Title: ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT BIOINDICATORS: THE ECOMAN PROJECT A multi-biomarker approach to ecosystem management
1ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT BIOINDICATORSTHE ECOMAN
PROJECTA multi-biomarker approach to ecosystem
management
Malcolm B. Jones Rebecca Brown, Mark Browne,
Awantha Dissanayake, Mike Depledge, Tamara
Galloway Dave Lowe School of Biological
Sciences University of Plymouth Plymouth Marine
Laboratory
2CURRENT ISSUES
- Increasing range of pollutants
- Multiple mechanisms of toxicity
- Complex coastal ecosystems
- Diverse array of analytical and diagnostic tools
3ECOMAN - PROJECT AIMS
- To develop more pragmatic environmental
- assessment techniques linking environmental
- degradation with its causes
- To apply a weight-of-evidence approach to
- their use in ecosystem management
4BIOMARKER A DEFINITION
- Functional measures of exposure to stressors
expressed at the sub-organismal, physiological or
behavioural level - (McCarthy and Munkittrick, 1996)
- Surrogate measures of organism health and
chemical impact
5Response Time
Ecological Relevance
6SAMPLING STRATEGY
- Defined by ecosystem hierarchy
- Considers trophic level of sentinel organisms
7COMMON COASTAL ORGANISMS WITH DIFFERENT FEEDING
TYPES
Halichondria panicea
Asterina gibbosa
omnivorous scavenger
filter feeder
Nereis diversicolor
Nucella lapillus
omnivore
carnivore
8AIM
- To conduct a rapid assessment of marine pollution
in coastal sites of the UK using the ECOMAN
approach
9Background information
Biological effects general health lysosomal
stability cardiac output immunocompetence
Chemical analysis PAHs metals biocides
Types of exposure hydrocarbons - PAH
fluorescence metals - metallothionein genotoxins
- micronucleus endocrine disruptors - imposex,
intersex
Detailed impact assessment and remedial action
10HOW CAN THESE DIAGNOSTIC TOOLS BE USED TO REFLECT
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY?
11SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SITES (Anova,
Kruskal Wallis)
Biomarker esterase activity metallothionein to
tal protein PAH in urine
C. edule filter feeder p 0.0178 p
0.0117
L. littorina grazer p 0.0000
C. maenas carnivore p 0.0016 p 0.0473
molecular cellular physiological
micronuclei lysosomal stability phagocytosis
p 0.0060
heart rate intersex index
12MULTIVARIATE STATISTICAL ANALYSIS
- Univariate analysis describes associations and
relationships between individual variables - Multivariate analysis examines the complex
inter-relationships between many variables
simultaneously
13MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS
14CONCLUSIONS
15SUMMARY
- The ECOMAN approach provides a viable framework
for the incorporation of biomarkers into
environmental management strategies
16ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
- Becky Brown
- Awantha Dissanayake
- Mark Browne
- David Lowe
- Tamara Galloway
- Mike Depledge
- Ylva Olsen
- Utra Mankasingh
- Jo Hagger
- Funded by DEFRA The Environment Agency