Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Differential sensitivity of marine infaunal amphipods to tributyltin

  • Published:
Marine Biology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Three species of infaunal gammaridean amphipods, Rhepoxynius abronius (Phoxocephalidae), Eohaustorius washingtonianus, and E. estuarius (Haustoriidae) were tested in a water-only system to assess their sensitivity to tributyltin (TBT) without the influence of factors that could affect bioavailability. When mortality (LC50) was the endpoint, the results indicated that R. abronius was ≈20 times more tolerant to tributyltin than either haustoriid species; however, when mortality plus reburial behavior (EC50) was assessed, the difference was only about 10 times. The bioconcentration factor (BCF) was also consistently lower in R. abronius (11.1 to 16.5 times) than in the haustoriids; however, when the LD50 was calculated, the concentration in the tissues associated with 50% mortality for each species was not significantly different. The large disparity in species' response is attributed to reduced uptake and a potentially greater ability to metabolize this compound by R. abronius. An analysis of TBT uptake confirmed that R. abronius was able to accumulate less TBT and hence maintain a low body burden for a given water concentration. The results of a separate uptake study were used to formulate a hypothesis for observed differences in reburial behavior. Because the rate of TBT uptake was lower in R. abronius, we propose that the slower rise in toxicant body burden allowed for a gradual response in this species which included a sublethal effect (non reburial), compared to a rapid rise in the body burden for E. estuarius which caused the response to quickly proceed from no effect to death.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Literature cited

  • APHA (1985). Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater. 16th ed. American Public Health Association, American Water Works Association, and American Public Health Association, Washington, D.C.

    Google Scholar 

  • ASTM (1990). Standard guide for conducting 10-day static sediment toxicity tests with marine and estuarine amphipods. E 1367-90. Annual Book of ASATM Standards. American Society for Testing and Materials, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

    Google Scholar 

  • Barnard, J. L., Drummond, M. M. (1982). Gammaridean Amphipoda of Australia. Part V. Superfamily Haustorioidea. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C. (Smithson. Contr. Zool. 360: 1–148)

    Google Scholar 

  • Baron, M. G. (1990). Bioconcentration. Envir. Sci. Technol. 24: 1612–1618

    Google Scholar 

  • Bosworth, W. S. Jr. (1976). Biology of the genus Eohaustorius (Amphipoda: Haustoriidae) on the Oregon coast. Ph. D. dissertation. Oregon State University, Corvallis

    Google Scholar 

  • Buhler, D. R., Williams, D. E. (1989). Enzymes involved in metabolism of PAH by fishes and other aquatic animals: oxidative enzymes (or phase I enzymes) In: Varanasi, U. (ed.) Metabolism of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the aquatic environment. CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida, p. 151–184

    Google Scholar 

  • Bushong, S. J., Hall, L. W. Jr., Hall, W. S., Johnson, W. E., Herman, R. L. (1988). Acute toxicity of tributyltin to selected Chesapeake Bay fish and invertebrates. Wat. Res. 22: 1027–1032

    Google Scholar 

  • Cardwell R. D., Meador, J. P. (1989). Tributyltin in the environment: an overview and key issues. In: Ocean's 89 Proceedings, September 1989. Marine Technological Society, Seattle, Washington, p. 537–544

    Google Scholar 

  • Carter, R. J., Turoczy, N. J., Bond, A. M. (1989). Container adsorption of tributyltin (TBT) compounds: implication for environmental analysis. Envir. Sci. Technol. 23: 615–617

    Google Scholar 

  • DeWitt, T. H. Swartz, R. C., Lamberson, J. O. (1989). Measuring the acute toxicity of estuarine sediments. Envir. Toxic. Chem. 8: 1035–1048

    Google Scholar 

  • Fitzwater, S. E., Knauer, G. A., Martin, J. H. (1982). Metal contamination and its effect on primary production measurements. Limnol. Oceanogr. 27: 544–551

    Google Scholar 

  • Herbes, S. E., Allen, C. P. (1983). Lipid quantification of freshwater invertebrates: method modification for microquantitation. Can. J. Fish. aquat. Sciences 40: 1315–1317

    Google Scholar 

  • Krahn, M. M., Moore, L. K., Bogar, R. G., Wigren, C. A., Chan, S.-L., Brown, D. W. (1988). High-performance liquid chromatographic method for isolating organic contaminants from tissue and sediment extracts. J. Chromatogr. 437: 161–175

    Google Scholar 

  • Krone, C. A., Brown, D. W., Burrows, D. G., Bogar, R. G., Chan, S.-L., Varanasi, U. (1989). A method of analysis of butyltin species and measurement of butyltins in sediment and English sole livers from Puget Sound. Mar. envirl Res. 27: 1–18

    Google Scholar 

  • Landrum, P. F. (1988). Toxicokinetics of organic xenobiotics in the amphipod, Pontoporeia hoyi: role of physiological and environmental variables. Aquat. Toxic. 12: 245–271

    Google Scholar 

  • Laughlin, R. B. Jr., French, W. (1989). Population-related toxicity responses to two butyltin compounds by zoeae of the mud crab Rhithropanopeus harrisii. Mar. Biol. 102: 397–401

    Google Scholar 

  • Laughlin, R. B., Guard, H. E., Coleman, W. M. III. (1986). Tributyltin in seawater: speciation and octanol-water partition coefficient. Envir. Sci. Technol. 20: 201–204

    Google Scholar 

  • Laughlin, R. B. Jr., Johannesen, R. B., French, W., Guard, H., Brinckman, F. E. (1985). Structure-activity relationships for organotin compounds. Envir. Toxic. Chem. 4: 343–351

    Google Scholar 

  • Laughlin, R., Nordlund, K., Linden, O. (1984). Long-term effects of tributyltin on the Baltic amphipod, Gammarus oceanicus. Mar. envirl Res. 12: 243–271

    Google Scholar 

  • LeBlanc, G. A. (1984). Interspecies relationships in acute toxicity of chemicals to aquatic organisms. Envir. Toxic. Chem. 3: 47–60

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee, R. F. (1985). Metabolism of tributyltin oxide by crabs, oysters, and fish. Mar. envirl Res. 17: 145–148

    Google Scholar 

  • Mackay, D. (1982). Correlation of bioconcentration factors. Envir. Sci. Technol. 16: 274–278

    Google Scholar 

  • McCarty, L. S. (1986). The relationship between aquatic toxicity QSARs and bioconcentration for some organic chemicals. Envir. Toxic. Chem. 5: 1071–1080

    Google Scholar 

  • McCarty, L. S. (1991a). Toxicant body residues: implication for aquatic bioassays with some organic chemicals. In: Mayes, M. A., Barron, M. G. (eds.) Aquatic toxicology and risk assessment. Vol. 14. American Society for Testing and Materials, Philadelphia, Pa., p. 183–192 (ASTM Ref. 1124)

    Google Scholar 

  • McCarty, L. S. (1991b). Interpreting aquatic toxicity QSARs: the significance of toxicant body residues at the pharmacological endpoint. Sci. total Envir. 109/110: 515–525

    Google Scholar 

  • Meador, J. P. (1993). The effect of laboratory holding on the toxicity response of marine infaunal amphipods to cadmium and tributyltin. (in preparation)

  • Meador, J. P., Salazar, M. H., U'Ren, S. C. (1984). A flow-through bioassay system for the evaluation of organotin compounds. Wat. Res. 18: 647–650

    Google Scholar 

  • Neely, W. B. (1979). Estimating rate constants for the uptake and clearance of chemicals by fish. Envir. Sci. Technol. 13: 1506–1510

    Google Scholar 

  • Oakden, J. M. (1984). Feeding and substrate preference in five species of phoxocephalid amphipods from central California. J. Crustaccan Biol. 4: 233–247

    Google Scholar 

  • Okamoto, K. (1991). Biological reference materials for metal speciation: NIES fish tissue reference material for organotin compounds. In: Subramanian, K. S., Iyengar, G. V., Okamoto, K. (eds.) Biological trace element research: multidisciplinary perspectives. American Chemical Society, Washington, D.C., p. 257–264 (ACS Symp. Ser. No. 445)

    Google Scholar 

  • Oliver, B. G., Niimi, A. J. (1985). Bioconcentration factors of some halogenated organics for rainbow trout: limitations in their use for prediction of environmental residues. Envir. Sci. Technol. 19: 842–849

    Google Scholar 

  • Oliver, J. S., Oakden J. M., Slattery, P. N. (1982). Phoxocephalid amphipod crustaceans as predators on larvae and juveniles in marine soft-bottom communities. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 7: 179–184

    Google Scholar 

  • Pastorok, R. A., Becker, D. S. (1990). Comparative sensitivity of sediment toxicity bioassays at three Superfund sites in Puget Sound. In: Landis, W. G., van der Schalie (eds.) Aquatic toxicology and risk assessment. Vol. 13. American Society for Testing and Materials. Philadelphia, Pa., p. 123–139 (ASTM Ref. STP 1096)

    Google Scholar 

  • Reichert, W. L., Eberhart, B.-T. L., Varanasi, U. (1985). Exposure of two species of deposit feeding amphipods to sediment-associated [3H]benzo[a]pyrene: uptake, metabolism, and covalent binding to tissue macromolecules. Aquat. Toxic. 6: 45–56

    Google Scholar 

  • Salazar, M. H. (1989). Mortality, growth, and bioaccumulation in mussels exposed to TBT: differences between the laboratory and the field. In: Oceans '89. Marine Technological Society, Seattle, Washington, D.C., p. 530–536

    Google Scholar 

  • Slattery, P. N. (1985). Life histories of infaunal amphipods from subtidal sands of Monterey Bay, California. J. Crustacean Biol. 5: 635–649

    Google Scholar 

  • Southworth, G. R., Keffer, C. C., Beauchamp, J. J. (1980). Potential and realized bioconcentration: a comparison of observed and predicted bioconcentration of azaarenes in the fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas). Envir. Sci. Technol. 14: 1529–1531

    Google Scholar 

  • Southworth, G. R., Keffer, C. C., Beauchamp, J. J. (1981). The accumulation and disposition of benz(a)acridine in the fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas). Archs envir. Contam. Toxic. 10: 561–569

    Google Scholar 

  • Stephan, C. E. (1977). Methods for calculating an LC50. In: Mayer, F. L., Hamelink, J. L. (eds.) Aquatic toxicology and hazard evaluation. American Society for Testing and Materials, Philadelphia, Pa., p. 65–84 (Ref. ASTM STP 634)

    Google Scholar 

  • Stephan, C. E., Mount, D. I., Hansen, D. J., Gentile, J. H., Chapman, G. A., Brungs, W. A. (1985). Guidelines for deriving numerical national water quality criteria for the protection of aquatic organisms and their uses. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, Oregon

    Google Scholar 

  • Suter, G. W. II, Vaughan, D. S., Gardner, R. H. (1983). Risk assessment by analysis of extrapolation error: a demonstration for effects of pollutants on fish. Envir. Toxic. Chem. 2: 369–378

    Google Scholar 

  • Tas, J. W., Seinen, W., Opperhuizen, A. (1991). Lethal body burden of triphenyltin chloride in fish: preliminary results. Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 100C: 59–60

    Google Scholar 

  • Tsuda, T., Aoki, S., Kojima, M., Harada, H. (1990a). Differences between freshwater and seawater-acclimated guppies in the accumulation and excretion of tri-n-butyltin chloride and triphenyltin chloride. Wat. Res. 24: 1373–1376

    Google Scholar 

  • Tsuda, T., Aoki, S., Kojima, M., Harada, H. (1990b). The influence of pH on the accumulation of tri-n-butyltin chloride and triphenyltin chloride in carp. Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 95C: 151–153

    Google Scholar 

  • Tsuda, T., Aoki, S., Kojima, M., Harada, H. (1991). Accumulation of tri-n-butyltin chloride and triphenyltin chloride by oral and via gill intake of goldfish (Crassius auratus). Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 99C: 69–72

    Google Scholar 

  • Tsuda, T., Aoki, S., Kojima, M., Harada, H. (1992). Accumulation and excretion of tri-n-butyltin chloride and triphenyltin chloride by willow shiner. Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 101C: 67–70

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Hoogen, G., Opperhuizen, A. (1988). Toxicokinetics of chlorobenzenes in fish. Envir. Toxic. Chem. 7: 213–219

    Google Scholar 

  • Varanasi, U., Reichert, W. L., Stein, J. E., Brown, D. W., Sanborn, H. R. (1985). Bioavailability and biotransformation of aromatic hydrocarbons in benthic organisms exposed to sediment from an urban estuary. Envir. Sci. Technol. 19: 836–841

    Google Scholar 

  • Vighi, M., Calamari, D. (1985). QSARs for organotin compounds on Daphnia magna. Chemosphere (U.K.) 14: 1925–1932

    Google Scholar 

  • Widdows, J., Burns, K. A., Menon, N. R., Page, D. S., Soria, S. (1990). Measurement of physiological energetics (scope for growth) and chemical contaminants in mussels (Arca zebra) transplanted along a contamination gradient in Bermuda. J. exp. mar. Biol. Ecol. 138: 99–117

    Google Scholar 

  • Zaroogian, G. E., Heltshe, J. F., Johnson, M. (1985). Estimation of bioconcentration in marine species using structure-activity models. Envir. Toxic. Chem. 4: 3–12

    Google Scholar 

  • Zuolian, C., Jensen, A. (1989). Accumulation of organic and inorganic tin in blue mussel, Mytilus edulis, under natural conditions. Mar. Pollut. Bull. 20: 281–286

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Environmental Conservation Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, 2725 Montlake Boulevard East, 98112, Seattle, Washington, USA

    J. P. Meador, U. Varanasi & C. A. Krone

Authors
  1. J. P. Meador
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. U. Varanasi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. C. A. Krone
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

Communicated by M. G. Hadfield, Honolulu

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Meador, J.P., Varanasi, U. & Krone, C.A. Differential sensitivity of marine infaunal amphipods to tributyltin. Marine Biology 116, 231–239 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00350012

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00350012

Keywords

Search

Navigation