Historical control data of ecotoxicological test with the copepod Tigriopus fulvus

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to evaluate the variability of naupliar mortality and sensitivity of T. fulvus to copper sulphate, (positive control), reared in laboratory by using a series of historical control data (HCD). Historical data were obtained by a dataset of 68 mortality acute tests (negative control) and by about 30 values of LC50 determined at 24–48 and 96 h (positive control with copper sulphate), in over 12 years. Data, arranged in Shewhart-like control charts, displayed a mean mortality of 3.53% in negative controls, well below the reference limit of ≤10%, with a low level of variability over time. Lethal concentration (LC50) for copper sulphate showed a stable mean of 0.67 ± 0.12 at 24 h, 0.30 ± 0.08 at 48 h and 0.12 ± 0.05 mg Cu⁺⁺/L, over time. These data confirm Tigriopus fulvus as a good bioindicator, even after years of culturing in laboratory conditions, since even over time, its responses to negative and positive controls (copper) have not undergone changes.

KEYWORDS:

• Crustacea
• Copepoda
• Acute toxicity test
• Copper sulphate
• Naupliar mortality
• Shewhart control chart

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ermelinda Prato

Ermelinda Prato is a researcher at the Water Research Institute of the National Research Council (Italy), with experience in marine (eco)toxicology, toxicant effects on populations, factors modifying toxicity, water chemistry, bioaccumulation of organic and inorganic compounds in bioindicator species and the development of ecotoxicological indicators and indices to elaborate heterogeneous data and application of integrated, ecological risk assessment models, toxicity evaluation of heavy metal POPs and emerging pollutants on marine organisms, management, monitoring of coastal areas and the potential transfer of pollutants and risk to human health aquaculture and biochemical quality of marine organisms.

Francesca Biandolino

Francesca Biandolino is a researcher at the Water Research Institute of the National Research Council (Italy). She has been doing research work since 2000 in Marine Ecotoxicology by using a battery of marine organisms as bioindicators of environmental and chemical stress. She investigates the acute, sub-chronic and chronic effects of emerging contaminants (nanoparticles, microplastic, pesticides and pharmaceuticals) on the lethal and reproductive traits of marine organisms. She investigates the biochemical responses to contaminants including the alteration of fatty acids and aminoacid composition. She studies the potential transfer of xenobiotics with risk for human health, monitoring and management of coastal areas, activities of dredging, the effect on marine biota of increasing water temperature because of global climate change and sustainable aquaculture. She participated in different working groups, contributing to the development of weighted criteria to elaborate heterogeneous data.

Isabella Parlapiano

Isabella Parlapiano is a researcher at the Water Research Institute - National Research Council (IRSA-CNR), Taranto, Italy. Her main research field focuses on environmental risk assessment associated with several classes of toxicants including emerging contaminants (metal nanoparticles, microplastics, pharmaceuticals and pesticides), environmental matrices (sediments, porewater, elutriates), using bivalves, microalgae, crustaceans and echinderms as model organisms. Her ecotoxicological studies involve multiple and multi-level markers that combine endpoints of ecological relevance (e.g. acute, chronic, full life-cycle and transgenerational tests, embryonic development bioassays), including the effects of contaminants on the biochemical composition and quality of marine food.

Asia Grattagliano

Asia Grattagliano Her fields of interest are marine ecotoxicity and electrochemistry. In particular, her studies focus on:

• Determination and characterisation of nutritional values (fatty acids, proteins and vitamins) of fishes or aquaculture products according to the environmental conditions and geographic site;

• Evaluation of the impact of nanomaterials on the marine environment;

• Development of new portable devices for environmental prevention;

• Synthesis of the electroactive couple for the development of Redox Flow Batteries (RFB).

Flavio Rotolo

Flavio Rotolo Born in 1994, rceived his Master's Degree in Marine Biology at the Università Politecnica delle Marche, studying polluted sediments and their effects on marine organisms. Then he won two research fellowships and a PhD at the Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn (Naples), where he studied ecotoxicogenomic responses of zooplankton and in particular copepods when exposed to nanomaterials. He was awarded the title of PhD in March 2023.

Isabella Buttino

Isabella Buttino has been a researcher at the Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA) since 2013 and an associated researcher at the Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn in Naples (SZN-Italy) where she started as a researcher in 1999. Her principal interest is in the functional biology of marine plankton, with particular attention to the effects induced by emerging contaminants on the physiology and genomics of marine copepods, small crustaceans representing the major component of the zooplankton. Standardised protocols to rear copepods have also been one of the research priorities to obtain model organisms for reproducible, biological tests. In collaboration with SZN, research regarded the toxicogenomic effects of heavy metals, nanoparticles and bioplastics on marine planktonic organisms. Last year, she founded the Functional Biology and Plankton Genomic Laboratory in ISPRA and the Sino-Italian Joint Lab. “Functional Biology of Marine Biota” within ISPRA and the Zhejiang Ocean University (PRC). The main research focuses on the impact of contaminants on the physiology, biology and genomics of marine organisms, with an integrated ecotoxicogenomic approach. She is a co-author of more than 80 scientific peer-reviewed papers and 4 books and has been the coordinator of national and international PhD students and scientific research projects.