Toxicity Of Estuarine Sediments Research Articles

The copepod Eurytemora affinis as a relevant species to assess estuarine sediment toxicity: Effects on gene expression and swimming behavior

Compared to freshwater ecosystems, the health status of estuarine waters remains little studied despite their importance for many species. They represent a zone of interest for Human settlements that make them the final sink of pollution in both the water column and sediment. Once in sediments, pollutants could represent a threat to benthic as well as pelagic estuarine species through resuspension events. In the Seine estuary, the copepod Eurytemora affinis has been previously presented as a relevant species to assess resuspended sediment contamination through fitness-related effects at the individual level. The aim of the present study was to use E. affinis copepods to assess estuarine sediment-derived elutriates toxicity at environmental concentrations of particles using a molecular (i.e. transcriptomics) and a behavioral approach. Two sites along the Seine estuary were sampled. The analysis of sediments reveals that both sites have the same granulometric composition and close contamination profiles with the detection of PCBs, PAHs and pyrethroid insecticides. The transcriptomic analysis reveals that exposure to elutriates from both sites triggers the dysregulation of genes involved in biological function as defense response, immunity, ecdysone pathway or neurotoxicity with 66% and 36% of shared genes at the highest concentration for Tancarville and Fatouville. This analysis also reveals a higher count of dysregulated genes in the Fatouville site compared to the Tancarville (271 vs 148) despite their close contamination profile. These results emphasize the molecular approach sensitivity to assess environmental matrix toxicity with E. affinis. The analysis of the swimming behavior of E. affinis did not highlight significant effects after elutriate exposure. However, our strategy to assess E. affinis swimming behavior allows the discrimination of basal swimming behavior i.e. dark/light velocity changes and strong thigmotaxis behavior. Thus, it represents a promising standardized tool to assess copepods swimming behavior in ecotoxicological studies.

Selection of formulated sediment and feeding condition for 10-day spiked-sediment toxicity test with estuarine amphipod Grandidierella japonica

This study was performed to select formulated sediment with appropriate feeding conditions for the evaluation of estuarine sediment toxicity. Grandidierella japonica, which inhabits seawater worldwide, was examined for 10-day survival, and the repeatability was evaluated under nine test conditions. The formulated sediment feeding condition combined with the highest survival rate was applied to evaluate fluoranthene toxicity in the sediment. The KB-T10 feeding condition showed the highest survival rate of 93.5%, with sufficient repeatability (4.6%). In the fluoranthene spiked-sediment toxicity test, the estimated LC50 (95% significance level) was successfully achieved under the KB-T10 condition but not under the OE-T10 condition. Therefore, we propose the use of TetraMin® (1 mg/org./day) and Kemble sediment in 10-day static spiked-sediment toxicity tests with G. japonica. Further improvements are needed for OECD sediment in seawater to increase the survival rate and prevent chemical loss due to overlying water renewal.

Estuarine sediment toxicity testing with an indigenous subtropical amphipod

This study reports on a sediment toxicity test developed with a native amphipod strain of Ptilohyale barbicornis where sediments from 10 estuarine stations along the western coastline of Taiwan were evaluated with respect to trace metals and PAHs. The test was validated by determining dose–response relationships for aqueous copper, and cadmium and sodium dodecyl sulfate as well as copper-spiked sediment, showing a sensitivity of P. barbicornis indicating its capability serving as a toxicity test species. A significant negative correlation between growth effects after 28 days of exposure to field-collected contaminated sediments and PAHs concentrations was observed. Similarly, the chronic toxicity test showed that growth was mostly inhibited compared to controls, body lengths in particular being significantly different from controls (p < 0.05). Various estuarine sediment pollutants in the quality guidelines can be further evaluated using P. barbicornis to understand their comprehensive biological effects and ecological risks.

Assessment of the ecotoxicity of urban estuarine sediment using benthic and pelagic copepod bioassays.

Urban estuarine sediments are sinks to a range of contaminants of anthropogenic origin, and a key challenge is to characterize the risk of these compounds to receiving environments. In this study, the toxicity of urban estuarine sediments was tested using acute and chronic bioassays in the benthic harpacticoid Quinquelaophonte sp., and in the planktonic calanoid Gladioferens pectinatus, two New Zealand copepod species. The sediment samples from the estuary tributary sites significantly impacted reproduction in Quinquelaophonte sp. However, results from one of the estuary sites were not significantly different to those from the tributaries sites, suggesting that chemicals other than trace metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and ammonia may be the causative stressors. Sediment elutriate samples had significant effects on reproductive endpoints in G. pectinatus, and on the induction of DNA damage in cells, as shown by the comet assay. The results indicate that sediment contamination at the Ahuriri Estuary has the potential to impact biological processes of benthic and pelagic organisms. The approach used provides a standardized methodology to assess the toxicity of estuarine sediments.

Emergent synergistic lysosomal toxicity of chemical mixtures in molluscan blood cells (hemocytes).

The problem of effective assessment of risk posed by complex mixtures of toxic chemicals in the environment is a major challenge for government regulators and industry. The biological effect of the individual contaminants, where these are known, can be measured; but the problem lies in relating toxicity to the multiple constituents of contaminant cocktails. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that diverse contaminant mixtures may cause a greater toxicity than the sum of their individual parts, due to synergistic interactions between contaminants with different intracellular targets. Lysosomal membrane stability in hemocytes from marine mussels was used for invitro toxicity tests; and was coupled with analysis using the isobole method and a linear additive statistical model. The findings from both methods have shown significant emergent synergistic interactions between environmentally relevant chemicals (i.e., polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, pesticides, biocides and a surfactant) when exposed to isolated hemocytes as a mixture of 3 & 7 constituents. The results support the complexity-based hypothesis that emergent toxicity occurs with increasing contaminant diversity, and raises questions about the validity of estimating toxicity of contaminant mixtures based on the additive toxicity of single components. Further experimentation is required to investigate the potential for interactive effects in mixtures with more constituents (e.g., 50-100) at more environmentally realistic concentrations in order to test other regions of the model, namely, very low concentrations and high diversity. Estimated toxicant diversity coupled with tests for lysosomal damage may provide a potential tool for determining the toxicity of estuarine sediments, dredge spoil or contaminated soil.

A short-term laboratory and in situ sediment assay based on the postexposure feeding of the estuarine isopod Cyathura carinata

In situ assays based on feeding depression have been proposed as sublethal assays able to assess immediate contaminant effects on key ecosystem functions, long before effects on life-history traits can be detected. The in situ peculiarities provide more realistic exposure scenarios than laboratory-controlled conditions, which is particularly relevant for estuarine ecosystems where environmental conditions are highly variable. In this context, we developed a short-term cost-effective in situ assay based on the postexposure feeding of the estuarine species, Cyathura carinata, through the following steps: i) develop a methodology to quantify feeding under laboratory conditions; ii) quantify the sensitivity of the postexposure feeding response under laboratory conditions; iii) deploy the in situ assay at various field sites covering different environmental variables in a reference estuary and degrees of contamination in a contaminated estuary to, respectively, derive a model to predict postexposure feeding rates across sites varying in environmental variables and evaluate the potential of this in situ tool to assess sediment contamination in estuaries. A quantity of 100 defrosted nauplii of Artemia franciscana per isopod given during a short period of 30min in darkness was adequate to allow estimating precise postexposure feeding rates.Laboratory toxicity tests showed the high sensitivity of postexposure feeding to Cd as a sublethal endpoint for C. carinata (7-fold lower than the corresponding 48-h LC50). However, this species appears to be able to face high concentrations of non-essential metals as Cd, with 96-h LC50 values (37mg Cd/L) higher than values reported for other isopods, and among the highest concentrations reported for saltwater invertebrates. Results of in situ deployments at reference sites indicated that sediment with size fraction between 63–125µm (very fine sand) influences feeding rates. The in situ assay across contaminated sites was able to discriminate between unpolluted and polluted estuaries, and also to detect degrees of toxicity among sampling sites within an estuary, after statistically adjusting feeding rates on the basis of the proportion of the sediment very fine sand influencing baseline feeding rates. The in situ postexposure feeding assay with C. carinata was found to be, therefore, a potential useful cost-effective tool for estuarine sediment toxicity assessments.

Regional assessment of marine and estuarine sediment toxicity in Southern California, USA

Sediment toxicity was investigated at 222 stations in the Southern California Bight (SCB) during 2008. This represented the first time that assessment methods established by California's new Sediment Quality Objectives program were employed in a survey of this scale. The goal was to determine the extent and magnitude of sediment toxicity in the SCB, how toxicity compared among specific environments, and whether toxicity has changed over the last decade. Two toxicity tests were used: the 10-day amphipod whole sediment survival test with Eohaustorius estuarius and a 48-h embryo development test with the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis exposed at the sediment-water interface. Less than 1 % of the area of the SCB was found to be toxic to the amphipod test. No toxicity was found in offshore stations, but 14 % of embayment areas were toxic to the amphipods. The mussel test identified 13 % of the embayment areas to be toxic. Estuary and marina locations had the greatest areal extent of toxicity for both tests. The two toxicity methods agreed that sediments were not toxic at over half of the stations tested. The mussel test showed a greater magnitude of response than the amphipod. Sediment toxicity was shown to have declined in both extent and magnitude from levels measured in 1998 and 2003.

Relative sensitivities of toxicity test protocols with the amphipods Eohaustorius estuarius and Ampelisca abdita

A series of dose–response experiments was conducted to compare the relative sensitivities of toxicity test protocols using the amphipods Ampelisca abdita and Eohaustorius estuarius. A. abdita is one of the dominant infaunal species in the San Francisco Estuary, and E. estuarius is the primary sediment toxicity species used in the San Francisco Estuary Regional Monitoring Program. Experiments were conducted with a formulated sediment spiked with copper, fluoranthene, chlorpyrifos, and the three pyrethroid pesticides permethrin, bifenthrin, and cypermethrin, all chemicals of concern in this Estuary. The results showed that the protocol with A. abdita was more sensitive to fluoranthene and much more sensitive to copper, while E. estuarius was more sensitive to chlorpyrifos, and much more sensitive to the pyrethroid pesticides. These results, considered in conjunction with those from previous spiking studies [Weston, D.P., 1995. Further development of a chronic Ampelisca abdita bioassay as an indicator of sediment toxicity: summary and conclusions. In: Regional Monitoring Program for Trace Substances Annual Report. San Francisco Estuary Institute, Oakland, CA, pp 108–115; DeWitt, T.E., Swartz, R.C., Lamberson, J.O., 1989. Measuring the acute toxicity of estuarine sediments. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 8: 1035–1048; DeWitt, T.H.E., Pinza, M.R., Niewolny, L.A., Cullinan, V.I., Gruendell, B.D., 1997. Development and evaluation of a standard marine/estuarine chronic sediment toxicity method using Leptocheirus plumulosus. Draft report prepared for the US Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Science and Technology, Washington DC, under contract DE-AC06-76RLO 1830 by Batelle Marine Science Laboratory, Battelle Memorial Institute, Pacific Northwest Division, Richland, WA], suggest that, in general, A. abdita is more sensitive to metals, E. estuarius is more sensitive to pesticides, and both protocols have roughly comparable sensitivities to hydrocarbons. The preponderance of evidence from previous field studies indicate that E. estuarius is considerably more responsive to ambient sediment samples [Bay, S.M., Gries, T.H., Anderson, B.S., Phillips, B.M., Field, J.L., Moore, D.W., Greenstein, D.J., 2005. Comparison of marine amphipod test species responsiveness to contaminated sediments. In: Conference Proceeding: Annual Meeting of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. SETAC, Baltimore, Maryland; Anderson, B.S., Hunt, B.M., Thompson, B., Lowe, S., Taberski, K., Carr, R.S., in press. Patterns and trends in sediment toxicity in the San Francisco estuary. Environ. Res.]. One reason for this may be that tube building behavior of A. abdita isolates this species from contaminants in pore water, and results from the current experiments partially support this hypothesis.

Toxicity ranking of estuarine sediments on the basis of Sparus aurata biomarkers

Sparus aurata biomarkers were used to rank sediments from the Sado River estuary (Portugal) according to their toxicity. Initially, the activities of liver ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase, liver and gill glutathione S-transferases, muscle lactate dehydrogenase, and brain acetylcholinesterase were tested in a laboratory bioassay with the reference compound benzo[a]pyrene. Enzymatic activities were determined in different tissues of fish exposed for 48, 96, or 240 h to three concentrations of benzo[a]pyrene (25, 50, and 100 microg/L). Induction of liver ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase was observed at all the exposure periods and concentrations, suggesting a continuous response of this system to toxicant exposure. Induction of liver glutathione S-transferases activity was only observed after 240 h of exposure, whereas gill glutathione S-transferases activity was significantly inhibited at all the exposure periods, suggesting a direct or indirect effect of the toxicant on these enzymes. Inhibition of lactate dehydrogenases activity was only observed after 96 h of exposure to 25 microg/L of benzo[a]pyrene. No significant effects were observed on acetylcholinesterase activity, suggesting that cholinergic function of S. aurata is not affected by benzo[a]pyrene. In a second phase, fish were exposed for 240 h to sediments collected at five sites of the Sado River estuary, and the same biomarkers were analyzed. For all the enzymes assayed, significant differences among sites were found. In this study, the battery of biomarkers used allowed to discrimination among sites with different types of contamination, levels of contamination, or both, after multivariate data analysis. Discrimination of sites was similar to the ranking provided by a more complex and parallel study (including chemical analysis of sediments, macrobenthic community analysis, amphipod mortality toxicity tests, and sea urchin abnormality embryo assays), suggesting its suitability to evaluate the toxicity of estuarine sediments.

Hydrobia ulvae feeding rates: A novel way to assess sediment toxicity

Standard acute toxicity tests are widely used to assess contaminated sediments. However, such tests last 10 d or more and only provide information regarding lethality. Here, we present data concerning the use of a 28-d growth test and a 24-h test using feeding rate, as measured by egestion rate, of the marine snail Hydrobia ulvae. The test was used to assess the toxicity of estuarine sediments from a gradient of heavy metal contamination, and its sensitivity and ease of use were compared with those of 10-d tests using the amphipod crustacean Corophium volutator. Mortality of C. volutator and H. ulvae in 10-d lethal toxicity tests showed similar patterns of sensitivity. Lethality tests with both species showed no effects when carried out using sediments from a number of sites at which ecological impacts are known to occur. By contrast, growth over 28 d in H. ulvae was reduced at all sites where other studies have detected adverse ecological effects. Feeding rate after 24 h also was decreased at moderately contaminated sites where sediments were not acutely toxic, and it was a very good predictor of 28-d growth (r2 = 0.74). Both tests were straightforward to carry out, so H. ulvae has considerable potential as a test organism for chronic toxicity.

Estuarine sediment toxicity tests on diatoms: Sensitivity comparison for three species

Experimental populations of three marine and estuarine diatoms were exposed to sediments with different levels of pollutants, collected from the Aveiro Lagoon (NW of Portugal). The species selected were Cylindrotheca closterium, Phaeodactylum tricornutum and Navicula sp. Previous experiments were designed to determine the influence of the sediment particle size distribution on growth of the species assayed. Percentage of silt-sized sediment affect to growth of the selected species in the experimental conditions: the higher percentage of silt-sized sediment, the lower growth. In any case, percentages of silt-sized sediment less than 10% did not affect growth. In general, C. closterium seems to be slightly more sensitive to the selected sediments than the other two species. Two groups of sediment samples were determined as a function of the general response of the exposed microalgal populations: three of the six samples used were more toxic than the other three. Chemical analysis of the samples was carried out in order to determine the specific cause of differences in toxicity. After a statistical analysis, concentrations of Sn, Zn, Hg, Cu and Cr (among all physico-chemical analyzed parameters), in order of importance, were the most important factors that divided the two groups of samples (more and less toxic samples). Benthic diatoms seem to be sensitive organisms in sediment toxicity tests. Toxicity data from bioassays involving microphytobentos should be taken into account when environmental risks are calculated.

Amphipod acute and chronic sediment toxicity assessment in estuarine environmental monitoring: An example from Ria de Aveiro, NW Portugal

This paper presents a comprehensive estuarine sediment toxicity survey, using acute and full life-cycle tests with an indigenous species, the amphipod Corophium multisetosum. In the acute test, adult specimens were exposed to sediments from 144 sites for 10 days. In the full life-cycle test, 5–7 days old specimens, obtained in laboratory cultures, were exposed during 21 days to sediments from 56 sites. Three endpoints were considered: survival, for the acute and the chronic test and fecundity (number of gravid females per replicate at the end of the exposure) and growth (weight increase), for the chronic test. In the acute tests, adult survival was high overall and almost no stressed areas could be recognized in the estuary. This image was not reflected by the chronic endpoints, in particular growth and fecundity, which, corrected for the number of survivors, was the most affected descriptor. The chronic data could not be related to the baseline sediment variables analysed (grain-size, total organic content and redox potential), suggesting that these play no part in the biological responses. Results indicate that a tiered sediment bioassessment approach including an initial comprehensive ecotoxicological screening phase should not rely solely upon acute responses, although these are obtained from simpler and more rapid laboratory testing procedures.

A short‐term sublethal in situ toxicity assay with hediste diversicolor (polychaeta) for estuarine sediments based on postexposure feeding

This study evaluated a short-term sublethal endpoint for in situ toxicity assays for estuarine sediments, based on postexposure feeding of the polychaete Hediste (Nereis) diversicolor Müller. A method for precisely quantifying postexposure feeding rates of H. diversicolor was established under laboratory conditions using Artemia franciscana Kellog nauplii. The sensitivity of the postexposure feeding response to copper was investigated by comparing postexposure feeding rates to growth and lethality. The 48-h and 96-h median lethal concentration (LC50) of copper were 241 and 125 microg/L, respectively, whereas the 48-h median inhibitory concentration (IC50) for postexposure feeding and the 20-d IC50 for growth were 52 and 25 microg/L of copper, respectively. The influence of different exposure conditions (substrate, temperature, salinity, food availability, and light) on H. diversicolor postexposure feeding was assessed; temperature and salinity were found to influence significantly postexposure feeding. The effectiveness of the proposed in situ assay was investigated by deploying it at two reference and six contaminated Portuguese estuaries. A 48-h exposure period was followed by a 1-h postexposure feeding period. High organism recoveries (89-100%) were obtained. Postexposure feeding was depressed significantly (17-90%) at all contaminated sites relatively to reference sites. The proposed in situ assay with H. diversicolor was shown to be a potential useful tool for estuarine sediment toxicity testing.

Multi-level assessment of chronic toxicity of estuarine sediments with the amphipod Gammarus locusta: I. Biochemical endpoints

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.

Multi-level assessment of chronic toxicity of estuarine sediments with the amphipod Gammarus locusta: II. Organism and population-level endpoints

This study aimed 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 of 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 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. One of the sandy sediments was acutely toxic at 50% dilution, but in contrast stimulated amphipod growth when diluted 75%. This was presumed to be an indication of a hormetic response. Finally the two remaining contaminated sediments showed pronounced chronic toxicity, affecting survival and reproduction. The sex ratio of survivors was highly biased towards females, and offspring production was severely impaired. The particulars of the responses of this amphipod were examined, as well as strengths versus limitations of the sediment test. This study illustrates the utility of this chronic test for toxicity assessment of contaminated estuarine sediments, with potential application all along Atlantic Europe.

Assessing sediment contamination in estuaries

Historic and ongoing sediment contamination adversely affects estuaries, among the most productive marine ecosystems in the world. However, all estuaries are not the same, and estuarine sediments cannot be treated as either fresh or marine sediments or properly assessed without understanding both seasonal and spatial estuarine variability and processes, which are reviewed. Estuaries are physicochemically unique, primarily because of their variable salinity but also because of their strong gradients in other parameters, such as temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, redox potential, and amount and composition of particles. Salinity (overlying and interstitial) varies spatially (laterally, vertically) and temporally and is the controlling factor for partitioning of contaminants between sediments and overlying or interstitial water. Salinity also controls the distribution and types of estuarine biota. Benthic infauna are affected by interstitial salinities that can be very different than overlying salinities, resulting in large-scale seasonal species shifts in salt wedge estuaries. There are fewer estuarine species than fresh or marine species (the paradox of brackish water). Chemical, toxicological, and community-level assessment techniques for estuarine sediment are reviewed and assessed, including chemistry (grain size effects, background enrichment, bioavailability, sediment quality values, interstitial water chemistry), biological surveys, and whole sediment toxicity testing (single-species tests, potential confounding factors, community level tests, laboratory-to-field comparisons). Based on this review, there is a clear need to tailor such assessment techniques specifically for estuarine environments. For instance, bioavailability models including equilibrium partitioning may have little applicability to estuarine sediments, appropriate reference comparisons are difficult in biological surveys, and there are too few full-gradient estuarine sediment toxicity tests available. Specific recommendations are made to address these and other issues.

Acute and sublethal toxicity of estuarine sediments to the Manila clam,Tapes semidecussatus

Acute and sublethal toxicity of surface sediments collected from five coastal and estuarine sites around the Irish coast were assessed in October 1997 using a whole sediment toxicity bioassay. Six hundred individuals of the estuarine bivalve, Tapes semidecussatus (1+ age class) were exposed to field-collected sediments for a period of 21 days. Survival, biometric, behavioral, biochemical, and histochemical measurements were taken before, during, and following exposure. Between 93 and 98% mortality was observed in clams exposed to sediments collected from Dublin and Bantry Bays, respectively. One hundred percent survival was observed in both reference and control sediments during the study. There was significant variation in burrowing behavior of the clams observed during the study. Glycogen levels in the soft tissue of all animals decreased during the bioassay. There was no association between metal (Zn, Pb, and Cu) concentrations in the dry flesh of clams exposed to sediments and sediment metal (Zn, Pb, and Cu) levels. Lipofuscin accumulation was observed in the digestive diverticula of clams exposed to all contaminated sediments with the exception of the reference and control sediments. The potential of T. semidecussatus as a bioassay species of estuarine sediments is discussed. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Environ Toxicol 15: 456–468, 2000

Effects of storage temperature and duration on toxicity of sediments assessed by Crassostrea gigas oyster embryo bioassay

AbstractThe effects of temperature and duration of storage on the toxicity of estuarine sediments were investigated with the Crassostrea gigas oyster embryo bioassay. Sediments ranging from unpolluted (controls) to extremely polluted with heavy metals (&gt;100 ppm Hg, Cu, Zn, and Pb) and total hydrocarbons (&gt;1,000 ppm) were collected from sites in southwest France and northern Spain. Control sediments were toxic only at the highest concentrations tested and after freezing in liquid nitrogen (−196°C). Polluted sediments significantly reduced the success of oyster embryogenesis. Analysis of variance showed that the effect of storage temperature on toxicity increased with the prolongation of storage. Prolonged storage of fresh (4°C) sediments resulted in a loss of toxicity, which was more rapid in the less‐polluted sediments. Deep‐frozen sediments (−196°C) were highly toxic regardless of origin and storage time, and because deep‐freezing causes spurious toxicity in the control samples, it cannot be recommended for toxicological studies. In the context of the assessment of sediment toxicity by embryo–larval bioassays, fresh (4°C) storage is recommended when sediments need to be stored for no longer than a few days. The advisable duration of fresh storage to avoid false‐negative results is directly related to the degree of toxicity. Should the sediments require prolonged storage, freezing at −20°C appears to be the best choice.

Erratum to: Salinity Tolerance Daphnia magna and Potential Use for Estuarine Sediment Toxicity Tests

Erratum to: Salinity Tolerance Daphnia magna and Potential Use for Estuarine Sediment Toxicity Tests

Testing sediment toxicity in chesapeake bay with the amphipod Leptocheirus plumulosus: An evaluation

AbstractOrganisms selected for testing the toxicity of estuarine sediments must exhibit sensitivity to toxicants while remaining tolerant of wide ranges of salinities and sediment characteristics. The amphipod Leptocheirus plumulosus Shoemaker is an ecologically important infaunal inhabitant of Chesapeake Bay sediments. Leptocheirus plumulosus was exposed to a range of salinities and sediments varying in physical composition for up to 28 d in separate experiments to determine effects of natural environmental variables on amphipod survival and reproduction. No significant differences in adult survival were observed among salinity treatments ranging from 1.5 to 32 ppt or among sediment treatments varying in particle size and organic content. Significant effects on reproductive end points were detected, indicating the potential for incorporating sublethal end points into the bioassay. Acute 96‐h LC50 values for aqueous cadmium at a salinity of 6 ppt were determined for Leptocheirus plumulosus and the amphipod Hyalella azteca Saussure, an organism commonly used in freshwater sediment toxicity tests. The LC50 values were 0.30 mg Cd per liter and 0.19 mg Cd per liter for Leptocheirus plumulosus and Hyalella azteca, respectively.