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Evaluation of reduced sediment volume toxicity test procedures using the marine amphipod Ampelisca abdita
Author(s) -
Ferretti James A.,
Calesso Diane F.,
Lazorchak James M.,
Durham Curtis O.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
environmental toxicology and chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.1
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1552-8618
pISSN - 0730-7268
DOI - 10.1002/etc.5620211116
Subject(s) - sediment , toxicity , amphipoda , environmental science , environmental chemistry , toxicology , biology , ecology , chemistry , crustacean , paleontology , organic chemistry
During the past 20 years, the role of sediment toxicity tests has expanded from testing of primarily dredged material to risk assessment, decontamination technologies, large‐scale regional sediment‐quality assessments, and toxicity identification evaluations. Sediment toxicity tests are needed that can provide reliable data using less sediment and smaller test chambers, thus utilizing resources more efficiently. We compared survival results from 10‐d standard marine amphipod tests at 20°C using 200 ml of sediment to reduced‐volume tests containing 20 or 50 ml of sediment and found no significant differences. Similar survival also was observed in tests conducted for 7‐d at 23°C versus the standard 10‐d exposure at 20°C. However, amphipod sensitivity was significantly less in reduced‐volume tests conducted for only 4‐ or 7‐d at 20°C. The 10‐d sediment toxicity tests using 50 ml of sediment provided comparable results to the standard protocol, whereas time for sampling, preparing, and sieving sediments for a test was substantially reduced.