title: Bioaccumulation kinetics and effects of sediment-bound contaminants on chironomids in deep waters: new insights using a low-disturbance in situ system.
abstract: Effective assessment of sediment quality and associated risks requires further integration between laboratory-based studies and field observations. Tools for in situ exposure of laboratory-reared organisms are particularly suitable for this purpose. However, available tools suffer from technical drawbacks that limit their use in deep waters and their general ability to provide results linking laboratory and field observations. To overcome these limitations, we developed a new device (Sediment-Water Interface Study System - S-WISS l) for in situ exposure of fourth instar larvae of Chironomus riparius at depths up to 18 m. S-WISS 1 allows minimum alteration of the sediment natural structure (upon both deployment and recovery) and, in a way analogous to laboratory tests, repeated delivery of food doses to the in situ exposed organisms. Results obtained in situ with S-WISS1 were compared with standard laboratory tests and simple caging systems (large-mouthed bottles partly filled with sand) used as field controlks. A first series of experiments (48 h, no food addition) showed that element bioavailability to chironomids was higher in laboratory settings than on-site or in situ. A second series of experiments (96 h, food addition every 24 h) confirmed that sediments rather than overlying waters acted as the principal source of contaminants and that exposure to field sediments reduced chironomids' growth compared with on-site controls. S-WISSI represents a new family of in situ tools capable of combining the environmental realism associated with field monitoring with the controlled experimental conditions typical of laboratory testing.
authors.affiliation: lrstea, UR MALY 5 rue de la Doua-CS70077, Villeurbanne cedex 69626, France. benoit.ferrari@irstea.fr
authors.forename: Benoit J D
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Ferrari
authors.affiliation: LIEC, Université de Lorraine, CNRS UMR 7360, Campus Bridoux, 8 avenue du Général Delestraint, Metz 57070, France.
authors.forename: Davide A L
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Vignati
authors.affiliation: lnstitut F.-A. Forel, University of Geneva, route de Suisse, Versoix 1290, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Janusz
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dominik
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001681:Biological Assay / Q000295:instrumentation*; D002683:Chironomidae / Q000378:metabolism*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000382:microbiology*; D007700:Kinetics; D008657:Metabolic Clearance Rate; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical