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Avoidance tests as a tool to detect sublethal effects of oil-impacted sediments
Ariadna S Szczybelski1,2, Tineke Kampen1, Joris Vromans3,4
1Aquatic Ecology and Water Quality Management Group, Department of Environmental Sciences, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry
|March 13, 2018
Summary
Benthic amphipods showed significant avoidance of oil-contaminated sediment at high concentrations. This avoidance behavior may serve as a sensitive indicator for sublethal oil toxicity in risk assessments.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Toxicology
- Ecotoxicology
- Behavioral Ecology
Background:
- Current oil contamination risk assessments often overlook benthic organism behavioral responses to toxicity.
- Sublethal effects of distillate fuels on benthic invertebrates may be detected through avoidance behavior.
- Benthic amphipods are key organisms for assessing sediment contamination impacts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the avoidance behavior of freshwater (Gammarus pulex) and marine (Gammarus locusta) amphipods exposed to oil-spiked sediment.
- To determine the detection threshold of Distillate Marine Grade A (DMA) oil for these amphipod species.
- To explore the potential of avoidance tests as an alternative to traditional chronic toxicity assessments.
Main Methods:
- Amphipods were presented with a choice between clean reference sediment and sediment contaminated with DMA oil.
- Avoidance behavior was monitored over 96 hours at various DMA oil concentrations (≤250 mg/kg and 1000 mg/kg dry weight).
- Significant avoidance was recorded at 1000 mg/kg dry weight for both species.
Main Results:
- Significant avoidance of DMA-spiked sediment (1000 mg/kg dry weight) was observed in Gammarus pulex within 96 hours and in Gammarus locusta within 72 hours (in one of two tests).
- No significant avoidance was detected at lower DMA concentrations (≤250 mg/kg dry weight), suggesting a detection threshold above this level.
- Sensitivity to oil contamination may be influenced by population-specific factors like temperature tolerance and reproductive status.
Conclusions:
- Avoidance behavior in benthic amphipods can be a sensitive indicator of sublethal oil toxicity.
- Avoidance tests offer a potential alternative to conventional chronic toxicity testing for oil contaminants.
- Further research is needed to establish a direct causal link between avoidance behavior and long-term ecological effects.
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