Influence of dissolved organic matter (DOM) source on copper speciation and toxicity to Brachionus plicatilis

Abstract

Environmental context Organic matter dissolved in water can mitigate toxic effects of copper, which should be taken into account when estimating risks of copper pollution. The composition of this organic matter, however, can vary widely, and these variations might also need to be taken into account. This work addresses the question of organic matter quality and demonstrates that only the amount and not the source influences copper toxicity – good news for risk analysis because it simplifies predictions of the effects of copper in specific receiving waters. Abstract The toxicity of copper in marine systems is dependent on its speciation and bioavailability. Dissolved organic matter (DOM) can complex copper, resulting in decreased bioavailability and hence decreased toxicity. The purpose of this study was to measure acute copper LC50 values (concentration lethal to 50% of the organisms) in natural marine waters in a sensitive organism, and identify the relationships between DOM quality and copper toxicity and speciation. Static acute copper toxicity tests (48-h LC50) were performed using the euryhaline rotifer Brachionus plicatilis. Ion-selective electrode measurements of free copper were performed at the LC50 concentrations to determine the influence of DOM source on copper speciation. LC50 values ranged from 333 to 980nM (21.1 to 62.3µgL–1) with DOC concentrations ranging from 0.55 to 7.57mgCL–1. DOC was found to be protective (R2 = 0.72, P = 0.016); however, the degree of protection decreased as DOC increased. This suggests salt-induced colloid formation could be occurring, resulting in a decrease of binding sites available to complex free copper. Free copper remained fairly constant between each sample site, with an average pCu of 10.14. Overall, this study is consistent with other studies that suggest free copper is the best species for predicting toxicity. Additionally, no significant correlation between DOM source and copper toxicity was observed as compared with total DOC concentration and copper toxicity, suggesting that DOM quality does not need to be taken into account for copper toxicity modelling in salt water.