title: Salinity, dissolved organic carbon, and interpopulation variability hardly influence the accumulation and effect of copper in Mytilus edulis.
abstract: To improve the ecological relevance of environmental risk assessment, an improved understanding is needed of 1) the influence of environmental conditions on the toxicity of pollutants, and 2) the effect of these factors in combination with possible interpopulation variability. The influences of salinity and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) on the accumulation and effect of copper (Cu) to settled mussels were investigated with mussels from a North Sea and a Baltic Sea population. We found that both populations were equally Cu-sensitive, even though the Baltic Sea population lives in suboptimal conditions. Baltic Sea mussels, however, accumulated more Cu. This suggests that these populations may have different ways of coping with excess Cu. The influence of salinity on Cu toxicity to settled mussels was limited for both populations. An increase in DOC did not decrease the Cu accumulation or effect in either population. This suggests that DOC-Cu complexes are bioavailable for settled mussels. These findings are in contrast with previous research which indicated that DOC decreased the toxicity and accumulation of Cu in the D-larvae life stage. As a consequence, the mussel larval stage is not the most Cu-sensitive life stage at high DOC concentrations. Furthermore, a DOC correction factor for Cu toxicity cannot be used for settled mussels. This should be accounted for in future marine Cu environmental risk assessment. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:2074-2082. © 2017 SETAC.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology and Aquatic Ecology, Department of Applied Ecology and Environmental Biology, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Deruytter
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology and Aquatic Ecology, Department of Applied Ecology and Environmental Biology, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Michiel B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Vandegehuchte
authors.affiliation: X-Ray Microspectroscopy and Imaging Group, Department of Analytical Chemistry, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Garrevoet
authors.affiliation: Systemic Physiological & Ecotoxicological Research, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: Ronny
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Blust
authors.affiliation: X-Ray Microspectroscopy and Imaging Group, Department of Analytical Chemistry, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Laszlo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vincze
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology and Aquatic Ecology, Department of Applied Ecology and Environmental Biology, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Karel A C
authors.initials: KAC
authors.lastname: De Schamphelaere
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology and Aquatic Ecology, Department of Applied Ecology and Environmental Biology, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Colin R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Janssen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003300:Copper / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*; D006838:Hydrocarbons / Q000032:analysis*; D007814:Larva / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D049880:Mytilus edulis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D009659:North Sea; D054712:Salinity; D012623:Seawater / Q000737:chemistry; D012995:Solubility; D013045:Species Specificity; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D006838:Hydrocarbons; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D003300:Copper
keywords: Bioavailability; Dissolved organic carbon; Marine; Physiology; Salinity