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Sensitivity of the glochidia (larvae) of freshwater mussels to copper: assessing the effect of water hardness and dissolved organic carbon on the sensitivity of endangered species.
Aquat Toxicol. 2008 Jun 23; 88(2):137-45.AT

Abstract

The assessment of the potential impact of waterborne contaminants on imperilled freshwater mussels is needed. Acute copper toxicity was assessed in a standardized soft water (hardness 40-48 mg CaCO(3)equivalents L(-1)) using the larvae (glochidia) from three common and six (Canadian) endangered mussel species. The resulting 24h EC50s ranged from 7 to 36 microg Cu L(-1), with the EC50s of two endangered species <10 microg Cu L(-1). Acute copper sensitivity was also determined in Ptychobranchus fasciolaris, a species that employs conglutinates (packets of glochidia) in its reproductive strategy. Conglutinates were found to provide significant protection from acute copper exposure as the EC50 of the encased glochidia was more than four-fold higher than freed glochidia (72.6 microg Cu L(-1) vs. 16.3 microg Cu L(-1)). The glochidia from two endangered species, Epioblasma triquetra and Lampsilis fasciola, were used to examine the influence of water hardness and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) on copper sensitivity. Exposures in moderately-hard water (165 mg CaCO(3) L(-1)) demonstrated that an increase in water hardness resulted in a significant reduction in copper sensitivity. For example, in L. fasciola the 24 h EC50s were 17.6 (14.2-22.6) microg Cu L(-1) and 50.4 (43.5-60.0) microg Cu L(-1) in soft water and moderately-hard water, respectively. The addition of DOC (as Aldrich Humic Acid) also resulted in a significant decrease in Cu sensitivity, such that a 10-fold increase in the EC50 of E. triquetra was observed when the reconstituted soft water was augmented with 1.6 mg DOC L(-1). To determine if current water quality regulations for copper would protect all glochidia, the USEPA's Biotic Ligand Model (BLM) was used to derive water quality criteria for these exposures. While BLM-derived criteria for the soft water exposures indicate that protection would be marginal for the sensitive endangered species, the criteria derived for the DOC exposures suggest that the natural complexity of most natural waters in Southern Ontario (Canada) will provide glochidia with protection from acute copper exposure.

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Publisher Full Text (DOI)

Authors+Show Affiliations

Gillis PL
Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada N1G-2W1. patty.gillis@ec.gc.ca
Mitchell RJ
No affiliation info available
Schwalb AN
No affiliation info available
McNichols KA
No affiliation info available
Mackie GL
No affiliation info available
Wood CM
No affiliation info available
Ackerman JD
No affiliation info available

MeSH

AnimalsBivalviaCarbonCopperFresh WaterInhibitory Concentration 50LarvaWater Pollutants, Chemical

Pub Type(s)

Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Language

eng

PubMed ID

18490065

Citation

Gillis, Patricia L., et al. "Sensitivity of the Glochidia (larvae) of Freshwater Mussels to Copper: Assessing the Effect of Water Hardness and Dissolved Organic Carbon On the Sensitivity of Endangered Species." Aquatic Toxicology (Amsterdam, Netherlands), vol. 88, no. 2, 2008, pp. 137-45.
Gillis PL, Mitchell RJ, Schwalb AN, et al. Sensitivity of the glochidia (larvae) of freshwater mussels to copper: assessing the effect of water hardness and dissolved organic carbon on the sensitivity of endangered species. Aquat Toxicol. 2008;88(2):137-45.
Gillis, P. L., Mitchell, R. J., Schwalb, A. N., McNichols, K. A., Mackie, G. L., Wood, C. M., & Ackerman, J. D. (2008). Sensitivity of the glochidia (larvae) of freshwater mussels to copper: assessing the effect of water hardness and dissolved organic carbon on the sensitivity of endangered species. Aquatic Toxicology (Amsterdam, Netherlands), 88(2), 137-45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquatox.2008.04.003
Gillis PL, et al. Sensitivity of the Glochidia (larvae) of Freshwater Mussels to Copper: Assessing the Effect of Water Hardness and Dissolved Organic Carbon On the Sensitivity of Endangered Species. Aquat Toxicol. 2008 Jun 23;88(2):137-45. PubMed PMID: 18490065.
* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
TY - JOUR T1 - Sensitivity of the glochidia (larvae) of freshwater mussels to copper: assessing the effect of water hardness and dissolved organic carbon on the sensitivity of endangered species. AU - Gillis,Patricia L, AU - Mitchell,Rebecca J, AU - Schwalb,Astrid N, AU - McNichols,Kelly A, AU - Mackie,Gerald L, AU - Wood,Chris M, AU - Ackerman,Josef D, Y1 - 2008/04/12/ PY - 2007/11/28/received PY - 2008/04/01/revised PY - 2008/04/04/accepted PY - 2008/5/21/pubmed PY - 2008/12/20/medline PY - 2008/5/21/entrez SP - 137 EP - 45 JF - Aquatic toxicology (Amsterdam, Netherlands) JO - Aquat Toxicol VL - 88 IS - 2 N2 - The assessment of the potential impact of waterborne contaminants on imperilled freshwater mussels is needed. Acute copper toxicity was assessed in a standardized soft water (hardness 40-48 mg CaCO(3)equivalents L(-1)) using the larvae (glochidia) from three common and six (Canadian) endangered mussel species. The resulting 24h EC50s ranged from 7 to 36 microg Cu L(-1), with the EC50s of two endangered species <10 microg Cu L(-1). Acute copper sensitivity was also determined in Ptychobranchus fasciolaris, a species that employs conglutinates (packets of glochidia) in its reproductive strategy. Conglutinates were found to provide significant protection from acute copper exposure as the EC50 of the encased glochidia was more than four-fold higher than freed glochidia (72.6 microg Cu L(-1) vs. 16.3 microg Cu L(-1)). The glochidia from two endangered species, Epioblasma triquetra and Lampsilis fasciola, were used to examine the influence of water hardness and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) on copper sensitivity. Exposures in moderately-hard water (165 mg CaCO(3) L(-1)) demonstrated that an increase in water hardness resulted in a significant reduction in copper sensitivity. For example, in L. fasciola the 24 h EC50s were 17.6 (14.2-22.6) microg Cu L(-1) and 50.4 (43.5-60.0) microg Cu L(-1) in soft water and moderately-hard water, respectively. The addition of DOC (as Aldrich Humic Acid) also resulted in a significant decrease in Cu sensitivity, such that a 10-fold increase in the EC50 of E. triquetra was observed when the reconstituted soft water was augmented with 1.6 mg DOC L(-1). To determine if current water quality regulations for copper would protect all glochidia, the USEPA's Biotic Ligand Model (BLM) was used to derive water quality criteria for these exposures. While BLM-derived criteria for the soft water exposures indicate that protection would be marginal for the sensitive endangered species, the criteria derived for the DOC exposures suggest that the natural complexity of most natural waters in Southern Ontario (Canada) will provide glochidia with protection from acute copper exposure. SN - 0166-445X UR - https://www.unboundmedicine.com/medline/citation/18490065/Sensitivity_of_the_glochidia__larvae__of_freshwater_mussels_to_copper:_assessing_the_effect_of_water_hardness_and_dissolved_organic_carbon_on_the_sensitivity_of_endangered_species_ DB - PRIME DP - Unbound Medicine ER -