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Ecological interpretation of short-term toxicity results: Development of a population model for Arbacia

Conference ·
OSTI ID:49539
;  [1];  [2];  [3]
  1. SAIC, Narragansett, RI (United States)
  2. Environmental Protection Agency, Narragansett, RI (United States)
  3. NCCOSC, Narragansett, RI (United States). RDTE Division
+ Show Author Affiliations
The Arbacia punctulata fertilization and larval development tests are used extensively in regulatory and research programs to evaluate toxicity associated with contaminants in aqueous media. These short-term assays are inexpensive, easy to use, and provide information regarding the effects of environmental contaminants on critical life history stages of the sea urchin. Despite substantial consideration of the precision of assay methods, and a clear understanding of the statistical significance of treatment differences, an appreciation of the ecological significance of treatment effects is lacking. To address this problem, a stage classified population projection model was developed to relate short-term test endpoints to potential effects at the population level. The model was applied to evaluate population-level effects using short-term toxicity data obtained in an estuarine ecological risk assessment conducted for Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, Maine. The model also was used to examine which test endpoints provide useful information relative to population growth dynamics. Population modeling approaches can be extremely valuable in extrapolating single species toxicity information to higher level ecological endpoints and for identifying appropriate measurement endpoints during toxicity test development.
OSTI ID:
49539
Report Number(s):
CONF-9410273--
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
56 BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
APPLIED STUDIES
ESTUARIES
FORECASTING
MAINE
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
POLLUTANTS
POPULATION DYNAMICS
SEA URCHINS
SENSITIVITY
TOXICITY
WATER POLLUTION