Development of Ecotoxicity Bioassay Protocol for Whole Sediment Using Polychaeta: Armandia agilis

Abstract

Since the industrial revolution in the XVIII century, the global production and consumption only increased, resulting in an increasing impact on ecosystems, especially on the coastal environment. The marine sediments are not only final repositories for different pollutants, but also a source of biota's contamination, and through the phenomena of bioaccumulation and biomagnification for human beings. Among the methods used in environmental assessments, the ecotoxicity test using sensitive organisms has been increasingly employed. However, few ecotoxicological test methods have been standardized with Brazilian species, being necessary to seek sensitive native species that can serve as test organisms in ecotoxicological assessments. Armandia agilis species has wide distribution along the Brazilian coast, besides it is easy to be caught and its gender has already been identified as a great environmental evaluator. Due to these characteristics, the replacement of Armandia agilis to Tiburonella viscana will be tested. The methods used to determining sensitivity by characteristics physical-chemical will be evaluated by test temperature, salinity and pH. Tests of grain size and organic matter will also be used to check the sensitivity of the polychaete. Controlled substances, such as potassium dichromate, zinc sulphate and detergent SDS will be evaluated with the aim of reaching protocol for these compounds. Finally the sensitivity of A. agilis will be compared to samples with known contamination and toxicity, so comparing the response of these data with those of the worm.