Biological effects of contaminants: Stress on Stress (SoS) response in mussels

The SoS biomarker provides evidence of the effects of pollutants at the whole organism response level. It shows a typical dose-response curve, characterized by a continuous decrease of the parameter LT50 (the median survival time or the time (days) in which 50% of mussels have died) with increasing pollutant concentrations. However, in some experiments with low concentrations of contaminants a slight increase in LT50 has beeno bserved, possibly due to a hormetic effect. The method for determining SoS in mussels is being applied routinely to both toxicant-exposed mussels in laboratory studies and to mussels collected in national monitoring programmes from polluted environments and along pollution gradients. The added value of SoS in mussels is that this response measures the overall impact of multiple stressors on an organism. Thus, SoS responses can be quantitatively correlated to contaminant tissue concentrations, providing an integrated biological effect–chemical monitoring tool.Postprin

Supporting variables for biological effects measurements in fish and blue mussels

Biological effects measurements in fish and blue mussel are fundamental in marine environmental monitoring. Nevertheless, currently used biomarkers may be confounded by basic physiological phenomena, such as growth, reproduction, and feeding, as well as thereby associated physiological variation. Here, we present a number of supporting variables, which are essential to measure in order to obtain reliable biological effects data, facilitate their interpretation, and make valid comparisons. For fish, these variables include: body weight, body length, condition, gonad maturation status, various somatic indices, age, and growth. For blue mussels, these variables include: volume, flesh weight, shell weight, and condition. Also, grossly visible anomalies, lesions, and parasites should be recorded for both fish and blue mussels. General confounding factors and their effects are described, as well as recommendations for how to handle themPostprint

Biological effects of contaminants: Stress on Stress (SoS) response in mussels

It is well known that the physiological status of marine organisms changes when they are exposed to contaminants (Bayne et al., 1986; De Zwaan et al., 1995; Viarengo et al., 1995). One consequence is that the organism is less able to tolerate the natural fluctuations of environmental factors. Mussels can tolerate aerial exposure for many days but, under sustained aerial exposure, they will eventually die. The ability of mussels to keep valves closed and to resist aerial exposure relates to the amount of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) available to fuel the adductor muscle (De Zwaan and Mathiew, 1992). In mussels from contaminated sites, part of the metabolic energy is spent on detoxification processes, thus depleting the ATP needed for other physiological functions. The reduction of survival in air, or stress on stress (SoS) biomarker, is a simple and lowcost whole organism response that can show pollutant induced alterations in the organism’s physiology that renders the animal more sensitive to further environmental changes...

Integrated chemical and biological assessment of contaminant impacts in selected European coastal and offshore marine areas

This paper reports a full assessment of results from ICON, an international workshop on marine integrated contaminant monitoring, encompassing different matrices (sediment, fish, mussels, gastropods), areas (Iceland, North Sea, Baltic, Wadden Sea, Seine estuary and the western Mediterranean) and endpoints (chemical analyses, biological effects). ICON has demonstrated the use of a framework for integrated contaminant assessment on European coastal and offshore areas. The assessment showed that chemical contamination did not always correspond with biological effects, indicating that both are required. The framework can be used to develop assessments for EU directives. If a 95% target were to be used as a regional indicator of MSFD GES, Iceland and offshore North Sea would achieve the target using the ICON dataset, but inshore North Sea, Baltic and Spanish Mediterranean regions would fail.Postprint1,95

Integrated indicator framework and methodology for monitoring and assessment of hazardous substances and their effects in the marine environment

Many maritime countries in Europe have implemented marine environmental monitoring programmes which include the measurement of chemical contaminants and related biological effects. How best to integrate data obtained in these two types of monitoring into meaningful assessments has been the subject of recent efforts by the International Council for Exploration of the Sea (ICES) Expert Groups. Work within these groups has concentrated on defining a core set of chemical and biological endpoints that can be used across maritime areas, defining confounding factors, supporting parameters and protocols for measurement. The framework comprised markers for concentrations of, exposure to and effects from, contaminants. Most importantly, assessment criteria for biological effect measurements have been set and the framework suggests how these measurements can be used in an integrated manner alongside contaminant measurements in biota, sediments and potentially water. Output from this process resulted in OSPAR Commission (www.ospar.org) guidelines that were adopted in 2012 on a trial basis for a period of 3 years. The developed assessment framework can furthermore provide a suitable approach for the assessment of Good Environmental Status (GES) for Descriptor 8 of the European Union (EU) Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD).Postprint1,95