Assessing sediment quality in Spanish ports using a green alga bioassay

  1. C Morales-Caselles 1
  2. A Rico 2
  3. F Abbondanzi 2
  4. T Campisi 2
  5. A Iacondini 2
  6. I Riba 1
  7. A DelValls 3
  1. 1 Instituto de Ciencias Marinas de Andalucía CSIC, Puerto Real, Cádiz, Spain. Cátedra UNESCO/UNITWIN/WiCop.Universidad de Cádiz, Puerto Real, Spain.
  2. 2 Fenice S.p.A., Centro Servizi Ecologici Sede di Ravenna, Italy.
  3. 3 Cátedra UNESCO/UNITWIN/WiCop.Universidad de Cádiz, Puerto Real, Spain.
Zugehörigkeit anzeigen +
Zeitschrift:
Ciencias marinas

ISSN: 0185-3880,  2395-9053

Datum der Publikation: 2008

Ausgabe: 34

Nummer: 3

Seiten: 329-337

Art: Artikel

DOI: 10.7773/CM.V34I3.1398 DIALNET GOOGLE SCHOLAR lock_openOpen Access editor

Andere Publikationen in: Ciencias marinas

Zusammenfassung

Coastal zones are under environmental pressure due to human activities, and ports are the areas that probably present the highest levels of contaminants in their sediments. In the present study we have combined chemical data and biological effects to determine the sediment quality of six Spanish ports. Trace metals and organic contaminants have been analyzed, and an acute bioassay was carried out in sediment elutriate using the unicellular green alga Dunaliella tertiolecta. The toxicological parameter employed was EC50, which was estimated after exposure to different concentrations of elutriates during 72 h. The development of this alga may be affected when there is a xenobiotic in the environment, and growth inhibition can be quantified and linked to the levels of contaminants in the sediment in order to determine its quality. The results showed that the metals (Cd, Cr, Hg, and Zn) and organic contaminants (PAHs and PCBs) bound to the sediments reduced the normal growth of the alga, but no alterations were detected due to the presence of Cu. The main disadvantage observed was the hormesis produced by the presence of high levels of organic material in the sediment that might hide the toxicity of xenobiotics.

Bibliographische Referenzen

  • Adams, S,Stauber, J. (2004). Development of a whole-sediment toxicity test using a benthic marine microalga. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 23. 1957-1968
  • (1980). Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater. American Public Health Association. Washington^eDC DC.
  • (1998). Metodologia di saggio algale per il controllo dei corpi idrici e delle acque di scarico. ARPATCEDIF. Florence.
  • Chiaudani, G,Vighi, . (1978). Metodologia standard di saggio algale per lo studio della contaminazione delle acque marine. Istituto di Recerca Sulle Acque, CNR.
  • Casado-Martínez, C. (2006). Caracterización de material de dragado optimizando un método integrado de evaluación de la calidad ambiental.
  • (1994). Recomendaciones para la gestión del material de dragado en los puertos españoles. Centro de Estudios y Experimentación de Obras Públicas, Puertos del Estado. Madrid.
  • Elnabarawy, MT,Welter, A. (1984). Algae as Ecological Indicators. Academic Press.
  • El Rayis, O. (1985). Re-assessment of the titration method for the determination of organic carbon in recent sediments. Rapp. Comm. Int. Mer Medit. 29. 45-47
  • (1988). Methods for toxicity tests of single substances and liquid complex wastes with marine unicellular algae. Environmental Research Lab. Gulf Breeze^eFlorida Florida.
  • (1991). Methods for measuring the acute toxicity of effluents and receiving waters to freshwater and marine organisms. 4. Environmental Monitoring Systems Laboratory. Cincinnati^eOhio Ohio.
  • (1994). Short-term methods for estimating the chronic toxicity of effluents and receiving waters to freshwater organisms.
  • Fernández, N,Cesar, A,González, M,DelValls, T. (2006). Level of contamination in sediments affected by the Prestige oil spill and impact on the embryo development of the sea urchin. Cienc. Mar. 32. 421-427
  • Gaggi, C,Sbrilli, G,Hasab El Naby, AM,Bucci, M,Duccini, M,Bacci, . (1995). Toxicity and hazard ranking of s-triazine herbicides using Microtox, two green algal species and a marine crustacean. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 14. 1065-1069
  • Gaudette, HE,Flight, WR,Torner, L,Folger, D. (1974). An inexpensive titration method for the determination of organic carbon in recent sediments. J. Sediment. Petrol. 44. 249-253
  • Ginzburg, M,Weizinger, G,Cohen, M,Ginzburg, B-. (1990). The adaptation of Dunaliella to widely-differing salt concentrations. J Exp. Bot. 41. 685-692
  • Hall, NE,Fairchild, JF,La Point, TW,Heine, PR,Ruessler, DS,Ingersoll, C. (1996). Problems and recommendations in using algal toxicity testing to evaluate contaminated sediments. J. Great Lakes Res. 22. 545-556
  • Levy, JL,Stauber, JL,Jolley, D. (2007). Sensitivity of marine microalgae to copper: The effect of biotic factors on copper adsorption and toxicity. Sci. Total Environ. 387. 141-154
  • Loring, DH,Rantala, R. (1992). Methods for the geochemical analyses of marine sediments and suspended particulate matter. Earth-Sci. Rev. 32. 235-283
  • Millán de Kuhn, R,Streb, C,Breiter, R,Richter, P,Neebe, T,Hader, D. (2006). Screening for unicellular algae as possible bioassay organisms for monitoring marine water samples. Water Res. 40. 2695-2703
  • Moreno-Garrido, I,Hampel, M,Lubián, LM,Blasco, . (2003). Sediment toxicity tests using benthic marine microalgae Cylindrotheca closterium (Ehremberg) Lewin and Reimann (Bacillariophyceae). Ecotoxicol. Environ. Saf. 54. 290-295
  • Nikookar, K,Moradshahi, A,Hosseini, . (2005). Physiological responses of Dunaliella salina and Dunaliella tertiolecta to copper toxicity. Biomol. Eng. 22. 141-146
  • Prego, R,Cobelo-García, A,Marmolejo-Rodríguez, J,Santos-Echeandía, . (2006). Trace elements in the Prestige fuel-oil spill: Levels and influence on Laxe Ria sediments (NW Iberian Peninsula). Cienc. Mar. 32. 179-186
  • Riba, I,Zitko, V,Forja, JM,DelValls, T. (2003). Deriving sediment quality guidelines in the Guadalquivir estuary associated with the Aznalcóllar mining spill: A comparison of different approaches. Cienc. Mar. 29. 261-274
  • Sbrilli, G,Bucci, M,Luti, . (1990). Saggio algale di tossicitá. Utilizzazione di Dunaliella tertiolecta nella valutazione degli effetti biologici di scarichi industriali a prevalente componente marina. Acqua Aria. 6. 483-489
  • Soriano-Sanz, JA,Franco-Hernández, A,Viñas-Diéguez, L,Cambeiro-Cambeiro, B,González-Fernández, J. (2006). Preliminary data on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in wild mussels from the Cantabrian coast (N Spain) following the Prestige oil spill. Cienc. Mar. 32. 457-463
  • Stauber, JL,Andrade, S,Ramirez, M,Adams, M,Correa, J. (2005). Copper bioavailability in a coastal environment of northern Chile: Comparision of bioassay and analytical speciation approaches. Mar. Pollut. Bull. 50. 1363-1372
  • Streb, C,Richter, P,Sakashita, T,Häder, D. (2002). The use of bioassays for studying toxicology in ecosystems. Curr. Top. Plant Biol. 3. 131-142
  • (1994). Methods for assessing the toxicity of sediment-associated contaminants with estuarine and marine amphipods. United States Environmental Protection Agency.
  • Walsh, GE,Alexander, S. (1980). A marine algal bioassay method: Results with pesticides and industrial wastes. Water, Air, Soil Pollut. 13. 45-55
  • Walsh, GE,Merril, R. (1984). Algae as Ecological Indicators. Academic Press.
  • Walsh, GE,Bahner, LH,Horning, W. (1980). Toxicity of textile mill effluent to freshwater and estuarine algae, crustaceans and fishes. Environ. Pollut. Ser. A. 21. 169-179
Fuente de los datos: Dialnet