INFLUENCE OF NO. 2 FUEL OIL 



ON SURVIVAL 



AND REPRODUCTION 



OF FOUR MARINE INVERTEBRATES 



J. A. Pechenik, D. M. Johns, and D. C. Miller 



Environmental Research Laboratory 



U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 



Narragansett, Rhode Island 02882 



ABSTRACT 



Responses to the water accommodated fraction of No. 2 fuel oil were 

 determined in three marine gastropods (Nassarius obsoletus, Crepidula 

 fornicata and Urosalpinx cinerea), and one Crustacean {Cancer inoratus). 

 Experiments were conducted in either flowing or static systems at the 

 following nominal oil concentrations: 0.0 ppm (control), 0.01 ppm, 0.1 ppm, 

 1.0 ppm. Mortality of adults and larvae was consistently pronounced only at a 

 nominal concentration of 1.0 ppm. Toxicity to adult A^. obsoletus at this 

 concentration was greater during the winter than during the summer. Presence 

 of sediment accelerated mortality during the summer, but had no effect on 

 winter mortaHty. Exposure of adult N. obsoletus and U. cinerea to oil 

 concentrations as low as 0.01 ppm and 0.1 ppm, respectively, interferred with 

 normal patterns of egg capsule deposition. Exposure to oil did not alter the 

 number of eggs/capsule in N. obsoletus or U. cinerea, and embryos produced 

 by oil-exposed snails were viable. Fecundity oi N. obsoletus may be reduced at 

 a nominal concentration of 0.10 ppm. Growth rates of larval A^. obsoletus and 

 C fornicata were reduced at nominal levels of 0.01 ppm and greater. Larvae of 

 C. irroratus reared at a nominal concentration of 0.1 ppm weighed less at all 

 zoeal stages relative to controls, even though carapace length of each larval 

 stage, and time required to reach the megalops stage of development, were not 

 altered. 



INTRODUCTION 



Lethal effects of petroleum hydrocarbons have been documented for a 

 variety of marine organisms (21), including zooplankton (20) and both adult 

 and developmental stages of benthic invertebrates (2, 9, 11, 19). Sublethal 

 concentrations of hydrocarbons are also known to interfere with aspects of 



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