Abstract
Microbiotests are a useful tool in acute toxicity investigations for pre-screening and screening of chemicals and wastes; tests based on enzymatic activity may be useful as a signal for chronic toxicity. The composition of a battery of microbiotests is function of the problem(s) under consideration. A battery of microbioassays should in principle be composed of representatives of the producers (algae, higher plants), consumers (mostly Zooplankton or zooedaphon invertebrates), and decomposers (bacteria or fungi). The selection of the test species and the design of the bioassay depends on the origin and the characteristics of the sample. Soil or sediment samples, coloured or turbid samples of surface and wastewaters, or totally transparent samples from deep-well monitoring systems, all require different approaches. Microbiotests for the detection of specific toxicants, such as screening for microphyte toxins is an another example of a situation where careful selection of the testing procedure is necessary, bearing in mind time and cost benefits, as well as ecological reliability. Well-experienced ecotoxicologists should be capable of selecting the right test organisms and design from a broad spectrum of microbiotests, in order to give a correct interpretation of the ecotoxicological results obtained for specific problems. This paper reviews and comments on the microbioassays available to date for toxicity screening of chemicals and wastes, based on their own experience in the Czech Republic.
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Marsálek, B., Rojícková-padrtová, R. (2000). Selection of a battery of microbiotests for various purposes—the Czech experience. In: Persoone, G., Janssen, C., De Coen, W. (eds) New Microbiotests for Routine Toxicity Screening and Biomonitoring. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-4289-6_8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-4289-6_8
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