Effects of metal contaminants on the development of the common Antarctic sea urchin Sterechinus neumayeri and comparisons of sensitivity with tropical and temperate echinoids

Abstract

-1). As the concentration of Cu shown to inhibit development of S. neumayeri is similar to levels found at impacted sites in Antarctic nearshore environments, results of this study indicate that this metal may have an impact on the development of S. neumayeri. The sensitivity of S. neumayeri to copper and cadmium in tests based on development to hatched blastulae (6 to 8 d) are generally comparable to results of tests on echinoids from tropical and temperate regions that use development to 2-arm plutei (2 to 4 d) as the end-point. However, the Antarctic species is more sensitive to copper and cadmium than the tropical and temperate species if the tests are continued to the same stage of development, the pluteus larva (20 to 23 d for the Antarctic species). Comparing the tolerance of a key developmental stage common to all planktotrophic sea urchins may be more ecologically relevant than simply comparing exposure over a fixed period of time, because for an embryo to survive to adulthood it must successfully complete all development stages. This is the first reported evidence that Antarctic species could be more sensitive to contaminants than species from warmer regions.

Toxic Effects of Contaminants in Polar Marine Environments

“…Therefore, on the basis of these very limited comparisons between the sensitivities of polar and temperate species to specific toxicants (32,(36)(37)(38), polar species may be similarly sensitive or more sensitive to copper, variably sensitive to cadmium and zinc, and less sensitive to lead. Despite the limited amount of data, what is clear at this point is that polar marine organisms have consistently longer acute response times.…”

“…Although polar organisms may be exposed to a wide variety of contaminants, quantitative short-term toxicity data for specific contaminants only exist for five metals (32)(33)(34)(35)(36)(37)(38). Data are available (though not for all metals) for just three Antarctic and four Arctic amphipods, two Arctic mysids, and three Antarctic echinoderms.…”

“…The lowest margin of safety would be for copper and the greatest for lead. On the basis of the longer-term tests, as shown in Figure 3 (see p 206A), polar marine invertebrates tested to date might not be protected by the combined temperate chronic guidelines/criteria for copper but would be for cadmium and zinc (34)(35)(36)(37)(38)(39). Although these conclusions are only preliminary, data from the Antarctic do indicate a relatively higher sensitivity of polar biota to copper than to cadmium, chromium, zinc, or lead.…”

A robust bioassay to assess the toxicity of metals to the Antarctic marine microalga Phaeocystis antarctica

“…Similarly, a limited number of studies have evaluated the toxicity of metals to Antarctic marine biota. Antarctic ecotoxicology protocols exist for sea urchin development [16], amphipod survival [17], polychaete survival [18], and chlorophyll fluorescence in macroalgae [19]. While one recent study screened a number of microalgae species for their potential use in toxicity tests [20], no routine and robust protocols are currently available for Antarctic marine microalgae.…”

Biomonitoring of Genotoxicity of Shallow Waters Around the Brazilian Antarctic Station Comandante Ferraz (Eacf), Admiralty Bay, King George Island, Antarctica, Using Amphipod Crustaceans

“…The Brazilian Antarctic Station "Comandante Ferraz" (EACF) is such an example, located at Keller Peninsula on Admiralty Bay, King George Island, South Shetland, whose the adjacent marine environment is inhabited from shallow waters to 500 m deep by different organisms. Antarctic marine ectotherms are animals usually with a short reproductive season, low larval dispersal, low fecundity as well as subjected to strong seasonal factors such as light intensity and food availability (King & Riddle, 2001). The evolutionary history of adaptation to the low temperature in a stable environment makes these animals sensitive to any disturbances on their natural lives, thus being also suitable bioindicators for environmental quality measurements.…”