A sperm cell toxicity test procedure for the Mediterranean species Paracentrotus lividus (Echinodermata: Echinoidea)

This work describes the procedure developed in our laboratories for performing sperm cell toxicity tests using the autochthonous North Adriatic sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus Lmk. The procedure, derived from Dinnel (1987), was developed following the auto-ecological characteristics of P. lividus and in harmony with US Environmental Protection Agency standard procedures. Experiments conducted over a four-year period using copper as reference toxicant allowed the evaluation of method precision and intralaboratory reproducibility by different operators using organisms from different batches, in changing spatial (sampling sites) and temporal conditions (EC50 0.055 mg l.1 +/- 0.0081 SD; CV = 14.7%; n = 25). These experiments with copper provided EC50 and NOEC data (0.032 +/- 0.008 mg l-1). Results demonstrated the reliability of the method, as compared to other oceanic sea urchin species.