An Experimental Approach to the Determinants of Biological Water Quality [and Discussion]

A case is presented for the use of experimental bioassay techniques to detect and measure variations in water quality in the marine environment by exposing suitable organisms in the laboratory to water samples collected in the field. A technique is described which was developed for this purpose with...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences Biological sciences, 1979-08, Vol.286 (1015), p.465-481
Main Authors: Stebbing, A. R. D., Cole, H. A., Driver, P. A., Newell, R. C., Waldichuk, M., Williams, H., Wilson, K. W., McIntyre, A. D., Smith, G. J., Burton, J. D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Bioassay
Biological Assay
Contaminants
Copper
England
Hydra - growth & development
Metals - adverse effects
Ocean pollution
Petroleum - adverse effects
Sea water
Seawater - analysis
Stolons
Toxicity
Water pollution
Water Pollution - analysis
Water quality
Water samples
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Summary:A case is presented for the use of experimental bioassay techniques to detect and measure variations in water quality in the marine environment by exposing suitable organisms in the laboratory to water samples collected in the field. A technique is described which was developed for this purpose with the use of a clonal hydroid; preliminary results from Swansea Bay show that it is sensitive to the variations in water quality that occur there. Chemical techniques are being developed for use in conjunction with such bioassays to identify the kinds of contaminants responsible for a detected effect, and some preliminary experiments suggest that divalent metals and the volatile constituents of hydrocarbons can be removed selectively from sea water.
ISSN:0962-8436
0080-4622
1471-2970
2054-0280
DOI:10.1098/rstb.1979.0041