title: Comparative performances of eggs and embryos of sea urchin (Paracentrotus lividus) in toxicity bioassays used for assessment of marine sediment quality.
abstract: The potential toxicity of sediments from various ports was assessed by means of two different liquid-phase toxicity bioassays (acute and chronic) with embryos and eggs of sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus. Performances of embryos and eggs of P. lividus in these bioassays were compared for their interchangeable applicability in integrated sediment quality assessment. The obtained endpoints (percentages of normally developed plutei and fertilized eggs) were linked to physical and chemical properties of sediments and demonstrated dependence on sediment contamination. The endpoints in the two bioassays were strongly correlated and generally exhibited similar tendency throughout the samples. Therein, embryos demonstrated higher sensitivity to elutriate exposure, compared to eggs. It was concluded that these tests could be used interchangeably for testing toxicity of marine sediments. Preferential use of any of the bioassays can be determined by the discriminatory capacity of the test or vulnerability consideration of the test subject to the surrounding conditions.
authors.affiliation: UNESCO UNITWIN/WiCop, Facultad de Ciencias del Mar y Ambientales, Universidad de Cádiz, Polígono Río San Pedro s/n, 11510 Puerto Real, Cádiz, Spain. alla.khosrovyan@uca.es
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Khosrovyan
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Romero
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Salamanca
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Del Valls
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Riba
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Serrano
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001681:Biological Assay / Q000379:methods*; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000187:drug effects*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry; D010063:Ovum / Q000187:drug effects*; D012617:Sea Urchins; D018675:Toxicity Tests; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical