predators such as fish and birds (De Lange et al 2005, Ide et al 2005.…”

“…Further, O. pinguis is, like other lysianassid species, important in the benthic food chain where it forms an essential link by decomposing organic matter and as a food item for vertebrate predators such as fish and birds (De Lange et al 2005, Ide et al 2005. In addition, this species is relatively stationary, present in huge densities, easy to sample and has a circumpolar distribution (Horner & Murphy 1985, Sainte-Marie 1986a,b, 1991, Legezynska et al 2000, Bach et al 2009). …”

“…This has resulted in a fjord contaminated with e.g. polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals (Bach et al 2009; summarized in Table 1). However, at all sites (including inside the harbor and at the hospital wastewater outlet) where sampling was attempted, Orchomenella pinguis occurred in large densities despite high contamination levels, indicating that this species has high capacity to adapt to live in contaminated environments.…”

“…This study is based on previous findings of dense occurrences of O. pinguis at both clean and highly contaminated sites (Bach et al 2009). The overall objective of this study was to investigate if adaptation to life in contaminated areas carries a cost in terms of reduced fecundity (i.e.…”

“…(Fig. 1) were selected based on knowledge of local contamination sources and levels (summarized in Table 1) from a previous study (Bach et al 2009) and additional data for tributyltin (TBT) analyzed as described by Strand et al (2006). Three sites (sites 1 to 3) are located within the fjord, close to point sources:…”