Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/1893/38
Appears in Collections:Aquaculture eTheses
Title: Feeding behaviour of Lumbriculus variegatus as an ecological indicator of in situ sediment contamination
Author(s): Williams, Philip Mark
Supervisor(s): Willby, Nigel
Issue Date: Jul-2005
Publisher: University of Stirling
Abstract: Previous studies have demonstrated that the feeding behaviour of Lumbriculus variegatus may be significantly inhibited during exposure to toxic substances. The potential use of an in situ sediment bioassay, using L.variegatus post-exposure feeding inhibition as an endpoint, was investigated. The bioassay consisted of exposing animals in the field for a six-day exposure period and feeding rates were measured immediately afterwards over a twenty-four hour post-exposure period. The bioassay methodology developed in the laboratory produced a consistent baseline response that was reliable and repeatable. Endpoint sensitivity was demonstrated under laboratory conditions, where bioassay organisms exhibited delayed recovery from feeding inhibition after previous exposure to sediment-associated contaminants. The apparent insensitivity of the bioassay to sediment-associated metals means that the technique should only be used as part of a suite of bioassays that employ representative deposit feeders. The ecological relevance of the bioassay endpoint was also demonstrated by comparing short-term measures of post-exposure feeding inhibition with the longer-term effects of a toxicant on L.variegatus populations. The bioassay methodology was successfully adapted for in situ use. Post-exposure feeding inhibition was detected at contaminated field sites. However, the consistent baseline response produced in the laboratory could not be replicated during deployments of the bioassay at upstream (“clean”) field sites. Increased environmental “noise” may have been a result of a number of confounding factors that could limit the sensitivity of the bioassay endpoint if not adequately controlled. Despite the above concerns, the in situ bioassay is suggested to represent a useful tool, which uses a more realistic field exposure scenario to investigate the effects of sediment-associated toxicants with an important functional component of aquatic ecosystems.
Type: Thesis or Dissertation
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/1893/38
Affiliation: School of Natural Sciences
Aquaculture

Files in This Item:
File Description SizeFormat 
phil williams phd thesis.pdf1.62 MBAdobe PDFView/Open



This item is protected by original copyright



Items in the Repository are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.

The metadata of the records in the Repository are available under the CC0 public domain dedication: No Rights Reserved https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

If you believe that any material held in STORRE infringes copyright, please contact library@stir.ac.uk providing details and we will remove the Work from public display in STORRE and investigate your claim.