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EFFECTS OF WHOLE SEDIMENTS FROM CORPUS CHRISTI BAY ON SURVIVAL, GROWTH AND REPRODUCTION OF THE MYSID, MYSIDOPSIS BAHIA
Citation:
Cripe, G M., R. S. Carr, S S. Foss, P S. Harris, AND R S. Stanley. EFFECTS OF WHOLE SEDIMENTS FROM CORPUS CHRISTI BAY ON SURVIVAL, GROWTH AND REPRODUCTION OF THE MYSID, MYSIDOPSIS BAHIA. BULLETIN OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION AND TOXICOLOGY 64(3):426-433, (2000).
Description:
Estuarine and marine coastlines are receiving waters for many anthropogenic substances. Concentrations of many of these contaminants have been diminished by regulatory control of effluents, but there is concern that continuing inputs (non-point sources) and contaminants contained in submerged sediments may have substantial impacts on the aquatic benthic communities that use them (Gess and Pavlostathis, 1997). Assessment of the biological impacts of contaminated sediments is critical to evaluate the magnitude of our coastal problems of in-place sediments, as well as to manage risk from those sediments proposed for disposal from dredging operations. A variety of infaunal organisms, including several amphipod species, have been used to evaluate sediment impacts on benthic communities (Breteler et al. 1989, Carr et al. 1996, 1998, DeWitt et al. 1992, Swartz et al. 1997). These organisms are usually exposed to the sediments for a duration of 10 days under static conditions, with survival as the endpoint. One of the estuarine species most frequently employed in contaminant assessments is the mysid, Mysidopsis bahia. Survival of mysids is one of the most sensitive endpoints in assessment of effects of anthropogenic materials (Cripe and Cripe, 1990). Mysids are easily obtainable and have a short life cycle which make them useful for examination of the additional endpoints of growth and reproductive effects in a short amount of time (USEPA, 1985, 1992). Because they are cannibalistic, mysids must be fed during testing and a variety of food rations have been used (ASTM 1996, USEPA 1985, 1992). In a previous study, Cripe et al. 1989 demonstrated that in four days, insufficient food can significantly decrease the survival of mysids in exposure to chemicals. The study described here examined effects on mortality, growth, reproduction and behavior of Mysidopsis bahia exposed under extended static conditions to bedded sediments from Corpus Christi Bay (Carr, et al, 1998).