Skip to main content

Evaluation of the Fertilization Capability of Paracentrotus Lividus Sea Urchin Storaged Gametes by the Exposure to Different Aqueous Matrices

Environmental Monitoring and Assessment volume 119, pages 1–13 (2006)Cite this article

Abstract

Several experiments were performed to evaluate the fertilization capability of Paracentrotus lividus sea urchin gametes, which are usually used in fertilization tests, but which, until now, were employed only for few hours after spawning.

The aim of this work is to evaluate the possibility of performing the bioassay for longer periods, employing ‘conserved' gametes. As far as the method, the sperm was stored ‘dry' at 4 ∘C; eggs were conserved in an antibiotic solution at 4 ∘C, and they were exposed both to copper solutions as reference toxicant and to aqueous matrices.

The use of conserved gametes in the fertilization bioassay lead to EC50 values which were acceptable for about 3 days. Moreover, these experiments permitted to identify the limiting factor: the male gamete.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

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

References

  • Anderson, S., Hoffman, E., Steward, D. and Harte, J.: 1990, Ambient Toxicity Characterization of San Francisco Bay and Adjacent Wetland Ecosystem, Report, LBL-29579, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, University of California, pp. 1–85.

  • Ankley, G. T.: 1991, ‘Predicting the toxicity of bulk sediments to aquatic organisms with aqueous test fractions: Pore water vs. Elutriate’, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 10, 1359–1366.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Arizzi Novelli, A., Volpi Ghirardini, A., Giuliani, S., Falugi, C., Pagano, G. and Iaccarino, M.: 2001, ‘Valutazione della tossicità di acque e sedimenti costieri con gameti e embrioni di specie autoctone di ricci di mare utilizzando metodiche differenziate’, Biol. Mar. Medit. 8 (2), 41–59.

    Google Scholar 

  • ASTM: 1995, ‘Standard guide for conducting static acute toxicity tests with echinoid embryos’, E 1563-95, American Society for Testing and Materials, Philadelphia, pp. 1029–1046.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carr, R. S. and Chapman, D. C.: 1995, ‘Comparison of methods for conducting marine and estuarine sediment porewater toxicity tests: Extraction, storage and handling techniques’, Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 28, 69–77.

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chapman, G. A.: 1995, ‘Sea urchin sperm cell test’, in: G.M. Rand (ed.) Fundamentals of Aquatic Toxicology: Effects, Environmental Fate and Risk Assessment, 2nd Edition, Bristol, PA, Taylor and Francis, pp. 189–205.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cherr, G. N., Shenker, J. M., Lundmark, C. and Turner, K. O.: 1987, ‘Toxic effects of selected bleached kraft mill effluent constituents on the sea urchin sperm cell’, Toxicol. Chem. 6, 561–569.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Clementson, L. A. and Wayte, S. E.: 1992, ‘The effects of frozen storage of open-ocean seawater samples on the concentration of dissolved Phosphate and Nitrate’, Wat. Res. 26 (9), 1171–1176.

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Angelis, E.: 1975, ‘The problem of bacterial contamination during sea urchin egg culture’, Pubbl. Staz. Zool. 40, 19–25.

    Google Scholar 

  • De Angelis, E.: 1976, ‘The effects of antibiotics on sea urchin egg culture’, Pubbl. Staz. Zool. 40, 26–33.

    Google Scholar 

  • Decreto legislativo no. 152: 1999, ‘Disposizione sulla tutela delle acque dell'inquinamento e recepimento della direttiva 91/271/CEE concernente il trattamento delle acque reflue e della direttiva 91/676/CEE relativa alla protezione delle acque dell'inquinamento provocato dai nitrati provenienti da fonti agricole’, Gazzetta Ufficiale, 29 Maggio 1999, pp. 1–125.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dinnel, P. A., Link, J. M. and Stober, Q. J.: 1987, ‘Improved methodology for a sea urchin sperm cell bioassay for marine waters’, Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol 16, 23–32.

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dinnel, P. A., Pagano, G. and Ossida, P. S.: 1988, ‘A sea urchin test system for marine environmental monitoring’, in: R. D. Burke, P. V. Mladenov and R. L. Parsley (eds.), Echinoderm Biology. Proceedings of the Sixth International Echinoderm Conference, Balkema, Rotterdam, pp. 611–619.

  • Fenaux, L.: 1968, ‘Maturation des gonads et cycle saissonier des larves chez Arbacia lixula, Paracentrotus lividus, et Psammechinus microtuberculatus (Echinedes) à Villefranche-sur-Mer’, Vie Milieu 19, 1–52.

  • Finney, D. J.: 1971, Probit Analysis, Cambridge University Press, London, UK.

    Google Scholar 

  • Giambartolomei, F. M.: 1990, ‘Nuove acquisizioni sul test di fertilità dello sperma di riccio di mare Paracentrotus lividus’, Thesis, University of Padova, Italy.

  • Giuliani, S., Ennas, C., Pellegrini, D. and Kozinkova, L.: 2002, ‘The bioassay with sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus: Different end-points to be applied to different environmental studies’, Fres. Environ. Bull. 11 (10), 806–809.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Giuliani, S., Lera, S., Kozinkova, L., De Ranieri, S. and Pellegrini, D.: 2004, ‘Sensibilità del saggio di fecondazione con gameti di Paracentrotus lividus (Lamarck) al variare di alcune condizioni sperimentali’, Biol. Mar. Medit., in press.

  • Hamilton, M. A., Russo, R. C. and Thurston, R. V.: 1978, ‘Trimmed Spearman-Karber method for estimating median lethal concentrations in toxicity bioassays’, Environ. Sci. Technol. 12, 714–720.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • ICES: 1997, Report of the ICES Advisory Committee on the Marine Environment.

  • Kobayashi, N.: 1984, ‘Marine ecotoxicological testing with echinoderms’, in: G. Persoone, E. Jaspers and C. Claus (eds.), Ecotoxicological Testing for the Marine Environment, State Univ. Ghent and Inst. Mar. Scient. Res., Bredene, Belgium, pp. 341–405.

  • Kozinkova, L., Ennas, C., Giuliani, S. and Pellegrini, D.: 2003, ‘Valutazione della qualità dei gameti di Paracentrotus lividus (Lamarck) utilizzando Cu(NO3)2·3H2O come tossico di riferimento su animali stabulati e non stabulati’, Biol. Mar. Medit. 10 (2), 1101–1104.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lambertson, J. Q., Dewitt, T. H. and Swartz, C.: 1992, ‘Assessment of sediment toxicity to marine benthos’, in: G. A. Burton (ed.), Lewis Publishers, Sediment Toxicity Assessment, pp. 183–211.

  • Mackintosh, R. F. and Bell, E.: 1970, ‘Reversible response to puromycin and some characteristics of the uptake and use of aminoacids by unfertilized sea urchin eggs’, Biol. Bull. 139, 296–303.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Marin, M. G., Da Los, L., Moschino, V. and Campesan, G.: 2001, ‘Sediment elutriate toxicity testing with embryos of sea urchin (Paracentrotus lividus)’, Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management 4, 215–221.

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nemer, M. and Infante, A.: 1967, ‘Ribosomal ribonucleic acid of the sea urchin egg and its fate during embryogenesis’, J. Mol. Biol. 27, 73–86.

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pagano, G., Cipollaro, M., Corsale, G., Esposito, A., Ragucci, E., Giordano, G. G. and Trieff, N. M.: 1986, ‘The sea urchin: Bioassay for the assessment of damage from environmental contaminants’, in: J. Cairns (ed.), Community Toxicity Testing, ASTM STP 920, Philadelphia, PA, pp. 66–92.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pellegrini, D., Giuliani, S., Onorati, F., Bigongiari, N., De Ranieri, S. and Meschini, P.: 1997, ‘Impiego di due saggi biologici per la valutazione della tossicità di sedimenti del porto di Piombino’, Biol. Mar. Medit. 4 (1), 490–492.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pinto, B., Pellegrini, D., Gabellini, M. and Ausili, A.: 1995, ‘Harbour and coastal sediments chemistry and toxicology: a preliminary study in dredging activities’, J. Aquat. Ecosyst. Health 4, 1–17.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tyler, A.: 1949, ‘A simple non-injurious method for inducing repeated spawning of sea urchins and sand dollars’, Collecting Net 19, 19–20.

    Google Scholar 

  • U.S EPA:1991, Earl-Standard Operating Procedure Conducting the Sea Urchin Arbacia punctulata Fertilization Test, Environmental Research Laboratory, Narragansett, RI, pp. 125–131.

  • U.S. EPA: 1994, Short-Term Methods for Estimating the Chronic Toxicity of Effluents and Receiving Waters to Marine and Estuarine Organisms, 600-4-91-003, Cincinnati, Ohio.

  • U.S. EPA: 1995, Short-Term Methods for Estimating the Chronic Toxicity of Effluents and Receiving Water to West Coast Marine and Estuarine Organisms, 600/R-95/136, Cincinnati, Ohio.

  • Volpi Ghirardini, A. and Arizzi Novelli, A.: 2001, ‘A sperm cell toxicity test procedure for the Mediterranean species Paracentrotus lividus (Echinodermata: Echinoidea)’, Environmental Technology 22, 439–445.

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. ICRAM, Central Institute of Marine Research, Via di Casalotti 300, Rome, Italy

    S. Lera & D. Pellegrini

Authors
  1. S. Lera
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. D. Pellegrini
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to S. Lera.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Lera, S., Pellegrini, D. Evaluation of the Fertilization Capability of Paracentrotus Lividus Sea Urchin Storaged Gametes by the Exposure to Different Aqueous Matrices. Environ Monit Assess 119, 1–13 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-005-9000-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-005-9000-0

Keywords

  • antibiotics
  • bioassay
  • copper
  • gametes storage
  • Paracentrotus lividus
  • sea urchin
  • aqueous matrices