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Evaluating pyrene toxicity on Arctic key copepod species Calanus hyperboreus
Rasmus Dyrmose Nørregaard1, Torkel Gissel Nielsen, Eva Friis Møller
1Section of Oceanography and Climate, National Institute of Aquatic Resources, Technical University of Denmark, Kavalergården 6, 2920, Charlottenlund, Denmark.
Ecotoxicology (London, England)
|December 17, 2013
Summary
Arctic copepods (Calanus hyperboreus) exposed to pyrene showed reduced feeding and reproduction. This indicates oil pollution poses a risk to Arctic food webs and species recruitment.
Area of Science:
- Marine Biology
- Ecotoxicology
- Arctic Ecology
Background:
- Calanus hyperboreus is ecologically significant in Arctic food webs.
- Increased offshore oil exploration in Greenland necessitates understanding oil emission impacts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the effects of pyrene, a component of oil emissions, on Calanus hyperboreus reproduction and physiology.
- To evaluate the risk of oil contamination to Arctic marine ecosystems.
Main Methods:
- Exposed C. hyperboreus females to varying concentrations of pyrene (0-100 nM, saturated ~300 nM).
- Quantified daily egg and fecal pellet production.
- Measured pyrene and 1-hydroxypyrene accumulation in copepods.
Main Results:
- Fecal pellet production significantly decreased with increasing pyrene concentrations.
- Egg production and hatching success were unaffected, but total reproductive output was reduced.
- Pyrene accumulated in copepods, with higher levels in feeding females; 1-hydroxypyrene metabolite was found in trace amounts.
Conclusions:
- Oil contamination, specifically pyrene, may threaten C. hyperboreus recruitment and energy transfer in Arctic food webs.
- Reduced metabolic capacity and reproductive output highlight the vulnerability of this key Arctic species to oil pollution.
- Potential for pyrene transfer to higher trophic levels necessitates further investigation.
