A video tracking based improvement of acute toxicity test on Artemia salina

Abstract

Booster biocides have negative impacts on marine organisms and it is therefore essential to monitor their toxicity prior to their use in antifouling paints. In this study, we describe a method for improving the reliability of a well-used acute toxicity test. We studied a model organism, Artemia salina, by using a novel video tracking method. Acute toxicities of a reference toxicant (potassium dichromate) and a potential toxicant (p-coumaric acid) were examined for newly hatched A. salina nauplii. Survival percentage, swimming velocity, and paths covered by nauplii were determined with the new algorithm. A. salina nauplii were affected by both tested toxicants, an outcome clearly detected by the algorithm. The results demonstrate that the video tracking algorithm could be used for testing the acute toxicities of booster biocides as well as other potential toxicants on A. salina. With slight modifications, it could be used for testing other similar aquatic micro-organisms. This report has linked video sequences.

Keywords:

• acute toxicity
• testing
• antifouling chemicals
• Artemia salina
• biocide
• video tracking

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Editor-in-Chief Professor D.L. Macmillan and anonymous reviewers for their invaluable comments to improve the quality of this paper.