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International Journal of Environment Science and Technology
Center for Environment and Energy Research and Studies (CEERS)
ISSN: 1735-1472
EISSN: 1735-1472
Vol. 12, No. 6, 2015, pp. 2111-2116
Bioline Code: st15197
Full paper language: English
Document type: Short Communication
Document available free of charge

International Journal of Environment Science and Technology, Vol. 12, No. 6, 2015, pp. 2111-2116

 en Using oyster tissue toxicity as an indicator of disturbed environments
Palmer, T. A.; Uehling, P. & Pollack, J. B.

Abstract

Crassostrea virginica check for this species in other resources (the Eastern or American oyster) bioaccumulates pollutants from the water column, and therefore, its tissues can be used as bioindicators of past and present estuarine health. In this pilot project, we decided to investigate whether its tissues would be a suitable medium for toxicity testing using tissues from a variety of southern Texas locations of known and suspected anthropogenically impacted and unimpacted areas. We also conducted toxicity tests on sediments adjacent to oyster reefs using standard protocols for sediment toxicity. We tested the toxicity of tissues and sediments on the luminescent bacteria Vibrio fischeri check for this species in other resources , whose bioassays are commonly referred to by the trade name Microtox®. Microtox tests are quick, relatively inexpensive and sensitive to a range of contaminants. Evidence from this preliminary study suggests that conducting toxicity tests on oyster tissues may predict localized contamination better than when conducting toxicity tests on subtidal sediment. The refinement of these methods to use oyster tissues to detect contamination may be especially useful for environmental impact studies and/or studies where rapid and inexpensive information is needed.

Keywords
Oyster; Toxicity; Pollution; Crassostrea virginica; Microtox

 
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