Response of the green alga Oophila sp., a salamander endosymbiont, to a PSII-inhibitor under laboratory conditions

Toward the development of a new toxicity test with the Arctic alga Nitzschia frigida

There are limited data available related to the sensitivity of Arctic species to environmental contaminants, and this knowledge gap creates uncertainty in environmental risk assessments (ERAs). To help address this concern, we optimized culturing conditions to allow for toxicity tests with an Arctic diatom, Nitzschia frigida. We found optimal conditions for growth were Harrison's medium with natural seawater at 2 °C under a continuous photoperiod of 90 μmol photons m² s^-1. We then compared the response of N. frigida with the temperate standard diatom species Skeletonema costatum. We performed concurrent and repeated exposures of the two species to three compounds (zinc, copper, and 1-methylnaphthalene). EC50 values calculated from N. frigida exposures were consistently lower than those from S. costatum tests for metals, but not 1-methylnaphthalene. Overall, we have taken the inaugural steps toward the development of a new toxicity test method using an Arctic species to inform ERAs in northern regions.

Patterns of bacterial diversity in embryonic capsules of the spotted salamander Ambystoma maculatum: an expanding view of a symbiosis

The unicellular green alga, Oophila amblystomatis, populates egg capsules of the spotted salamander Ambystoma maculatum. This nutrient-exchange mutualism is widely perceived as a bipartite interaction, but the presence and contributing effects of bacteria to this symbiosis are unknown. We used standard cultivation techniques and amplicon sequencing of the V4/V5 region of 16S rRNA gene to identify and compare diversity of bacterial taxa in embryonic capsules with that in the aquatic breeding habitat. Our sampling regime allowed us to investigate diversity among individual capsules of an egg mass and between two ponds and sampling years. Capsules contain much lower diversity of bacteria than pond water, and spatial and temporal variation in intracapsular and pond bacterial diversity was observed. Despite this variation, sequences corresponding to species in the orders Burkholderiales and Oligoflexales were either prevalent or abundant, or both. Isolates most commonly recovered from capsules were closely related to species in the genus Herbaspirillum (Burkholderiaceae); other isolates were pseudomonads, but in all cases are closely related to known vascular plant-associated species. We conclude that, despite observed variation, there are bacterial taxa whose presence is held in common spatially and temporally among capsules and that the symbiosis between O. amblystomatis and A. maculatum may involve these taxa.

Lichen microalgae are sensitive to environmental concentrations of atrazine

The identification of new organisms for environmental toxicology bioassays is currently a priority, since these tools are strongly limited by the ecological relevance of taxa used to study global change. Lichens are sensitive bioindicators of air quality and their microalgae are an untapped source for new low-cost miniaturized bioassays with ecological importance. In order to increase the availability of a wider range of taxa for bioassays, the sensitivity of two symbiotic lichen microalgae, Asterochloris erici and Trebouxia sp. TR9, to atrazine was evaluated. To achieve this goal, axenic cultures of these phycobionts in suspension were exposed to a range of environmental concentrations of the herbicide atrazine, a common water pollutant. Optical density and chlorophyll autofluorescence were used as endpoints of ecotoxicity and ecophysiology on cell suspensions. Results show that lichen microalgae show high sensitivity to very low doses of atrazine, being higher in Asterochloris erici than in Trebouxia sp. TR9. We conclude that environmental concentrations of atrazine could modify population dynamics probably through a shift in reproduction strategies of these organisms. This seminal work is a breakthrough in the use of lichen microalgae in the assessment of micropollution effects on biodiversity.

Aquatic hazard assessment of MON 0818, a commercial mixture of alkylamine ethoxylates commonly used in glyphosate-containing herbicide formulations. Part 1: Species sensitivity distribution from laboratory acute exposures

The sensitivity of 15 aquatic species, including primary producers, benthic invertebrates, cladocerans, mollusks, and fish, to MON 0818, a commercial surfactant mixture of polyoxyethylene tallow amines, was evaluated in standard acute (48-96-h) laboratory tests. In addition, the potential for chronic toxicity (8 d) was evaluated with Ceriodaphnia dubia. Exposure concentrations were confirmed. No significant effects on any endpoint were observed in the chronic test. A tier-1 hazard assessment was conducted by comparing species sensitivity distributions based on the generated data, as well as literature data, with 4 exposure scenarios. This assessment showed moderate levels of hazard (43.1% of the species exposed at or above median effective concentration levels), for a chosen worst-case scenario-unintentional direct over-spray of a 15-cm-deep body of water with the maximum label application rate for the studied formulations (Roundup Original, Vision Forestry Herbicide; 12 L formulation ha-1 , equivalent to 4.27 kg acid equivalent [a.e.] ha-1 ). The hazard decreased to impairment of 20.9% of species under the maximum application rate for more typical uses (6 L formulation ha-1 , 2.14 kg a.e. ha-1 ), and down to 6.9% for a more frequently employed application rate (2.5 L formulation ha-1 , 0.89 kg a.e. ha-1 ). Finally, the percentage (3.8%) was less than the hazardous concentration for 5% of the species based on concentrations of MON 0818 calculated from maximum measured concentrations of glyphosate in the environment. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:501-511. © 2016 SETAC.

Growth Recovery of Lemna gibba and Lemna minor Following a 7-Day Exposure to the Herbicide Diuron

In agricultural catchments, aquatic ecosystems can experience a pulse exposure to pesticides. Following such exposure, non-target organisms that are not extirpated may recover. This paper investigates the potential of two duckweed species (Lemna minor and Lemna gibba) to recover from a 7-day exposure to different concentrations (0.4-208 µg L(-1)) of the herbicide diuron. There was significant inhibition in the growth and biomass after the initial 7-day exposure (e.g. frond number EC50=59.2 and 52.2 µg L(-1) for L. minor and L. gibba, respectively). Following transfer to clean media, recovery (the highest concentration yielding no significant difference in the effect endpoint from the control) was observed for all effects endpoints at concentrations ranging 60-111 µg L(-1) for L. minor and 60-208 µg L(-1) for L. gibba. These results suggest that recovery is possible for primary producers at environmentally relevant concentrations considered significant in ecological risk assessment.

Effects of atrazine in fish, amphibians, and reptiles: an analysis based on quantitative weight of evidence

A quantitative weight of evidence (WoE) approach was developed to evaluate studies used for regulatory purposes, as well as those in the open literature, that report the effects of the herbicide atrazine on fish, amphibians, and reptiles. The methodology for WoE analysis incorporated a detailed assessment of the relevance of the responses observed to apical endpoints directly related to survival, growth, development, and reproduction, as well as the strength and appropriateness of the experimental methods employed. Numerical scores were assigned for strength and relevance. The means of the scores for relevance and strength were then used to summarize and weigh the evidence for atrazine contributing to ecologically significant responses in the organisms of interest. The summary was presented graphically in a two-dimensional graph which showed the distributions of all the reports for a response. Over 1290 individual responses from studies in 31 species of fish, 32 amphibians, and 8 reptiles were evaluated. Overall, the WoE showed that atrazine might affect biomarker-type responses, such as expression of genes and/or associated proteins, concentrations of hormones, and biochemical processes (e.g. induction of detoxification responses), at concentrations sometimes found in the environment. However, these effects were not translated to adverse outcomes in terms of apical endpoints. The WoE approach provided a quantitative, transparent, reproducible, and robust framework that can be used to assist the decision-making process when assessing environmental chemicals. In addition, the process allowed easy identification of uncertainty and inconsistency in observations, and thus clearly identified areas where future investigations can be best directed.

Optimization of culturing conditions for toxicity testing with the alga Oophila sp. (Chlorophyceae), an amphibian endosymbiont

Eggs of the yellow-spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) have a symbiotic relationship with green algae. It has been suggested that contaminants that are preferentially toxic to algae, such as herbicides, may impair the symbiont and, hence, indirectly affect the development of the salamander embryo. To enable testing under near-standard conditions for first-tier toxicity screening, the authors isolated the alga from field-collected eggs and identified conditions providing exponential growth rates in the apparent asexual phase of the alga. This approach provided a uniform, single-species culture, facilitating assessment of common toxicity end points and comparison of sensitivity relative to other species. Sequencing of the 18s ribosomal DNA indicated that the isolated alga is closely related to the recently described Oophila amblystomatis but is more similar to other known Chlamydomonas species, suggesting possible biogeographical variability in the genetic identity of the algal symbiont. After a tiered approach to culturing method refinement, a modified Bristol's media with 1 mM NH4 (+) as nitrogen source was found to provide suitable conditions for toxicity testing at 18 °C and 200 µmol m(-2) s(-1) photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) on a 24-h light cycle. The validity of the approach was demonstrated with Zn(2+) as a reference toxicant. Overall, the present study shows that screening for direct effects of contaminants on the algal symbiont without the presence of the host salamander is possible under certain laboratory conditions.