EDP Sciences Journals List
Home Document
Subscriber Authentication Point
Free access article

Issue Aquat. Living Resour.
Volume 17, Number 3, July-September 2004
The "Erika" Oil Spill: Environmental Contamination and Effects in the Bay of Biscay
Page(s) 317 - 322
DOI 10.1051/alr:2004034

Aquat. Living Resour. 17 (2004) 317-322
DOI: 10.1051/alr:2004034

Foraminifera as potential bio-indicators of the "Erika" oil spill in the Bay of Bourgneuf: Field and experimental studies

Julie Morvan1, Valérie Le Cadre2, Frans Jorissen1 and Jean-Pierre Debenay1

1  Université d'Angers, UPRES-EA (Unité Propre de Recherche et d'Enseignement Supérieur-Équipe d'Accueil) 2644, Laboratoire des bio-indicateurs actuels et fossiles, 2 Bd Lavoisier, 49045 Angers Cedex 01, France and LEBIM (Laboratoire d'étude des bio-indicateurs marins), 85350 Ile d'Yeu, France
2  Université Bretagne Sud, LAUBS, Centre de recherche et d'enseignement Y. COPPENS, Campus de Tohannic, 56017 Vannes, France

(Received 8 January 2004; Accepted 18 June 2004 )

Abstract
Benthic foraminifera are used as potential bio-indicators of pollution due to the "Erika" oil spill. The foraminiferal assemblages from a site situated on the tidal mudflat of the southern Bay of Bourgneuf (Vendée, France) have been sampled 19 times on a monthly/bimonthly scale. The field study reveals uncommon low densities and poor faunas in the first 21 months of the survey. In order to understand the effect of the "Erika" fuel, foraminiferal cultures with 0 to 72.0 mg per 100 ml of "Erika" oil were maintained in controlled conditions in the laboratory. In the laboratory, an experiment with 5.5 mg per 100 ml of oil shows morphological abnormalities, cellular modifications and a low rate of reproduction. These first results confirm the potential toxicity of the fuel No. 2 from "Erika" and the sensitivity of foraminifera to this pollutant.


Résumé
Les foraminifères benthiques sont utilisés comme bio-indicateurs potentiels de pollution due à la marée noire de l'"Erika". Les assemblages de foraminifères d'un site de la slikke du sud de la Baie de Bourgneuf (Vendée, France) ont été échantillonnés 19 fois sur une base mensuelle à bimestrielle. L'étude de terrain révèle de faibles densités et une faune pauvre dans les premiers 21 mois du suivi. Afin de comprendre l'effet du fioul de l'"Erika", des cultures de foraminifères ont été maintenues en conditions contrôlées en laboratoire avec de 0 à 72,0 mg de pétrole de l'"Erika" pour 100 ml d'eau de mer. En laboratoire, une expérience avec 5,5 mg de pétrole pour 100 ml montre des anomalies morphologiques, des modifications cellulaires et un faible taux de reproduction. Ces premiers résultats confirment la toxicité potentielle du fioul No. 2 et la sensibilité des foraminifères à ce polluant.


Key words: Foraminifera / Bio-indicators / Cultures / Oil spill / North Atlantic coast

Corresponding author: julie.morvan@univ-angers.fr

© EDP Sciences, IFREMER, IRD 2004


What is OpenURL?

The OpenURL standard is a protocol for transmission of metadata describing the resource that you wish to access. An OpenURL link contains article metadata and directs it to the OpenURL server of your choice. The OpenURL server can provide access to the resource and also offer complementary services (specific search engine, export of references...). The OpenURL link can be generated by different means.
  • If your librarian has set up your subscription with an OpenURL resolver, OpenURL links appear automatically on the abstract pages.
  • You can define your own OpenURL resolver with your EDPS Account. In this case your choice will be given priority over that of your library.
  • You can use an add-on for your browser (Firefox or I.E.) to display OpenURL links on a page (see http://www.openly.com/openurlref/). You should disable this module if you wish to use the OpenURL server that you or your library have defined.