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Use of oligochaete communities for assessment of ecotoxicological risk in fine sediment of rivers and canals of the Artois-Picardie water basin (France)

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Abstract

This study had a purpose to validate different tools based on the oligochaetes for the evaluation of the biological quality of sediments within a surveillance network. Biological data (IOBS index, percentage of Tubificidae with and without hair setae, worm densities), physical data (granulometrics) and chemical data (Cd, Cu, Cr, Hg, Ni, Pb, Zn, PCBs, PAHs) have been studied with co-inertia analysis. These analyses show an opposition between IOBS index and metals, a correlation between metals and percentage of Tubificidae without hair setae, and an association between PAHs, low index values, high densities and high percentage of Tubificidae with hair setae. For 24 sites, biological and chemical data gave similar information. In 11 cases on 36 they are conflicting. The use of metal speciations, according to the method of Teissier et al. (1979), show that the organic matter content seems to have an important role by sorbing metals leading to lower availability. Macrophyte cover could also explain some conflicting results. Granulometrics does not play a determinating role in the present case. As a conclusion, a table allowing the classification of river sediments is proposed for monitoring assessment. This table takes into account IOBS index values, the worm densities and the percentage of Tubificidae without hair setae.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Agence de l'Eau Artois-Picardie, 200 rue Marceline, 59508, Douai Cedex, France

    J. Prygiel & C. Lesniak

  2. Laboratoire d'Ecologie Numérique, Bat. SN3, Université des Sciences et Technologies de Lille, 59655, Villeneuve d'Ascq Cedex, France

    J. Prygiel

  3. BURGEAP Region Centre-Est, 19 rue de la Villette, 69425, Lyon Cedex, France

    A. Rosso-Darmet & A. Durbec

  4. Division Biologie des Écosystèmes Aquatiques, Cemagref, 3 bis Quai Chauveau, C. P. 220, F-69336, Lyon Cedex 09, France

    M. Lafont

  5. Laboratoire de Chimie Analytique Marine, Bat. C8, Université des Sciences et Technologies de Lille, 59655, Villeneuve d'Ascq Cedex, France

    B. Ouddane

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  1. J. Prygiel
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Prygiel, J., Rosso-Darmet, A., Lafont, M. et al. Use of oligochaete communities for assessment of ecotoxicological risk in fine sediment of rivers and canals of the Artois-Picardie water basin (France). Hydrobiologia 410, 25–37 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1003799224961

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