PARENT SESSION
PHA05 - Fate & Effects of Metals: Dietary Perspective in the Aquatic Environment
8:00 AM to 6:30 PM - Thursday, November 15, 2001
Exhibit Hall A
(PH100) Aqueous and Dietary Copper Toxicity to Bivalve and Echinoderm Larvae.
Brix , Kevin 1, Adams , William 2, Arnold , Raymond 3, Paquin , Paul 4, Santore , Robert 5, 1 2 3 4 5
ABSTRACT- Bivalve and echinoderm larvae are known to be among the most sensitive marine organisms to copper toxicity. To date though, only limited development of the Biotic Ligand Model has been undertaken for these organisms, or marine organisms in general. We conducted a series of experiments using the mussel Mytilus edulis and the sand dollar Dendraster excentricus to evaluate the effects of varying water quality parameters (salinity and DOC) on copper toxicity. Acute studies consisted of standard embryo-larval development tests under water-only exposure scenarios. Chronic studies evaluated survival and growth endpoints in 10-20 day experiments that included dietary exposure using the algae Isochrysis galbana. In these studies, algal-bound copper was in equilibrium with corresponding aqueous copper concentrations. In all studies, the necessary water quality parameters for the Biotic Ligand Model were also collected. Experimental results were used to evaluate potential development of a Biotic Ligand Model that incorporated diet and to assess the relative importance of water versus dietary copper exposure to larval marine zooplankton.
Key words: copper, dietary exposure, Mytilus edulis, Dendraster excentricus