title: The use of marine benthic diatoms in a growth inhibition test with spiked whole-sediment.
abstract: The benthic diatom Cylindrotheca closterium was exposed to whole-sediment spiked with the synthetic surfactant Linear Alkylbenzene Sulphonate (LAS), as commercial mixture or individual homologues (C10-LAS, C11-LAS or C12-LAS). Separately, the diatoms were exposed to C12-LAS in a water-only system. The algal growth was determined after 72 h. The 72-h ErC50 values ranged from <or=4 to 29 mg/kg sediment, suggesting that C. closterium was sensitive to LAS. The outcomes were reproducible with a variation factor lower than 3, showing the reproducibility of the method. The test set up was cost effective, used little bench space and employed a micro-phytobenthos species that fulfilled most of the criteria for a suitable test species in sediment systems. The 72-h ErC50 obtained in a water-only system (0.141 mg/L) was ca. 2 orders of magnitude lower (0.002 mg/L). This was likely due to an indirect effect of the use of fresh sediment.
authors.affiliation: Andalusia Institute of Marine Science (CSIC), Campus Rio San Pedro, Puerto Real (Cádiz), Spain. aourell.mauffret@icman.csic.es
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mauffret
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Moreno-Garrido
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Blasco
mesh_terms: D017738:Alkanesulfonic Acids / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*; D000818:Animals; D001681:Biological Assay; D017377:Diatoms / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000032:analysis; D010316:Particle Size; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013501:Surface-Active Agents / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*; D018675:Toxicity Tests; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D017738:Alkanesulfonic Acids; D013501:Surface-Active Agents; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; C030641:alkylbenzyl sulfonic acid