Estuarine sediment toxicity testing with an indigenous subtropical amphipod

This study reports on a sediment toxicity test developed with a native amphipod strain of Ptilohyale barbicornis where sediments from 10 estuarine stations along the western coastline of Taiwan were evaluated with respect to trace metals and PAHs. The test was validated by determining dose-response relationships for aqueous copper, and cadmium and sodium dodecyl sulfate as well as copper-spiked sediment, showing a sensitivity of P. barbicornis indicating its capability serving as a toxicity test species. A significant negative correlation between growth effects after 28 days of exposure to field-collected contaminated sediments and PAHs concentrations was observed. Similarly, the chronic toxicity test showed that growth was mostly inhibited compared to controls, body lengths in particular being significantly different from controls (p < 0.05). Various estuarine sediment pollutants in the quality guidelines can be further evaluated using P. barbicornis to understand their comprehensive biological effects and ecological risks.

Automated summary

This study developed a sediment toxicity test using a native amphipod strain, Ptilohyale barbicornis, to evaluate sediments from 10 estuarine stations in western Taiwan for trace metals and PAHs. The test demonstrated the sensitivity of P. barbicornis as a toxicity test species and its ability to assess the comprehensive biological effects and ecological risks of various estuarine sediment pollutants. The study also observed a significant negative correlation between growth effects and PAHs concentrations in contaminated sediments, as well as inhibited growth compared to controls in chronic toxicity testing.