Off-season spawning and factors influencing toxicity test development with topsmelt Atherinops affinis

Journal Article · Tue Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 1994 · Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/etc.5620130317· OSTI ID:5033142

Anderson, B S; Hunt, J W; McNulty, H R; Turpen, S L ^[1]; Martin, M ^[2]

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1. Univ. of California, Santa Cruz, CA (United States). Inst. of Marine Sciences
2. Marine Pollution Studies Lab., Monterey, CA (United States). California Dept. of Fish and Game

Three separate groups of adult topsmelt (Atherinops affinis) were spawned in rotation in laboratory culture over a two-year period to provide larvae for toxicity tests. Size and viability of embryos and larvae produced during the normal summer spawning period (May-August) were compared to those produced during the off season (October-April). Mean embryo viability was relatively high throughout the study, whereas size of larvae varied. Larval size was significantly larger during the summer spawning period than in winter. A 7-d growth and survival toxicity test protocol was developed for topsmelt larvae. Variability of the protocol was assessed over a 12-month period using copper chloride as a reference toxicant. Precision of 12 toxicity tests using copper was high; the intralaboratory C.V. for copper LC50s was 19%. The 7-d larval protocol also gave comparable results in two interlaboratory toxicity tests using copper and complex effluent. This study demonstrates that topsmelt may be spawned throughout the year to provide larvae for toxicity tests and that topsmelt larvae have comparable sensitivity to other larval fishes commonly used in toxicity testing.

• OSTI ID: 5033142
• Journal Information: Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry; (United States), Vol. 13:3; ISSN 0730-7268
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
COPPER
TOXICITY
FISHES
SENSITIVITY
WATER POLLUTION
BIOLOGICAL INDICATORS
SEASONAL VARIATIONS
ANIMALS
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
ELEMENTS
METALS
POLLUTION
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
VARIATIONS
VERTEBRATES
540320* - Environment
Aquatic- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (1990-)
560300 - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology