P Vivek Raja’s research while affiliated with University of Madras and other places

The US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) has established a suite of methods that use coastal invertebrate species as bioassay organisms to test industrial and domestic effluent as well as coastal waters for potential toxicity. Although these methods are used globally, the potential of such toxicity tests has not been adequately explored for Asian coastal waters. This study describes bioassay utilizing the gametes of Hydroides elegans to monitor coastal water quality and is based on the sensitivity of H. elegans embryo and larva to different concentrations of effluents and water samples collected from different regions of east coast of India. Among the water samples collected from different regions, seawater from Ennore station showed decrease in percentage of development, and 25% effluent concentration led to development arrest of H. elegans embryos. The different morphological effects produced by effluents clearly reflect the defect in early differentiation of embryonic cells. Since fertilization can be inhibited in the presence of any xenobiotic, both fertilization and early development can be used as a biological indicator for a rapid bioassay to monitor pollution. Toxicity tests utilizing early life stages of H. elegans are suitable for the assessment of effects produced by low levels of pollutants due to their high sensitivity to various contaminants relative to other marine species and also due to the relative simplicity of the bioassay.

A toxicity test was developed to examine the effects of heavy metal contaminants on the early life stages of the marine polychaete. We have studied the effects of metals on fertilization and early development of marine polychaete Hydroides elegans. These heavy metals have often been found in polluted ground and water near industrial discharges, and have therefore been detected from time to time in the food chain. They have been reported to alter various reproduction functions in various animals including marine populations. The toxic effect of mercury, cadmium, lead, nickel and zinc on sperm viability, fertilization, embryogenesis and larvae of H. elegans was examined. We observed that the rate of fertilization decreased when the sperm was incubated with heavy metals. Treatment of eggs with each metal did not prevent fertilization, but delayed or blocked the first mitotic divisions, and altered early embryonic development. All these effects were observed at relatively high concentrations. However, bio-accumulation in sediments and aquatic organisms have been reported. Polychaete eggs may then be in contact with very high concentrations of these heavy metals in areas where these metals are not handled or stocked properly, and then develop into abnormal embryos. In addition to bivalves and sea-urchins, polychaete embryos can provide biological criteria for seawater quality standards taking into account the sensitivity of the invertebrates and their contribution in detection of harmful chemicals with no marked effect on the species. Our results indicate that the early development of H. elegans is highly sensitive to heavy metals and this polychaete can be routinely employed as a test organism for ecotoxicity bioassays in tropical and subtropical regions.

The toxicity of heavy metals to marine invertebrates has been widely investigated; however, the effects on marine sedentary polychaetes have largely been ignored. The toxicity of copper, aluminium, lead, nickel, and zinc on fertilization, embryogenesis, and larvae of Hydroides elegans was examined in laboratory acute-toxicity tests. Exposure to metal during fertilization or early developmental stages leads to fertilization block and arrested development, which resulted in morphologic abnormalities in embryo and larvae. Fertilization rate showed a drastic decrease at the highest metal concentration tested. Embryos of H. elegans showed a differential response to metals, and the responses were stage-specific. The different morphologic effects of heavy metals reflect differentiation of the early embryonic cells. For individual metals, the toxicity ranking for 24-hour trochophore larvae was Cu > Al > Pb > Ni > Zn, with EC(50) values of 0.122, 0.210, 0.231, 0.316, and 0.391 mg l(-1), respectively. Rate of larval development and embryogenesis were the most sensitive end points, although the latter is more advisable for routine assessment of seawater quality because of its greater simplicity. In addition to bivalves and sea urchins, polychaete embryos can provide biologic criteria for seawater quality taking into account the sensitivity of a polychaete and contributing to the detection of harmful chemicals with no marked effect on the species currently in use in seawater quality bioassays.