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Measuring toxicity in marine environments: critical appraisal of three commonly used methods

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Abstract

Toxicity quantification is important in environmental monitoring, in the field of natural products, and in chemical ecology. The sensitivity and precision of three commonly used methods detecting toxicity in marine environments were compared, using the toxic marine spongeCrambe crambe as a test organism. The paper disk diffusion method (run with marine bacteria) showed the least sensitivity and did not permit toxicity levels to be quantified. The sea urchin and the MICROTOX® tests showed greater sensitivity, and the latter had the higher precision. The relative performance of these methods is discussed. It is concluded that the MICROTOX® bioassay displays the best characteristics for toxicity quantification.

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Becerro, M.A., Uriz, M.J. & Turon, X. Measuring toxicity in marine environments: critical appraisal of three commonly used methods. Experientia 51, 414–418 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01928907

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01928907

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