Evaluación de la toxicidad de sedimento y agua de mar contaminados por el vertido de fuel del Prestige, mediante el uso de bioensayos con las almejas "Venerupis pullastra", "Tappes decussatus" y "Venerupis rhomboideus" y la microalga "Skeletonema costatum"
- Mariño-Balsa, J.C. 1
- Pérez, P. 1
- Estévez-Blanco, P. 1
- Saco-Álvarez, L. 1
- Fernández, E. 1
- Beiras, R. 1
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1
Universidade de Vigo
info
ISSN: 0185-3880, 2395-9053
Year of publication: 2003
Volume: 29
Issue: 1
Pages: 115-122
Type: Article
More publications in: Ciencias marinas
Abstract
In this study we present the early monitoring of the pollution caused by the accident of the Prestige tanker off the Galician coast. To evaluate the toxicity of sediment and water exposed to fuel, three kinds of bioassays were carried out using juvenile clams, clam embryos and microalgae. Firstly, the burrowing behaviour of "Venerupis pullastra" and "Tappes decussatus" in the sediment collected from two beaches of similar characteristics but different pollution conditions, was studied over 24 h. No significant differences were observed between the two sediments. Secondly, embryogenesis success of "Venerupis rhomboideus" was recorded after incubation in seawater and elutriates obtained from affected areas. In this case, fuel-polluted seawater showed a marked inhibition of embryogenesis, while sediment elutriates showed moderate toxicity. Parallel bioassays with the diatom "Skeletonema costatum" were carried out using sediment elutriates and filtered seawater from the sampling sites. The response variable measured was the maximum quantum yield of photosynthesis (Φpo) using a Fast Repetition Rate Fluorometer (FRRF). In the first sampling, significant differences were found in the response of "S. costatum" cultured in the elutriates as compared to the control after 5 h exposure. The results corresponding to the second sampling showed statistically significant lower values of Φpo in the culture incubated in M2 water as compared with the control, indicating that the water-accommodated fraction of fuel at this site was the most toxic.