Population, community, and bioindicator responses to creosote in aquatic mesocosms
- Univ. of Guelph, Ontario (Canada). Centre for Toxicology
- National Water Research Inst., Burlington, Ontario (Canada). Canada Centre for Inland Waters
This presentation discusses the objectives, approach and preliminary results of a three year study focusing on the development and validation of bioindicators that are relevant to responses at the population and community level. The study focuses on creosote, a common wood preservative derived from coal tar distillate and containing approximately 85% mixed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), as a model stressor. The first year of the study documented the effects of creosote at the population and community level in aquatic mesocosms, and provided preliminary results for the selection of several bioindicators for use in further studies. Activities during the 1994 field season focused on the establishment of the aquatic ecosystems and a refinement of the methods to be used in the treatment and sampling of experimental mesocosms. Liquid creosote was applied to the mesocosms by subsurface injection at nominal concentrations of 0.3 to 300 ppm, and the effects of creosote on aquatic plants, invertebrates and fish were assessed by sampling during a six-week post-treatment phase. Parameters measured included: survival of caged fish (fathead minnows and goldfish), size-age class of juvenile fathead minnows: diversity and abundance of invertebrates (zooplankton and benthic invertebrates) and phytoplankton, and biomass of macrophytes. Work subsequent to the 1994 field component has focused on the selection of bioindicators based on known effects of PAHs on aquatic organisms and on examination of data generated in the first field season. These bioindicators include: oxidative stress and sex steroid hormones in fish; membrane permeability in plants, invertebrates and fish; stress proteins in invertebrates; and fluorescence induction in algae and macrophytes.
- OSTI ID:
- 218423
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9511137-; ISBN 1-880611-03-1; TRN: IM9619%%144
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 2. Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) world conference, Vancouver (Canada), 5-9 Nov 1995; Other Information: PBD: 1995; Related Information: Is Part Of Second SETAC world congress (16. annual meeting): Abstract book. Global environmental protection: Science, politics, and common sense; PB: 378 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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