The application of bioassays in the resolution of environmental problems; past, present and future

Abstract

Literature on bioassays for freshwater systems has been reviewed (between 1979 and 1987) and classified into studies concerned with prediction and assessment and, within these categories, into studies concerned with single-and multi-species bioassays. Changing trends in the response criteria and types of organisms used in the predictive tests are judged against results from a similar review carried out in 1979. This leads to the conclusion that though there may have been changes in detail, bioassays have remained surprisingly unchanged in general features over this time. The relative merits of, and relationship between single-and multi-species studies for both predicting and assessing the biological impact of toxicants are discussed. The conclusion is that some bioassays have more severe problems than others, but a concern with all of them is that responses observed in particular systems may not be relevant in general. The possibility of developing a general theoretical infrastructure for bioassays that addresses this problem is considered.

The Use of Biomarkers in Daphnia magna Toxicity Testing V. In Vivo Alterations in the Carbohydrate Metabolism of Daphnia magna Exposed to Sublethal Concentrations of Mercury and Lindane

“…Due to their small size and relatively short life-cycle, long-term e!ects are easily studied (Baudo, 1987), which is important for the assessment of the ecological relevance of the suborganismal criteria (i.e., their relationship with e!ects on survival, growth, and reproduction of the organism). One of the most commonly used freshwater zooplankton organisms in aquatic toxicity testing is Daphnia magna (Maltby and Calow, 1989;Persoone and Janssen, 1993). Little is known, however, about the metabolic pathways present in this microcrustacean, although it is assumed that glycogenolysis and glycolysis are the main energy-generating pathways (Chang and O'Connor, 1983).…”

Comparisons of Laboratory Bioassays and a Whole‐Lake Experiment: Rotifer Responses to Experimental Acidification

“…Single-species bioassays have been used widely in aquatic toxicology to predict the ecological impact of contaminants (Maltby and Calow 1989). Such tests are relatively easy to control and can be simple to perform.…”

Ecological Risk Assessment: Risk for What? How Do We Decide?

“…For communities/ecosystems, we often measure changes in terms of species composition (types, diversity) and, less commonly (Maltby and Calow, 1989), in terms of processes such as ecological production (energy flow) or fluxes of matter (biogeochemical cycles). However, the properties that we want to protect are less obvious here, not just because ecosystems are less coherent in space and through time than individual organisms, but because they will not generally be units of natural selection.…”