Detecting copper toxicity in sediments: from the subindividual level to the population level

Abstract

Sediments accumulate chemicals that can be toxic to biota and often contribute to aquatic ecosystem decline. Measuring mortality in laboratory-bred organisms is a common way to assess sediment toxicity. However, mortality-based responses of resilient laboratory organisms may not reflect indigenous macroinvertebrate responses, which can be relatively more sensitive to sediment toxicants. A possible solution is to also measure responses at the subindividual level. Several organism responses to sediment copper toxicity were assessed in a field-based microcosm. Responses of laboratory-bred chironomids and snails deployed in microcosms were compared at subindividual (metabolomic and gene expressi..