Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Toxicity of Oil and Dispersed Oil on Juvenile Mud Crabs, Rhithropanopeus harrisii

  • Published:
Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In order to simulate an offshore oil spill event, we assessed the acute toxicity of the non-dispersed and the chemically dispersed water-accommodated fraction (WAF) of crude oil using Louisiana sweet crude and Corexit® 9500A with juvenile Harris mud crabs (Rhithropanopeus harrisii), an important Gulf of Mexico benthic crustacean. The chemical dispersion of crude oil significantly increased acute toxicity of the WAF in juvenile mud crabs compared to naturally dispersed oil. The majority of the mortality in the chemically dispersed treatments occurred within 24 h. While higher concentrations of chemically dispersed WAF had no survivors, at lower concentrations surviving juvenile crabs displayed no long-term effects. These results suggest that if the juvenile crabs survive initial exposure, acute exposure to dispersed or non-dispersed crude oil may not induce long-term effects.

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

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Benner Jr. RA, El Said KR, Jester ELE, Flurer RA, Boyd BL, Gamble B, Gratz S, Mulligan KJ, Heitkemper DT, Burrows DG, da Silva DAM, Krahn MM, Reichert WL, Ylitalo GM, Plakas SM, Seyfert-Margolis V, Dickey R (2010) Investigation of Corexit 9500 dispersant in Gulf of Mexico seafood species USFDA, pp 1–22

  • Crone TJ, Tolstoy M (2010) Magnitude of the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil leak. Science 6004:634

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Forward RB (2009) Larval biology of the crab Rhithropanopeus harrisii (Gould): a synthesis. Biol Bull 3:243–256

    Google Scholar 

  • George-Ares A, Clark JR (2000) Aquatic toxicity of two Corexit® dispersants. Chemosphere 8:897–906

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hemmer MJ, Barron MG, Greene RM (2010) Comparative toxicity of Louisiana sweet crude oil (LSC) and chemically dispersed LSC to two Gulf of Mexico aquatic test species. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Research and Development, pp 1–13

  • Khan RA, Payne JF (2005) Influence of a crude oil dispersant, Corexit 9527, and dispersed oil on capelin (Mallotus villosus), Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua), longhorn sculpin (Myoxocephalus octodecemspinosus), and cunner (Tautogolabrus adspersus). Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 1:50–56

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Klerks PL, Nyman JA, Bhattacharyya S (2004) Relationship between hydrocarbon measurements and toxicity to a chironomid, fish larva and daphnid for oils and oil spill chemical treatments in laboratory freshwater marsh microcosms. Environ Pollut 3:345–353

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kujawinski EB, Kido Soule MC, Valentine DL, Boysen AK, Longnecker K, Redmond MC (2011) Fate of dispersants associated with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Environ Sci Technol 4:1298–1306

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McIntosh S, King T, Wu DM, Hodson PV (2010) Toxicity of dispersed weathered crude oil to early life stages of Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus). Environ Toxicol Chem 5:1160–1167

    Google Scholar 

  • NOAA (2010) Deepwater Horizon oil: characteristics and concerns. National oceanic and atmospheric administration. Office of Response and Restoration, pp 1–2

  • Overton EB, Ashton BM, Miles MS (2004) Historical polycyclic aromatic and petrogenic hydrocarbon loading in Northern Central Gulf of Mexico shelf sediments. Mar Pollut Bull 7–8:557–563

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roth AM, Baltz D (2009) Short-term effects of an oil spill on marsh-edge fishes and decapod crustaceans. Estuar Coast 3:565–572

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schein A, Scott JA, Mos L, Hodson PV (2009) Oil dispersion increases the apparent bioavailability and toxicity of diesel to rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Environ Toxicol Chem 3:595–602

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Singer M, George S, Jacobson S, Lee I, Weetman L, Tjeerdema R, Sowby M (1996) Comparison of acute aquatic effects of the oil dispersant Corexit 9500 with those of other Corexit series dispersants. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 2:183–189

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • US Environmental Protection Agency (1992) User Guide PROBIT program, Version 1.5. Environment Monitoring Systems Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati

    Google Scholar 

  • US Environmental Protection Agency (1996) Semivolatile organic compounds by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) EPA method 8270C. Environmental Protection Agency. Pacific Southwest Region 9, p 54

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Louisiana Sea Grant College Program for funding as well as two anonymous reviewers, Stanley Massett, Paul Bangs, Holly Rogers, Christopher Green, and Andrew Nyman for assistance with the project or manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Renewable Natural Resources, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA

    Julie A. Anderson & A. Nikki Anderson

  2. Aquaculture Research Station, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, LA, 70820, USA

    Adam J. Kuhl

Authors
  1. Julie A. Anderson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Adam J. Kuhl
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. A. Nikki Anderson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Julie A. Anderson.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

128_2014_1216_MOESM1_ESM.pdf

Full list of 74 target PAHs concentrations in the 100% chemically enhanced water-accommodated fraction (CE) and 100% water-accommodated fraction (WAF). ND stands for no detection (PDF 16 kb)

Appendix

Appendix

Full list of 74 target PAHs used to calculate the expanded total PAH concentration.

Constituent

cis/trans-Decaiin

C3-Phens/Anths

Benzo(b)fluoranthenea

Cl-Decalins

C4-Phens/Anths

Benzo(k)fluoranthenea

C2-Deca1ins

Relent

Benzo(a)fluoranthene

C3-Decalins

DibenzothiopheneQDBI)

Benzo(e)pyrenea

C4-Decalins

Cl-DBT

C30-Hopane

Benzo(b)thiophenes

C2-DBF

Benzo(a)pyrenea

Cl-Benzotbiophenes

C3-DBT

Perylenea

C2-Benzotbiophenes

C4-DBT

Indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrenea

C3-Bcnzothiophcncs

Bcnzo(b)fluorene

Dibenz(a,h)anthracenea

C4-Benzothiophenes

Fluoranthene (Tluors)a

Benzo(g,h,i)perylenea

Naphthalenea

Pyrene (Pyrs)a

4-Methyldibenzothiophene

C1-Naphthalenes

C1-Fluors/Pyrs

2-Methyldibenzothiophene

C2-Naphthalenes

C2-Fluors/Pyrs

1-Mcthyldibcnzothiophene

C3-Naphthalenes

C3-Fluors/Pyrs

3-Methylphenanthrene

C4-Naphthalenes

C4-Fluors/Pyrs

2-Methylphenanthrene

Biphenyla

Naphrhobenzothiophene(NBT)

2-Methylanthracene

Acenapbthylenea

Cl-NBT

9-Methylphenanthrene

Acenaphthenea

C2-NB1

1-Methylphenanthrenea

Fluorenea

C3-NBF

2-Methylnaphthalenea

G1-Flnorenes

C4-NBT

1-Melthlnaphthalenea

C2-Fluorenes

Benz(a)anthracenea

2,6-Dimethylnaphthalenea

C3-Fluorenes

Chrysenea

2,3,5-Trimethylnaphthalenea

Anthracene (Anths)a

Cl-Chrysenes

Carbazole

Phenanthrene (Phens)a

C2-Chrysenes

 

Cl-Phens/Anths

C3-Cluysenes

 

C2-Phcns/Anths

C4-Chryscncs

 
  1. aThe 24 target PAHs used to calculate total PAH concentration (Overton et al. 2004)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Anderson, J.A., Kuhl, A.J. & Anderson, A.N. Toxicity of Oil and Dispersed Oil on Juvenile Mud Crabs, Rhithropanopeus harrisii . Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 92, 375–380 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-014-1216-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-014-1216-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation