Journal of Environmental Biology

Effects of the coastal sediment elutriates containing persistent organic pollutants (POPs) on early reproductive outputs of the Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas

Qtae Jo^*1, Eun Jung Choy², Chang Keun Kang², Hyo Bang Moon³, Su Jeong Lee³, Dae Hyun Kim³ and Ji Hyun Lee¹

¹East Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Gangwon - 210-861, Korea
²Pusan National University, Busan - 609-735, Korea
³National Fisheries Research and Development Institute, Busan - 619-902, Korea

(Received: March 13, 2007; Revised received: December 14, 2007; Accepted: December 26, 2007)

Abstract: We previously found that embryonic development of the bivalve species was highly vulnerable to xenobiotic chemicals, damaging the coastal ecosystem integrity. To further assess their potential damage to ecosystem, the xenobiotic composition of the sediment elutriates from two representative industrialized Korean coasts, Pohang and Ulsan, were determined with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The presumed critical dilution of the elutriate was then exposed to early life stages of the Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas), embryonic development and metamorphic stage to first spat, at which they were believably more vulnerable by the chemical exposure. The early life damage by the xenobiotic exposure was apparently significant by the significant degree of pollution. Here, we indicated their potential damages to the Pacific oyster.

Key words: POPs, Sediment elutriate, Xenobiotics, Early life stages, Crassostrea gigas, Sediment toxicity

PDF of full length paper is available with author (qtjo@nfrdi.re.kr)

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