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U.S. Department of Energy
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Toxicity of various contaminants to two Ampeliscid amphipods and a rotifer

Conference ·
OSTI ID:458309
; ;  [1]; ;  [2];  [3]
  1. South Carolina Marine Resources Research Inst., Charleston, SC (United States)
  2. National Marine Fisheries Service, Charleston, SC (United States)
  3. Environmental Protection Agency, Gulf Breeze, FL (United States)

Comparative bioassays were completed on the amphipods Ampelisca abdita and A. verrilli, and the rotifer Branchionus plicatilis, to determine their relative sensitivity to cadmium and fluoranthene. All aqueous tests involved static exposures for 24 and 48 hrs in 30 pt seawater, except for the amphipod exposures in fluoranthene which involved a 96-hr exposure. The amphipod sediment assays involved 10-day static exposures to contaminant-spiked sediments. Rotifer tests involved 24 and 48 hr exposures to sediment porewater that was centrifuged from the spiked sediments. Results obtained from the aqueous bioassays indicated that both amphipod species were significantly more sensitive than the rotifer to all of the contaminants. Ampelisca abdita and A. verrilli were generally comparable in their sensitivity to cadmium and fluoranthene. Results obtained from the 10-day sediment bioassays on the amphipods indicated that A. verrilli was more sensitive than A. abdita to the cadmium exposures and both amphipod assays were much more sensitive than the rotifer assay. Only A. abdita showed significant mortality in the highest fluoranthene exposure of 50 mg/kg dry wt, 0.46% TOC.

OSTI ID:
458309
Report Number(s):
CONF-961149--
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English