Development of a growth inhibition test with the marine and brackish water red alga Ceramium tenuicorne.
The marine red macroalga Ceramium tenuicorne is cosmopolitan and naturally found in both brackish and marine waters. A growth inhibition test with this species can be carried out in salinities from 4 per thousand to 32 per thousand. The species is easily held in culture in the laboratory and the test can be performed in a completely defined medium. The robustness of the method is good with a CV of 14.6% of the controls. The EC calculations can be performed on linear regression on the length data. EC50 values of repetitive tests for zinc (20-33 microg Zn(2+)/l in 7 per thousand and 32-61 microg Zn(2+)/l in 20 per thousand) and copper (1.9-3.8 Cu(2+)/l in 7 per thousand and 7.9-13 Cu(2+)/l in 20 per thousand) show high sensitivity. This test is a good complement to any test battery with the purpose of estimating the hazard of substances to the brackish and marine environment.
Eklund
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ITM, Institute of Applied Environmental Research, Stockholm University, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden. britta.eklund@itm.su.se
D003300:Copper / Q000633:toxicity; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D008027:Light; D016014:Linear Models; D000461:Rhodophyta / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development*; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000032:analysis; D013696:Temperature; D018675:Toxicity Tests / Q000379:methods*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000633:toxicity*; D015032:Zinc / Q000633:toxicity
D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D012965:Sodium Chloride; D003300:Copper; D015032:Zinc