Effects of copper and other metals on fertilization, embryo development, larval survival and settlement of the polychaeteNereis (Neanthes) virens

Abstract

Nectochaete larvae of the ecologically and economically important ragworm, Nereis virens, were exposed to cadmium, chromium, copper, lead and zinc dissolved in seawater to nominal concentrations ranging from 0 to 5000 µg l !1 . Copper was the most toxic (mean LC 50 of 76.5 µg l !1 ± 95% CI 73.8-79.2 after 96 h exposure) and so was used for subsequent experiments. Exposure of gametes to greater than 500 µg l !1 copper for 2 or 4 h at 10ºC prior to fertilization, or a 10 min exposure during fertilization, significantly reduced embryo developmental success. The effect of copper on larval settlement was also assessed using sediment spiked to a range of concentrations (0, 50, 250, 500, 1000 mg kg !1 dry weight). Significantly fewer larvae were found in sediment of $250 mg kg !1 in comparison to the control or the 50 mg kg !1 treatment. Assessment of living larvae also confirmed a significant reduction in settlement, but in all treatments compared to the control, although the number of dead larvae also increased as the concentrations increased. These effects may have important implications for reproductive success and recruitment of N. virens to polluted sediments.

Detecting the effects of chronic metal exposure on benthic systems: Importance of biomarker and endpoint selection

“…For copper, significant changes in biomarkers and endpoints were seen in all concentration and exposure period combinations (except LC 3-month exposure), whilst biomarker/endpoint changes were only seen for HZ (all exposure periods) and the 9-month exposure for MZ. These data support previous work of Watson et al (2008), using A. virens larval stages, that shows copper is more toxic, but also reflect copper's higher aquatic toxicity ranking (Johnson et al 2017).…”

Water Contamination Reduces the Tolerance of Coral Larvae to Thermal Stress

“…For a range of taxa, growth and/or development rates decrease when metal contamination reaches a threshold level [26] , [27] . If contaminant concentrations exceed this threshold, development is increasingly inhibited and eventually declines to zero.…”

Chronic exposure to copper and zinc induces DNA damage in the polychaete Alitta virens and the implications for future toxicity of coastal sites

“…Determining a pollutant's genotoxicity, therefore, continues to be an environmental risk priority. Traditionally thought of as past contamination legacies (Walker et al, 2006) copper and zinc are highly toxic metals (Reish and Gerlinger, 1997;King, et al 2004;Watson et al, 2008; that are still used extensively in industry, in addition to being released into coastal environments via new applications such as nanoparticles (Baker et al, 2014). As sediments are considered sinks for metals these inputs often lead to substantially elevated concentrations (Bryan and Langston, 1992).…”