The use of epibenthic copepod Tisbe biminiensis nauplii to assess the toxicity of seawater samples in Suape Bay (state of Pernambuco; Brazil)

Abstract

Bioassays to determine the toxicity of water have been used worldwide as a tool of environmental monitoring. In the present study, the epibenthic copepod Tisbe biminiensis nauplius is proposed as a test organism for samples of seawater. Survival and the percentage of development from nauplius to copepodite were compared to the embryo-larval development of the sea urchin L. variegatus exposed to the same samples from the Suape estuarine system (state of Pernambuco, Brazil) collected in 2009. T. biminiensis naupliar development displayed a similar sensitivity to that found with the sea urchin embryos, mainly when simple t-test (not bioequivalent corrected) was used for sea urchin data. However, a lower sensitivity of copepod survival was found. The aluminium, iron and lead concentrations in surface waters were sometimes higher than Brazilian guidelines for estuarine water, probably due to dredging activities and anthropogenic contamination. These metals could be at least partially responsible for the toxic effects found at different stations and months. The results indicated that naupliar development of this epibenthic copepod is appropriate for the assessment of toxicity levels in seawater samples.

Effects of elevated CO2 and temperature on an intertidal harpacticoid copepod community

“…However, when exposed to very high CO 2 levels, 388 crustacean larvae as well as for ecotoxicological bioassays (e.g. Williams and Jones, 1999;Souza-Santos et al, 2006;Souza-Santos et al, 2015). However, despite the 416 absence of significant effects on Tisbe sp density at pH 7.7 and 7.3, it is possible -if not 417 likely -that sub-lethal impacts could occur (Fitzer et al, 2012).…”

Ecotoxicological assessment of estuarine surface waters receiving treated and untreated sanitary wastewater

“…In an area of the Jundiaí River, approximately 30 km upstream of the current study area, where a textile industry is located, Gurgel et al (2016) reported a mortality rate of M. juniae six times higher than the control group, and a reproductive rate 53% lower than that observed in the control group, suggesting the potential ecological impact on ecosystem biota. Other work reported more than 50% reduced survival of M. juniae in surface water samples from estuaries in northeastern Brazil (Nilin et al, 2019) and chronic toxicity in L. variegatus associated with the discharge of domestic and industrial effluents (Souza-Santos & Araújo, 2013).…”