Evaluation of influence of sediment on the sensitivity of a unionid mussel (Lampsilis siliquoidea) to ammonia in 28-day water exposures

A draft update of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ambient water quality criteria (AWQC) for ammonia substantially lowers the ammonia AWQC, primarily due to the inclusion of toxicity data for freshwater mussels. However, most of the mussel data used in the updated AWQC were generated from water-only exposures and limited information is available on the potential influence of the presence of a substrate on the response of mussels in laboratory toxicity tests. Our recent study demonstrated that the acute sensitivity of mussels to ammonia was not influenced by the presence of substrate in 4-d laboratory toxicity tests. The objective of the current study was to determine the sensitivity of mussels to ammonia in chronic 28-d water exposures with the sediment present (sediment treatment) or absent (water-only treatment). The chronic toxicity test was conducted starting with two-month-old juvenile mussels (fatmucket, Lampsilis siliquoidea) in a flow-through diluter system, which maintained consistent pH (≈8.3) and six concentrations of total ammonia nitrogen (N) in overlying water and in sediment pore water. The chronic value (ChV, geometric mean of the no-observed-effect concentration and the lowest-observed-effect concentration) was 0.36 mg N/L for survival or biomass in the water-only treatment, and was 0.66 mg N/L for survival and 0.20 mg N/L for biomass in the sediment treatment. The 20% effect concentration (EC20) for survival was 0.63 mg N/L in the water-only treatment and was 0.86 mg N/L in the sediment treatment (with overlapping 95% confidence intervals; no EC20 for biomass was estimated because the data did not meet the conditions for any logistic regression analysis). The similar ChVs or EC20s between the water-only treatment and the sediment treatment indicate that the presence of sediment did not substantially influence the sensitivity of juvenile mussels to ammonia in the 28-d chronic laboratory water exposures.     

Acute and chronic toxicity of nickel to a cladoceran (Ceriodaphnia dubia) and an amphipod (Hyalella azteca)

This study evaluated acute and chronic nickel (Ni) toxicity to Ceriodaphnia dubia and Hyalella azteca with the objective of generating information for the development of a biotic ligand model for Ni. Testing with C. dubia was used to evaluate the effect of ambient hardness on Ni toxicity, whereas the larger H. azteca was used to derive lethal body burden information for Ni toxicity. As was expected, acute C. dubia median lethal concentrations (LC50s) for Ni increased with increasing water hardness. The 48-h LC50s were 81, 148, 261, and 400 microg/L at hardnesses of 50, 113, 161, and 253 mg/L (as CaCO3), respectively. Ceriodaphnia dubia was found to be significantly more sensitive in chronic exposures than other species tested (including other daphnids such as Daphnia magna); chronic toxicity was less dependent on hardness than was acute toxicity. Chronic 20% effective concentrations (EC20s) were estimated at <3.8, 4.7, 4.0, and 6.9 microg/L at hardnesses of 50, 113, 161, and 253 mg/L, respectively. Testing with H. azteca resulted in a 96-h LC50 of 3,045 microg/L and a 14-d EC20 of 61 microg/L at a hardness of 98 mg/L (as CaCO3). Survival was more sensitive than was growth in the chronic study with H. azteca. The 20% lethal accumulation effect level based on measured Ni body burdens was 247 nmol/g wet weight.     

Acute toxicity of copper, ammonia, and chlorine to glochidia and juveniles of freshwater mussels (Unionidae)

The objective of the present study was to determine acute toxicity of copper, ammonia, or chlorine to larval (glochidia) and juvenile mussels using the recently published American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Standard guide for conducting laboratory toxicity tests with freshwater mussels. Toxicity tests were conducted with glochidia (24- to 48-h exposures) and juveniles (96-h exposures) of up to 11 mussel species in reconstituted ASTM hard water using copper, ammonia, or chlorine as a toxicant. Copper and ammonia tests also were conducted with five commonly tested species, including cladocerans (Daphnia magna and Ceriodaphnia dubia; 48-h exposures), amphipod (Hyalella azteca; 48-h exposures), rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss; 96-h exposures), and fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas; 96-h exposures). Median effective concentrations (EC50s) for commonly tested species were >58 microg Cu/L (except 15 microg Cu/L for C. dubia) and >13 mg total ammonia N/L, whereas the EC50s for mussels in most cases were <45 microg Cu/L or <12 mg N/L and were often at or below the final acute values (FAVs) used to derive the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 1996 acute water quality criterion (WQC) for copper and 1999 acute WQC for ammonia. However, the chlorine EC50s for mussels generally were >40 microg/L and above the FAV in the WQC for chlorine. The results indicate that the early life stages of mussels generally were more sensitive to copper and ammonia than other organisms and that, including mussel toxicity data in a revision to the WQC, would lower the WQC for copper or ammonia. Furthermore, including additional mussel data in 2007 WQC for copper based on biotic ligand model would further lower the WQC.     

Application of an acute biotic ligand model to predict chronic copper toxicity to Daphnia magna in natural waters of Chile and reconstituted synthetic waters

The objective of the present study was to assess the predictive capacity of the acute Cu biotic ligand model (BLM) as applied to chronic Cu toxicity to Daphnia magna in freshwaters from Chile and synthetic laboratory-prepared waters. Samples from 20 freshwater bodies were taken, chemically characterized, and used in the acute Cu BLM to predict the 21-d chronic Cu toxicity for D. magna. The half-maximal effective concentration (EC50) values, determined using the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) 21-d reproduction test (OECD Method 211), were compared with the BLM simulated EC50 values. The same EC50 comparison was performed with the results of 19 chronic tests in synthetic media, with a wide range of hardness and alkalinity and a fixed 2 mg/L dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration. The acute BLM was modified only by adjustment of the accumulation associated with 50% of an effect value (EA50). The modified BLM model was able to predict, within a factor of two, 95% of the 21-d EC50 and 89% of the 21-d half-maximal lethal concentrations (LC50) in natural waters, and 100% of the 21-d EC50 and 21-d LC50 in synthetic waters. The regulatory implications of using a slightly modified version of an acute BLM to predict chronic effects are discussed.     

Bioconcentration and toxicity of dodecylbenzene sulfonate (C12LAS) to aquatic organisms exposed in experimental streams

Fish, mollusks, and crustaceans were caged in the tail pool of streams during a C(12)LAS (dodecyl benzene sulfonate) model ecosystem experimental program. Bioconcentration of total C(12)LAS and individual isomers and acute and chronic toxicity were investigated during this study. Toxicity endpoints were based on water and tissue (i.e., body burden) concentrations at which adverse effects were observed. At 32 days, total C(12)LAS bioconcentration factors (BCFs) for the fathead minnow and three invertebrate species ranged from 9 to 116. In general, bioconcentration was affected by isomer position, exposure concentration, and species. BCF values tended to decrease as isomer position moved from external (e.g., 2-phenyl) to internal (e.g., 5,6-phenyl). BCFs also decreased as exposure concentration increased. Mean acute 4-d LC(50) values ranged from 1.5 to >3.0 mg/L for the six species tested. Lethal body burdens associated with 50% mortality (LBB(50)) varied from 0.21 to 0.60 mmole/kg (wet weight). During the 32-day chronic exposures, the EC(20) values were 0.27 (0.204-0.352), 0.95 (0.597-1.29), and approximately 1.0 mg/L for Corbicula (length), Hyalella (survival), and fathead minnow (survival), respectively. At these EC(20) values, C(12)LAS body burdens were 0.035, 0.23, and 0.19 mmoles/kg wet weight in Corbicula, Hyalella, and fathead minnow, respectively. Fish exposed to wastewater treatment plant effluent had total C(12)LAS tissue concentrations ranging from 0.0005 to 0.0039 mmoles/kg wet weight. These concentrations are approximately 45-360 times below the tissue concentration associated with subtle effects in the model ecosystem stream exposures. Total C(12)LAS body burdens in feral and caged Corbicula exposed to WWTP effluents were approximately 0.0013 mmoles/kg; approximately 25-fold below concentrations associated with effects in stream exposures.     

Acute and chronic toxicity of nitrate to early life stages of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) and lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis)

The acute and chronic toxicity of the nitrate ion (NO3-) to the embryos, alevins, and swim-up fry of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) and lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) were tested in laboratory aquaria. The acute (96-h) median lethal concentration (LC50) for swim-up fry was 1,121 mg NO3-N/L for lake trout and 1,903 mg NO3-N/L for lake whitefish. The chronic (approximately 130-150-d) LC50s for embryos to swim-up fry were 190 and 64 mg NO3-N/L, respectively. Sublethal effects on developmental timing and fry body size were observed at concentrations of 6.25 and 25 mg NO3-N/L, respectively, in the chronic tests. These results confirm that the Canadian nitrate water-quality guideline of 2.9 mg NO3-N/L, which was derived from chronic tests on a temperate-zone amphibian, is applicable to the early life stages of two species of Arctic fish. However, it does not support use of the guideline for acute exposures during early life stages of salmonid fish or for acute or chronic exposures to adult fish, which are relatively insensitive to nitrate.     

Acute and chronic toxicity of technical-grade pesticides to glochidia and juveniles of freshwater mussels (Unionidae)

Chemical contaminants are among many potential factors involved in the decline of freshwater mussel populations in North America, and the effects of pesticides on early life stages of unionid mussels are largely unknown. The objective of this study was to determine the toxicity of technical-grade current-use pesticides to glochidia and juvenile life stages of freshwater mussels. We performed acute toxicity tests with glochidia (five species) and juveniles (two species) exposed to a suite of current-use pesticides including herbicides (atrazine and pendimethalin), insecticides (fipronil and permethrin), and a reference toxicant (NaCl). Because of limited availability of test organisms, not all species were tested with all pesticides. Toxicity tests with fungicides (chlorothalonil, propiconazole, and pyraclostrobin) were performed with one species (Lampsilis siliquoidea). Lampsilis siliquoidea glochidia and juveniles were highly sensitive to the fungicides tested but the technical-grade herbicides and insecticides, at concentrations approaching water solubility, were not acutely toxic to this or the other unionid species. In a 21-d chronic test with four-month-old juvenile L. siliquoidea, the 21-d median effective concentration (EC50) with atrazine was 4.3 mg/L and in atrazine treatments >or=3.8 mg/L mussel growth was significantly less than controls. The relatively high sensitivity of L. siliquoidea to chlorothalonil, propiconazole, and pyraclostrobin is similar to that reported for other aquatic organisms commonly used for toxicity testing. The relative risk associated with acute exposure of early life stages of mussels to technical-grade atrazine, pendimethalin, fipronil, and permethrin is likely low; however, survival and growth results with juvenile L. siliquoidea indicate that chronic exposure to high concentrations (>/=3.8 mg/L) of atrazine may have the potential to impact mussel populations and warrants further investigation.     

Effects of dissolved organic carbon concentration and source, pH, and water hardness on chronic toxicity of copper to Daphnia magna

The effects of pH (5.3-8.7), water hardness (CaCO3 at 25-500 mg/L), dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration (1.6-18.4 mg/L), and DOC source on the chronic toxicity of copper to Daphnia magna were investigated by using a multifactorial, central composite test design. Natural dissolved organic matter (DOM) was collected at three sites in Belgium and The Netherlands by using reverse osmosis. For a total number of 35 toxicity tests performed, 21-d no-observed-effect concentrations (NOECs) of copper based on reproduction ranged from 29.4 to 228 microg/L and 21-d concentrations of copper causing 50% reduction of reproduction (EC50s) ranged from 41.5 to 316 microg/L. Statistical analysis revealed that DOC concentration and pH had a significant effect on copper toxicity but hardness (at the levels tested) did not. In general, an increase in pH or DOC resulted in a linear increase of 21-d NOEC and EC50 values. All DOMs (originating from three different sources) reduced copper toxicity to the same extent. Multiple linear regression analysis on the results of all 35 toxicity tests revealed that DOC concentration is the most important factor for chronic toxicity of copper to D. magna, explaining about 60% of the observed variability, whereas pH only explained about 15% of the observed variability. Regression models were developed (with DOC and pH as parameters) that were capable of predicting NOECs and EC50s within a factor of 1.9 from observed NOEC and EC50 values obtained with eight natural surface waters spiked with copper. Until future research further elucidates the mechanisms underpinning the observed bioavailability relations, these empirical regression models can become a first simple tool for regulatory applications.     

Cross-phylum comparison of a chronic biotic ligand model to predict chronic toxicity of copper to a freshwater rotifer, Brachionus calyciflorus (Pallas)

Short chronic 48-h toxicity tests with the freshwater rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus (Pallas) were conducted to assess the modifying effects of pH and natural dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration on reproductive toxicity of Cu. Toxicity tests were carried out in four test waters according to a 2 x 2 design, in which pH (6 and 7.8) and DOC (5 and 15 mg C/L) were the test variables. Concentrations of dissolved Cu with no observed effect at 48 h (NOEC) varied 12-fold between 8.2 and 103 microg/L. Higher DOC and higher pH resulted in a reduction of toxicity, which is in line with the concepts of the biotic ligand model (BLM). A chronic Cu-BLM, originally developed for the cladoceran Daphnia magna, was calibrated to the rotifer dataset and was found to be able to predict all rotifer NOECs with an error factor of less than 1.6. This finding may be of great interest for risk assessment and the establishment of water quality criteria, as it suggests that chronic Cu-BLMs are comparable across phyla (i.e., arthropoda to rotifera).     

Development and field validation of a biotic ligand model predicting chronic copper toxicity to Daphnia magna

In this study, we developed a toxicity model predicting the long-term effects of copper on the reproduction of the cladoceran Daphnia magna that is based on previously reported toxicity tests in 35 exposure media with different water chemistries. First, it was demonstrated that the acute copper biotic ligand model (BLM) for D. magna could not serve as a reliable basis for predicting chronic copper toxicity. Consequently, BLM constants for chronic exposures were derived by multiple regression analysis of 21-d median effective concentrations (EC50s; expressed as Cu2+ activity) versus physicochemistry from a large toxicity dataset and the results of an additional experiment in which the individual effect of sodium on copper toxicity was investigated. The effect of sodium on chronic toxicity (log K NaBL = 2.91) seemed to be similar to its effect on acute toxicity (log K NaBL = 3.19). However, in contrast to the acute BLM, no significant calcium, magnesium, or combined competition effect was observed, and an increase in proton competition and bioavailability of CuOH+ and CuCO3 complexes was noted. Some indirect evidence was also found for some limited toxicity of complexes of copper with two of three tested types of dissolved organic matter. Because the latter was only a minor effect, this factor was not included in the chronic Cu BLM. The newly developed model performed well in predicting 21-d EC50s and no-observed-effect concentrations in natural water samples: 79% of the toxicity threshold values were predicted within a factor of two of the observed values. It is clear, however, that more research is needed to provide information on the exact mechanisms that have resulted in different BLM constants for chronic exposures (as opposed to acute exposures). It is suggested that the developed model can contribute to the improvement of risk assessment procedures of copper by incorporating bioavailability of copper in these regulatory exercises.     

Bioavailability models for predicting acute and chronic toxicity of zinc to algae, daphnids, and fish in natural surface waters

Bioavailability models predicting acute and/or chronic zinc toxicity to a green alga (Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata), a crustacean (Daphnia magna), and a fish (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were evaluated in a series of experiments with spiked natural surface waters. The eight selected freshwater samples had varying levels of bioavailability modifying parameters: pH (5.7-8.4), dissolved organic carbon (DOC, 2.48-22.9 mg/L), Ca (1.5-80 mg/L), Mg (0.79-18 mg/L), and Na (3.8-120 mg/L). In those waters, chronic zinc toxicity (expressed as 10% effective concentrations [EC10]) varied up to 20-fold for the alga (72-h EC10 from 27.3 to 563 microg Zn/L), and approximately sixfold for the crustacean (21-d EC10 from 59.2 to 387 microg Zn/L), and fivefold for the fish (30-d LC10, lethal concentration for 10% of the organisms, from 185 to 902 microg Zn/L). For P. subcapitata a refined bioavailability model was developed by linking an empirical equation, which predicts toxicity expressed as free Zn2+ activity as a function of pH, to the geochemical speciation model WHAM/Model V. This model and previously developed acute and/or chronic biotic ligand models for D. magna and 0. mykiss generally predicted most effect concentrations by an error of less than a factor of two. In waters with pH > 8, however, chronic toxicity to D. magna was underestimated by a factor 3 to 4. Based on the results of this validation exercise and earlier research, we determined applicability ranges for pH (6-8) and Ca (5-160 mg/L) in which all three developed models are valid. Within these ranges, all three models may be considered useful tools for taking into account bioavailability in regulatory assessments of zinc.     

Water quality guidance for protection of freshwater mussels (Unionidae) from ammonia exposure

Ammonia toxicity data for freshwater mussels (Unionidae), a significantly imperiled taxa, were used to derive estimates of concentrations that would not likely be harmful in acute and chronic exposures and to assess the protectiveness of current U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) water quality criteria to this family of organisms. Thirty acute (24-96-h) median lethal concentrations (LC50s), covering 10 species in eight unionid genera, were used to calculate genus mean acute values (GMAVs) ranging from 2.56 to 8.97 mg/L total ammonia as N at pH 8. Freshwater mussels are at the sensitive end of the range when added to the GMAVs from the database used to derive the U.S. EPA criteria maximum concentration (CMC). We derived two estimates of acute exposure water quality guidance for the protection of freshwater mussels (CMC(FM)) by a recalculation of the CMC after adding freshwater mussel GMAVs to the U.S. EPA data set. The CMC(FM)s of 1.75 and 2.50 mg/L total ammonia as N at pH 8 average 60% less than the U.S. EPA CMC of 5.62 mg/L total ammonia as N at pH 8 for application when salmonids are present. These values average about 75% less than the CMC for application when salmonids are absent. No chronic ammonia exposure data existed for unionids. Thus, we applied a range of estimated acute:chronic ratios to the acute toxicity data set, expanded with the freshwater mussel GMAVs. to estimate continuous ammonia concentrations that may be protective of freshwater mussels. These estimates ranged from 0.3 to 1.0 mg/L total ammonia as N at pH 8, about 20 to 75% less than the U.S. EPA criteria continuous concentration (CCC) of 1.24 mg/L total ammonia as N at pH 8 and 25 degrees C. The current numeric criteria for ammonia may not be protective of mussels, more than half of whose nearly 300 species are in decline in North America. While the CMC(FM) and CCC(FM) are not equivalent to revised U.S. EPA criteria, they are offered as interim guidance for the protection of freshwater mussels.     

Recovery of duckweed from time-varying exposure to atrazine

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the recovery of duckweed (Lemna gibba L. G3) after being removed from multiple duration exposures to the herbicide atrazine. Consequently, L. gibba were exposed under various scenarios to atrazine at nominal concentrations ranging from 5 to 160 μg/L and durations of 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 14 d under static-renewal test conditions. Exposures were followed by a recovery phase in untreated media for either 7 or 14 d. The 3-, 5-, 7-, 9-, and 14-d median effective concentration (EC50) values were >137, >137, 124, >77, and >75 μg/L, respectively, based on mean growth rate. No clear effect trends were apparent between exposure duration and the magnitude of effective concentrations (EC50s or EC10s). No phytocidal effects of chlorosis or necrosis were identified for any treatment scenario. Nearly all L. gibba plants transferred from treatment groups of different exposure scenarios to media without atrazine during the recovery phase had growth rates that demonstrated immediate recovery, indicating effects were phytostatic in nature and reversible. Only the 1- and 5-d exposure scenarios had growth rates indicating marginally prolonged recovery at the higher concentrations (160 μg/L; additionally, at 40 μg/L for the 5-d exposure). Time to recovery, therefore, was found to be largely independent of exposure duration except at the highest concentrations assessed. Based on growth rate by interval, all treatments demonstrated recovery by the final assessment interval (days 5-7), indicating complete recovery in all exposure scenarios by 7 d, consistent with the mode of action of atrazine.     

Chronic toxicity of copper and ammonia to juvenile freshwater mussels (Unionidae)

The objectives of the present study were to develop methods for conducting chronic toxicity tests with juvenile mussels under flow-through conditions and to determine the chronic toxicity of copper and ammonia to juvenile mussels using these methods. In two feeding tests, two-month-old fatmucket (Lampsilis siliquoidea) and rainbow mussel (Villosa iris) were fed various live algae or nonviable algal mixture for 28 d. The algal mixture was the best food resulting in high survival (>or=90%) and growth. Multiple copper and ammonia toxicity tests were conducted for 28 d starting with two-month-old mussels. Six toxicity tests using the algal mixture were successfully completed with a control survival of 88 to 100%. Among copper tests with rainbow mussel, fatmucket, and oyster mussel (Epioblasma capsaeformis), chronic value ([ChV], geometric mean of the no-observed-effect concentration and the lowest-observed-effect concentration) ranged from 8.5 to 9.8 microg Cu/L for survival and from 4.6 to 8.5 microg Cu/L for growth. Among ammonia tests with rainbow mussel, fatmucket, and wavy-rayed lampmussel (L. fasciola), the ChV ranged from 0.37 to 1.2 mg total ammonia N/L for survival and from 0.37 to 0.67 mg N/L for growth. These ChVs were below the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 1996 chronic water quality criterion (WQC) for copper (15 microg/L; hardness 170 mg/L) and 1999 WQC for total ammonia (1.26 mg N/L; pH 8.2 and 20 degrees C). Results indicate that toxicity tests with two-month-old mussels can be conducted for 28 d with >80% control survival; growth was frequently a more sensitive endpoint compared to survival; and the 1996 chronic WQC for copper and the 1999 chronic WQC for total ammonia might not be adequately protective of the mussel species tested. However, a recently revised 2007 chronic WQC for copper based on the biotic ligand model may be more protective in the water tested.     

Acute and Chronic Copper Toxicity to a Saltwater Cladoceran <Emphasis Type="Italic">Moina monogolica</Emphasis> Daday

The objective of this study was to evaluate the sensitivity of a saltwater cladoceran Moina monogolica Daday to copper toxicity. Acute and chronic toxicity tests were conducted according to the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) guidelines. The 24- and 48-h LC(50)s and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated as 154.21 (135.50-182.05) microg Cu/L and 106.07 (99.77- 112.36) microg Cu/L , respectively, based on measured copper concentrations. When compared with different phyla or classes of estuarine organisms, M. monogolica had moderate sensitivity and was suitable to be used as an indicator organism in the Changjiang estuary. Eight end points of longevity, number of broods, brood size, total reproduction, time to first brood, intrinsic rate of natural increase (r(m)), net reproductive rate (R(0)), and mean generation time (T) used to evaluate chronic effects were affected at chronic copper concentrations. Comparisons of chronic effects showed that toxicity mechanisms of dissolved copper are different from those of dietary exposure. The EC(20)s, EC(50)s, and their 95% CIs of end points were calculated using linear regression equations. The geometric mean generated the maximum-acceptable-toxicant concentration of 6.74 microg Cu/L between the no-observed-effect concentration of 5.06 and the lowest-observed-effect concentration of 8.99 microg Cu/L for brood size, total reproduction, r(m), and R(0), and 12.1 microg Cu/L between 8.99 and 16.29 microg Cu/L for longevity and number of broods as the end points, respectively. The EC(20) of R(0) appeared to be the most sensitive at 3.82 microg Cu/L among the end points. Results showed that aquatic organisms were possibly negatively affected at sites of higher copper concentrations in the Changjiang estuary. Further research is needed to evaluate the direct or indirect effects of copper more comprehensively to protect aquatic organisms and their habitats in the Changjiang estuary.     

Acute and chronic toxicity of nickel to rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

Of the fish species tested in chronic Ni exposures, rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) is the most sensitive. To develop additional Ni toxicity data and to investigate the toxic mode of action for Ni, we conducted acute (96-h) and chronic (85-d early life-stage) flow-through studies using rainbow trout. In addition to standard toxicological endpoints, we investigated the effects of Ni on ionoregulatory physiology (Na, Ca, and Mg). The acute median lethal concentration for Ni was 20.8 mg/L, and the 24-h gill median lethal accumulation was 666 nmol/g wet weight. No effects on plasma Ca, Mg, or Na were observed during acute exposure. In the chronic study, no significant effects on embryo survival, swim-up, hatching, or fingerling survival or growth were observed at dissolved Ni concentrations up to 466 microg/L, the highest concentration tested. This concentration is considerably higher than the only other reported chronic no-observed-effect concentration (<33 microg/L) for rainbow trout. Accumulation of Ni in trout eggs indicates the chorion is only a partial barrier with 36%, 63%, and 1% of total accumulated Ni associated with the chorion, yolk, and embryo, respectively. Whole-egg ion concentrations were reduced by Ni exposure. However, most of this reduction occurred in the chorion rather than in the embryos, and no effects on hatching success or larval survival were observed as a result. Plasma ion concentrations measured in swim-up fingerlings at the end of the chronic-exposure period were not significantly reduced by exposure to Ni. Nickel accumulated on the gill in an exponential manner but plateaued in trout plasma at waterborne Ni concentrations of 118 microg/L or greater. Consistent with previous studies, Ni did not appear to disrupt ionoregulation in acute exposures of rainbow trout. Our results also suggest that Ni is not an ionoregulatory toxicant in long-term exposures, but the lack of effects in the highest Ni treatment precludes a definitive conclusion.     

Combined effects of algal (Chlorella vulgaris) density and ammonia concentration on the population dynamics of Ceriodaphnia dubia and Moina macrocopa (Cladocera)

Ammonia is a natural variable in ponds and lakes. Although an important source of nitrogen for microalgae, at high concentrations ammonia can affect the density and diversity of cladocerans. Using the cladocerans Ceriodaphnia dubia, and Moina macrocopa, the effect of nominal concentrations of ammonium chloride under acute and chronic exposures at different levels of algal food was tested. Regardless of food level, C. dubia was more sensitive than M. macrocopa to ammonia. In the absence of food, the median lethal concentration of ammonia (LC(50) 24 h) for C. dubia was (112 mg L(-1)) less than half that of M. macrocopa (232 mg L(-1)). When algal food (0.5 x 10(6) and 1.5 x 10(6) cells ml(-1) of Chlorella) was used, the LC(50) values were much higher for both cladoceran species. Based on the population growth studies, it was found that in controls of M. macrocopa an increase in the availability of Chlorella from 0.5 to 1.5 x 10(6) cells mL(-1) led to an increase in the maximum density from 4.7 +/- 0.2 to 16.4 +/- 1.2 ind.mL(-1), while in C. dubia the peak population density decreased from 7.9 +/- 0.6 to 5.0 +/- l.0 ind.mL(-1). An increase in ammonia concentration (10 to 40 mg L(-1) for C. dubia and 20 to 120 mg L(-1) for M. macrocopa) resulted in a corresponding decrease in peak population densities of the tested cladocerans. The rate of population increase (r) values for M. macrocopa in the controls ranged from 0.21 +/- 0.001 and 0.25 +/- 0.02 at 0.5 and 1.5 x 10(6) cells mL(-1) of Chlorella, respectively. The corresponding values of C. dubia in controls were 0.21 +/- 0.004 and 0.18 +/- 0.01. At 0.5 x 10(6) cells mL(-1) of algal food, the r values became negative under 40 and 120 mg L(-1) of ammonia for C. dubia and M. macrocopa, respectively. The role of algal food in ammonia toxicity to cladocerans was discussed. (c) 2002 Elsevier Science (USA).     

Toxicity of perfluorooctane sulfonic acid and perfluorooctanoic acid to Chironomus tentans

Two perfluorinated surfactants, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), were evaluated for their toxicity to the aquatic midge, Chironomus tentans. Impetus for this laboratory study originated from a 10-d, in situ field assessment in which C. tentans was exposed to PFOS at concentrations ranging from 300 to 30,000 microg/L. No midges survived these exposures. Midge survival in a preliminary, acute 10-d laboratory test with nominal PFOS concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 100,000 microg/L showed similar toxicity with respect to survival (median lethal concentration [LC50], 45.2 microg/L) and growth (median effective concentration [EC50], 27.4 microg/L). A parallel test using PFOA indicated no significant impacts on survival or growth. A definitive 10-d assay with PFOS concentrations ranging from 1 to 150 microg/L produced an EC50 for growth (87.2+/-11.6 microg/L) of the same order of magnitude as that in the preliminary findings. The same was not true for survival, however, with the LC50 falling outside the range of test concentrations. To further investigate the sensitivity of C. tentans to PFOS, we conducted a chronic life-cycle test using a nominal concentration range of 1 to 100 microg/L. Three of the four endpoints measured-survival, growth, and emergence-were significantly affected, with EC50 values of 92.2+/-3.1, 93.8+/-2.6, and 94.5+/-3.2 microg/L, respectively. Reproduction was not affected by those PFOS concentrations at which females emerged. The results of the present study indicate that PFOS toxicity thresholds for C. tentans are as much as three orders of magnitude lower than those reported for other aquatic organisms but, at present, are approximately two orders of magnitude higher than those concentrations typically observed in aquatic environments.     

Influence of pH on the acute toxicity of ammonia to juvenile freshwater mussels (fatmucket, Lampsilis siliquoidea)

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the influence of pH on the toxicity of ammonia to juvenile freshwater mussels. Acute 96-h ammonia toxicity tests were conducted with 10-d-old juvenile mussels (fatmucket, Lampsilis siliquoidea) at five pH levels ranging from 6.5 to 9.0 in flow-through diluter systems at 20 degrees C. Acute 48-h tests with amphipods (Hyalella azteca) and 96-h tests with oligochaetes (Lumbriculus variegatus) were conducted concurrently under the same test conditions to determine the sensitivity of mussels relative to these two commonly tested benthic invertebrate species. During the exposure, pH levels were maintained within 0.1 of a pH unit and ammonia concentrations were relatively constant through time (coefficient of variation for ammonia concentrations ranged from 2 to 30% with a median value of 7.9%). The median effective concentrations (EC50s) of total ammonia nitrogen (N) for mussels were at least two to six times lower than the EC50s for amphipods and oligochaetes, and the EC50s for mussels decreased with increasing pH and ranged from 88 mg N/L at pH 6.6 to 0.96 mg N/L at pH 9.0. The EC50s for mussels were at or below the final acute values used to derive the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's acute water quality criterion (WQC). However, the quantitative relationship between pH and ammonia toxicity to juvenile mussels was similar to the average relationship for other taxa reported in the WQC. These results indicate that including mussel toxicity data in a revision to the WQC would lower the acute criterion but not change the WQC mathematical representation of the relative effect of pH on ammonia toxicity.     

A short life-cycle test with the epibenthic copepod Nitocra spinipes for sediment toxicity assessment

A new short life-cycle test methodology is presented to evaluate sublethal effects of contaminated sediments to the harpacticoid copepod species Nitocra spinipes. The method combines a 4-d survival-gravidity test with a 7-d development test. For water-only Cu exposures, the sensitivity of the development test endpoints were compared with tests using nonexposed gravid females to initiate the 7-d development test phase, and also with a multiple generation test comprising three successive phases: 9-d development; 21-d survival-gravidity; second-generation 9-d development. The results indicated that the development endpoints were the most sensitive, with median effective concentration (EC50) values of 95?μg Cu/L for nauplii/gravid female and 101?μg Cu/L copepodites/gravid female endpoints, followed by the gravidity (144?μg Cu/L) and survival (347?μg Cu/L). The sensitivity of the short life-cycle test endpoints was similar to the multiple-generation test endpoints, and the shorter test had less variability in controls. The multiple-generation test showed a large amount of stimulation of reproduction and development at Cu concentrations of 50 to 100?μg/L. The suitability of the short life-cycle test for assessing sediment toxicity was demonstrated using Cu-spiked and naturally contaminated whole sediments. Although the small nauplii were more difficult to isolate from sediments, the small amounts of sediments used for the tests and the large effects of the contaminated sediments on nauplii and copepodite numbers resulted in significant differences to controls. For sediment exposures, the sensitivity of the endpoints was in the order development?>?gravidity?>?survival. The short life-cycle test was demonstrated to detect, within 11?d of exposure, similar levels of effects on reproduction and development to those detected using a 39-d multiple-generation exposure.