Use and limitations of microbial bioassays for assessing copper bioavailability in the aquatic environment

2000 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 255-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
J L Stauber ◽  
C M Davies
Keyword(s):  
Natural Waters ◽  
Biological Effects ◽  
Measurement Techniques ◽  
Sediment Quality ◽  
Copper Toxicity ◽  
Aquatic Systems ◽  
Toxicity Tests ◽  
Test Species ◽  
Guideline Values ◽  
Copper Bioavailability

Although chemical measurement techniques and geochemical speciation modelling may detect and predict the different forms of copper in aquatic systems and hence provide some information about the likely toxicity of the water to aquatic organisms, they do not give direct quantitative data on adverse biological effects. Bioassays or toxicity tests are generic tests that use living organisms as indicators of contaminant bioavailability in aquatic systems. The microbial community, including protozoa, algae, bacteria, and fungi, provides a useful tool for directly assessing the hazard of copper in natural ecosystems. Most of our information on copper toxicity in aquatic systems comes from single-species tests using cultured organisms. However, whole community bioassays with natural phytoplankton and bacterial populations are finding increasing use. Although laboratory toxicity tests using ionic copper spiked into pristine seawater or synthetic softwater provide information on copper toxicity under controlled conditions, their usefulness for estimating bioavailable copper is limited in natural waters, where copper toxicity is ameliorated by complexation and adsorption. Careful selection of appropriately sensitive test species, bioassay endpoints, and test protocols is necessary to ensure the environmental relevance of the bioassays used. An understanding of metal speciation, metal-cell binding, mechanisms of toxicity, and limitations of the bioassays is required to understand copper bioavailability in natural waters and sediments. In this review, the use of bioassays with bacteria and microalgae for assessing copper bioavailability in marine and fresh waters and sediments is discussed, with particular emphasis on the limitations of current techniques. There is an urgent need for more environmentally relevant tests with sufficient sensitivity to detect bioavailable copper at concentrations close to water and sediment quality guideline values. Key words: bioassay, copper, metal, bioavailability, toxicity, bacteria, algae.

Sediment quality assessment using Gmelinoides fasciatus and Monoporeia affinis (Amphipoda, Gammaridea) in the northeastern Baltic Sea

Crustaceana ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 86 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 780-801 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadezhda A. Berezina ◽  
Evita Strode ◽  
Kari K. Lehtonen ◽  
Maija Balode ◽  
Sergey M. Golubkov
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Sediment Quality ◽  
Gulf Of Finland ◽  
Toxicity Tests ◽  
Amphipod Species ◽  
Test Species ◽  
Gmelinoides Fasciatus ◽  
Gulf Of Riga ◽  
Study Sites ◽  
The Gulf Of Finland

Crustaceans in the order Amphipoda are sensitive organisms for the assessment of sediment quality. In this work we performed 10-day toxicity tests on muddy sediments collected from a total of 29 sites in the Gulf of Finland, the Gulf of Riga and the Gulf of Bothnia (northeastern Baltic Sea) using Baltic Sea species such as the native amphipod Monoporeia affinis (Bousfield, 1989) and the invasive amphipod Gmelinoides fasciatus (Stebbing, 1899), and also compared these results with those of bioassays carried out using the standard test species, laboratory-cultivated amphipod Hyalella azteca (Saussure, 1858). The sediment samples (three cm of the upper layer) were collected by a GEMAX Dual Corer during the R/V “Aranda” cruises in August and September of 2009 and 2010. Toxicity of sediments in bioassays with M. affinis and G. fasciatus gave varied results depending on the amphipod species used. The lowest quality of sediments determined using M. affinis was recorded at sites located in the offshore and deepwater areas (60-100 m depths) of the Gulf of Finland characterized by hypoxic/anoxic conditions. Toxicity testing applying G. fasciatus showed that sediments at >50% of the study sites in the Gulf of Finland and in the Gulf of Riga can be assessed as highly contaminated. Males of G. fasciatus were significantly more sensitive to potential contamination in sediments than females. The lower survival of males under contaminant stress may result in a skewed sex ratio in natural populations and in a decline of reproduction success. The survival rate of G. fasciatus in the toxicity tests correlated positively with the Shannon diversity index (calculated for macrozoobenthos at the study sites), weight losses on ignition (%) in sediments, and it also showed a negative relation with the bottom water oxygen content (mg/l). The results suggest that G. fasciatus is the more sensitive species of the three amphipods tested and can be used as a indicator of sediment quality in the Baltic Sea and other water bodies.

scholarly journals GEOCHEMICAL AND ECOTOXICOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF AN ESTUARINE SEDIMENT SECTION AT PACOTI RIVER/CE, BRAZIL

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 151
Author(s):  
Ivanildo Surini De Souza ◽  
Priscila Araújo Da Silva
Keyword(s):  
Marine Invertebrates ◽  
Biological Effects ◽  
Sediment Toxicity ◽  
Sediment Quality ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Toxicity Tests ◽  
Sources Of Pollution ◽  
Toxic Risk ◽  
Contaminant Sources ◽  
Moderate Change

Pacoti estuary is located on the East coast of Ceará State/Brazil and is influenced by several sources of pollution. The sediment quality in three sampling stations was evaluated through an integrated approach. The sediments obtained were analyzed geochemically with respect to texture, organic matter, phosphorus, nitrogen and concentration of metals (Fe, Pb, Cu and Zn). Additionally, the metal loading in the sediment was determined considering a toxic risk quotient (RQ) and enrichment factor (EF). The ecotoxicological approach consisted of acute and chronic toxicity tests with species of marine invertebrates. The geochemical and ecotoxicological data were integrated using qualitative and technical criteria for multivariate analysis. The analyses showed a moderate change in the quality of the sediment Pacoti and there are influences of different contaminant sources. For this reason, one cannot disregard the input of other contaminants, not measured in this study, which probably may also have been relevant for sediment toxicity.  Nonetheless, the data suggest that Pb and Cu metals as well as N tended to quality degradation in depositional areas and the sediment had some influence on the biological effects observed.

Comparative Study of the Sediment-Toxicity Index, Benthic Community Metrics and Contaminant Concentrations

2000 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 753-780 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manon Bombardier ◽  
Christian Blaise
Keyword(s):  
Benthic Community ◽  
Sediment Toxicity ◽  
Sediment Quality ◽  
Toxicity Tests ◽  
Freshwater Sediments ◽  
Test Species ◽  
Hazard Potential ◽  
Wiener Diversity Index ◽  
Sediment Toxicity Tests ◽  
Community Metrics

Abstract This paper demonstrates how a new tool for integrating the results of a battery of sediment toxicity tests can be effective in assessing the relative toxic potential of freshwater sediments to aquatic organisms. This tool, called the Sediment-Toxicity (SED-TOX) Index, was applied to laboratory toxicity data derived from two larger projects conducted on freshwater sediments. The SED-TOX Index generates a single value that represents all the results of the different STTs on a common, easily interpreted scale. The SED-TOX results were tentatively correlated with four benthic community metrics (species richness, number of taxa in the orders Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera, the Shannon-Wiener diversity index, and the ICI-SL, which is a version of the invertebrate community index modified for the St. Lawrence River) and levels of sediment contamination. Although not significant (p = 0.07), SED-TOX scores were most closely related with ICI-SL values; high SED-TOX scores (≥2.0) were always associated with lower ICI-SL scores (<8), which suggests benthos degradation. Agreement was observed between chemistry and SED-TOX results in extreme situations. Indeed, 70% of the sites showing a high hazard potential (≥2.0) in the SED-TOX Index had mean sediment quality guideline (SQG) quotients >5, while 86% of those with a marginal SED-TOX score (0.1 to 0.9) had mean SQG quotients <1. The SED-TOX Index was useful for discriminating sediments based on their hazard potential to a variety of test species and for predicting most (but not all) of the extreme chemistry and benthic community results.

Modeling the Bioavailability of Nickel and Zinc to Ceriodaphnia dubia and Neocloeon triangulifer in Toxicity Tests with Natural Waters

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
John M Besser ◽  
Chris D Ivey ◽  
Jeffery A Steevens ◽  
Danielle Cleveland ◽  
David Soucek ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Waters ◽  
Ceriodaphnia Dubia ◽  
Toxicity Tests

scholarly journals Little Akaki River sediment enrichment with heavy metals, pollution load and potential ecological risks in downstream, Central Ethiopia

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Deshu Mamo Mekuria ◽  
Alemnew Berhanu Kassegne ◽  
Seyoum Leta Asfaw
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metals ◽  
River Sediment ◽  
Addis Ababa ◽  
Biological Effects ◽  
Sediment Quality ◽  
Contamination Factor ◽  
Anthropogenic Sources ◽  
Ecological Risks ◽  
Pollution Load ◽  
Akaki River

Abstract Addis Ababa City’s river ecosystem is under extreme pressure as a result of inappropriate practices of dumping domestic and industrial wastes; thus, threatening its ability to maintain basic ecological, social and economic functions. Little Akaki River which drains through Addis Ababa City receives inorganic and organic pollutants from various anthropogenic sources. Most of inorganic pollutants such as toxic heavy metals released into the river are eventually adsorbed and settle in the sediment. The objective of this study was to evaluate the enrichment levels, pollution load and ecological risks of selected heavy metals (Zn, Cr, Cd and Pb) using various indices. The mean concentrations of heavy metals in Little Akaki River sediment were: Zn (78.96 ± 0.021–235.2 ± 0.001 mg/kg); Cr (2.19 ± 0.014–440.8 ± 0.003 mg/kg); Cd (2.09 ± 0.001–4.16 ± 0.0001 mg/kg) and Pb (30.92 ± 0.018–596.4 ± 0.066 mg/kg). Enrichment factor values indicated that sediments were moderate to significantly enriched with Zn and Cr; moderate to very highly enriched with Pb, and very highly enriched in all sampled sites with Cd. Geo-accumulation index and contamination factor values indicated that the sediments were moderate to very highly contaminated with toxic Cd and Pb. The decreasing order of pollution load index (PLI) in downstream was: (S9) > (S4) > (S8) > (S3) > (S6) > (S10) > (S5) > (S2) > (S7) > (S1). PLI and hierarchical cluster analysis revealed that the highest pollution load occurred in the lower course of the river (S9) which may be due to metals inputs from anthropogenic sources. The ecological risk (RI = 350.62) suggested that the contaminated Little Akaki River sediment can pose considerable ecological risks of pollution. The concentrations of Zn, Cr, Cd and Pb in Little Akaki River sediment surpassed eco-toxicological guideline limits of USEPA (threshold effect concentration) and CCME (Interim Sediment Quality Guidelines). Thus, the contaminated sediments can pose adverse biological effects on sediment dwelling organisms.

scholarly journals Speciation Variation and Comprehensive Risk Assessment of Metal(loid)s in Surface Sediments of Intertidal Zones

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (10) ◽  
pp. 2125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Baocui Liang ◽  
Xiao Qian ◽  
Shitao Peng ◽  
Xinhui Liu ◽  
Lili Bai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Surface Sediments ◽  
Yellow River ◽  
Biological Effects ◽  
Risk Index ◽  
Sediment Quality ◽  
Residual Fraction ◽  
Intertidal Zones ◽  
Probable Effect Level ◽  
Effect Level

Speciation variation and comprehensive risk assessment of metal(loid)s (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn) were investigated in surface sediments from the intertidal zones of the Yellow River Delta, China. Results showed that only the concentrations of As, Cd and Pb were significantly different between April and September (p < 0.01). In April, the residual fraction (F4) was predominant for As, Cr, Cu, Ni and Zn. However, the exchangeable and carbonate-associated fraction (F1) was dominant for Cd averaging 49.14% indicating a high environmental risk. In September, the F4 fraction was predominant and the F1 fraction was very low for most metal(loid)s except Cd and Mn. The geo-accumulation index (Igeo), the F1 fraction and potential ecological risk index (PERI) of most metal(loid)s were relatively low in surface sediments for both seasons. But Pb, As and Ni were between the threshold effect level (TEL)and the probable effect level (PEL) for 66.67%, 83.33% and 91.67% in April and As and Ni were between TEL and PEL for 41.67% and 91.67%, which indicated that the concentration of them was likely to occasionally exhibit adverse effects on the ecosystem. Although the Igeo, the F1 fraction or PERI of Cd in both seasons was higher at some sites, the results of sediment quality guidelines (SQGs) indicated that the biological effects of Cd were rarely observed in the studied area.

scholarly journals Assessing the leaching behavior of different gunshot materials in natural spring waters

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Julian Fäth ◽  
Axel Göttlein
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Risks ◽  
Aquatic Systems ◽  
Toxicity Tests ◽  
Toxicity Screening ◽  
Leaching Tests ◽  
Leaching Behavior ◽  
Thin Coatings ◽  
Toxicological Effects ◽  
Potential Risks ◽  
Natural Spring

Abstract Background Owing to the high environmental risk of lead-based gunshot, especially as the main source of acute lead poisoning in waterfowl, restrictions on its use in European wetlands are being put into place. In order to assess potential risks of alternative gunshot pellets to aquatic systems, we validated a recently published study that compared the leaching behavior of different game shot materials in an artificial solution and their toxicological effects to Daphnia magna. We therefore investigated the altered leaching of shot materials in natural spring waters. Results The different water conditions (geology/redox conditions) had a strong influence on the leaching behavior of the examined shot types. Spring water originating from siliceous bedrock showed the highest concentrations of nearly all leached metals under aerobic conditions. The results were similar to the former study, which used an artificial standardized medium for daphnids. Conclusions According to the conducted leaching tests, Cu- and Zn-based as well as Zn-coated gunshot should be avoided by reason of the high risks they pose to the aquatic environment. Furthermore, the use of Pb-based and Ni-alloyed or -coated game shot also should be hampered owing to their impact on birds or other wildlife. Since some of these shot materials are still on the European market, an effective toxicity screening of alternative gunshot materials is necessary. By conducting standardized leaching tests, in addition to chemical compositional standards and toxicity tests regarding birds, the environmental risks of each game shot would entirely be assessed. The method presented in this study provides a further step for initial ecotoxicological risk assessment of gunshot for aquatic systems, since it additionally assesses minor components, like thin coatings, which also can have a high impact to these ecosystems.

Using sediment cores to establish targets for the remediation of aquatic environments

2015 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
pp. 628-635 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Lintern ◽  
Marion Anderson ◽  
Paul Leahy ◽  
Ana Deletic ◽  
David McCarthy
Keyword(s):  
Sediment Cores ◽  
Sediment Quality ◽  
Aquatic Systems ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Aquatic Environments ◽  
Site Specific ◽  
European Settlement ◽  
Quality Guidelines ◽  
Water And Sediment ◽  
Water And Sediment Quality

When assigning site-specific restoration targets for deteriorating aquatic systems, it is necessary to have an understanding of the undisturbed or background state of the system. However, the site-specific characteristics of aquatic systems prior to disturbance are mostly unknown, due to the lack of historical water and sediment quality data. This study aims to introduce a method for filling this gap in our understanding, using dated sediment cores from the beds of aquatic environments. We used Bolin Billabong, a floodplain lake of the Yarra River (South-East Australia), as a case study to demonstrate the application of this method. We identified the concentrations of aluminium, cadmium, chromium, copper, iron, lead, manganese, nickel, tin and zinc at 8 cm intervals through the sediment core. This showed that aluminium, chromium, copper, iron, lead, nickel, tin and zinc concentrations in Bolin Billabong sediments significantly increased after European settlement in the river catchment in the mid-19th century. The differences between current Australian sediment quality guidelines trigger values and the background metal concentrations in Bolin Billabong sediments underscore the value of using locally relevant background toxicant concentrations when setting water and sediment quality targets.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document