Avoidance of contaminated sediments by an amphipod (Melita plumulosa), A harpacticoid copepod (Nitocra spinipes), and a snail (Phallomedusa solida)

Abstract

Abstract-The distribution of contaminants is seldom homogeneous in aquatic systems. In the present study, the avoidance response of Melita plumulosa, Nitocra spinipes, and Phallomedusa solida when exposed to contaminated sediments was investigated. Test vessels were designed to allow the congruent placement of two sediments and assessment of the movement of organisms between the sediments. When exposed to reference sediment, each species dispersed evenly between test chambers regardless of differences in sediment particle size. In the presence of contaminated sediment, the magnitude and rate of avoidance varied. Avoidance assays showed that test species avoided contaminated sediment as early as 6, 6, and 24 h following exposure for N. spinipes, P. solida, and M. plumulosa, respectively. The 48-h avoidance response of M. plumulosa for nine contaminated sediments of varying toxicity showed that avoidance was generally greater for sediments which elicited greater 10-d lethality to this species. The study demonstrated that each of these species has the ability to respond to chemical cues in the environment to inhabit sediment that provides the best opportunity for survival. The avoidance response for each species indicates the potential for developing rapid screening methods to assess sediment quality. Evidence suggests that avoidance was related to sediment toxicity and that static 10-d toxicity methods are likely to overestimate toxicity for species, which would avoid contamination in heterogeneous field settings. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 2013;32:644-652. # 2012 SETAC

Toxicity and the fractional distribution of trace metals accumulated from contaminated sediments by the clam Scrobicularia plana exposed in the laboratory and the field

“…Furthermore, while there were no mortalities in the control sediment, the only other experimental sediment to show no clam mortality was the most contaminated RC Top sediment. The ability to avoid contaminated sediments has been demonstrated in a number of invertebrates (Ward et al, 2013a). While avoidance behaviour may prevent or postpone acute toxicity, slow avoidance responses to contaminated sediments may still elicit sublethal effects, as shown by Ward et al (2013b).…”

Species-specific behaviours in amphipods highlight the need for understanding baseline behaviours in ecotoxicology

“…Thigmotaxis has been demonstrated in rodents (Treit and Fundytus, 1988;Simon, Dupuis and Costentin, 1994), zebra fish (Richendrfer et al, 2012;Schnörr et al, 2012;Baiamonte et al, 2016) and crayfish (Tierney et al, 2016) as an anxiety-like behaviour used for the assessment of anxiolytic and anxiogenic compounds. In ecotoxicology, behavioural studies have demonstrated differential inter-species sensitivity to contaminants in activity (Gerhardt et al, 2002), response to predators (Gutierrez, Paggi and Gagneten, 2012), aggression (Tierney et al, 2004), and avoidance (Ward, Simpson and Jolley, 2013) behaviours. However, inter-species variability in the baseline unconditioned behaviours of model organisms is currently understudied.…”

Slow Avoidance Response to Contaminated Sediments Elicits Sublethal Toxicity to Benthic Invertebrates

“…Results of past studies have demonstrated the ability of benthic organisms to avoid contaminated sediment which suggests that exposure to contaminated sediment in the environment may not be continuous. 16,17 Instead, it is more likely that organisms will come into contact with contaminated sediment as short intermittent exposures similar to aquatic pulse exposures. Ward et al 17 demonstrated that the rate of avoidance of contaminated sediments by an amphipod, harpacticoid copepod, and a snail differed significantly.…”