Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 4, 2026
A Fish-feeding Laboratory Bioassay to Assess the Antipredatory Activity of Secondary Metabolites from the Tissues of Marine Organisms
Published on: January 11, 2015
Effects of dispersant and oil on survival and swimming activity in a marine copepod
Jonathan H Cohen1, Lillian R McCormick, Stephanie M Burkhardt
1School of Marine Science and Policy, College of Earth, Ocean and Environment, University of Delaware, 700 Pilottown Road, Lewes, DE, 19958, USA, jhcohen@udel.edu.
Abstract:
Knowledge of lethal and sublethal effects of crude oil and dispersants on mesozooplankton are important to understanding ecosystem impacts of oil spills in marine environments. Here we (1) establish median lethal concentrations for water accommodated fractions of Corexit EC9500A dispersant, MC-252 crude oil (WAF), and dispersed crude oil (CEWAF) for the coastal copepod Labidocera aestiva, and (2) assess acute effects on L. aestiva swimming activity. Mortality assays with L. aestiva support that copepods are more sensitive than other zooplankton taxa to dispersant toxicity, while WAF and CEWAF are generally similar in their toxicity to this copepod species and other zooplankton. Acute effects on L. aestiva activity included impaired swimming upon WAF and CEWAF exposure. These results highlight that copepods are particularly sensitive to dispersant exposure, with acute effects on survival most evident with dispersant alone, and on swimming behavior when dispersant is mixed with crude oil.
