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Oligochaete respiration as a measure of sediment toxicity in Puget Sound, Washington

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Abstract

Respiration rate measurements were conducted with the marine oligochaete Monopylephorus cuticulatus Baker and Brinkhurst to determine the sublethal toxicity of sediments collected from Puget Sound, Washington. Worms were exposed to elutriates prepared from centrifuged sediment slurries. Standard respiration rates were measured at high dissolved oxygen levels for each sample tested and were compared with control and other test results. A total of 97 sediment samples were tested; 40 samples demonstrated significant respiration effects (elevation or depression). Comparison with results of other tests conducted at the same stations or geographic locations (genotoxicity to fish cells, lethality to sensitive species, reproductive impairment tests) indicated very good agreement on broad scale toxicity patterns at different geographical areas, and that respiration measurements effectively determined sublethal toxicity of sediments. This study represents the first application of respiration measurements as a sublethal toxicity test for field-collected sediments.

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  1. E.V.S. Consultants Ltd., 195 Pemberton Avenue, V7P 2R4, North Vancouver, B.C., Canada

    Peter M. Chapman

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Chapman, P.M. Oligochaete respiration as a measure of sediment toxicity in Puget Sound, Washington. Hydrobiologia 155, 249–258 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00025657

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