You are here:
USE OF THALASSIA AND ITS EPIPHYTES FOR TOXICITY ASSESSMENT: EFFECTS OF A DRILLING FLUID AND TRIBUTYLTIN
Citation:
Macauley, J., J. Clark, AND A. Pitts. USE OF THALASSIA AND ITS EPIPHYTES FOR TOXICITY ASSESSMENT: EFFECTS OF A DRILLING FLUID AND TRIBUTYLTIN. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/J-90/380 (NTIS PB91163931).
Description:
Concurrent l2-week laboratory and field studies were conducted to determine toxicity of the suspended particulate phase (SPP) of drilling fluid to Thalassia testudinum and its epiphytes. est systems were treated once per week to achieve nominal concentrations of 100 mg/L SPP. hlorophyll content of Thalassia leaves and biomass and chlorophyll content were monitored during each L/h) Laboratory exposures were conducted in 7-L, flow-through (7 microcosms consisting of Plexiglas cylinders containing intact cores of Thalassia from a local seagrass bed. ield exposures were conducted in water-tight plexiglas chambers (2 m x 2 m 1.5 m) placed over test lots in a seagrass bed for 24 h during SPP additions. he chamber base was buried several cm into the sediment to minimize water exchange. rilling fluid exposure had no significant effect on chlorophyll a or b content of Thalassia leaves in laboratory or filed tests. piphyte biomass was reduced after 6 weeks of intermittent exposure to SPP in laboratory and field tests. fter l2 weeks, epiphyte biomass had increased to densities similar to control values.