ECOLOGICAL RISK ASSESSMENT TO POPULATIONS OF SMALL BENTHIC CRUSTACEANS

Ecological risk assessment to populations of small benthic Crustaceans

V.G.Tsytsugina, G. G. Polikarpov

The A.O. Kovalevsky Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas, NAS, Sevastopol, 99011, UKRAINE

Abstract

Small benthic crustaceans are considered in comparison to large ones as the most vulnerable in relation to injurious effects according to proposed by us criteria of “critical” populations (species) identification. Experimental cytogenetic data on enfluence of different mutagene equivalent doses of ionising radiation and chemical mutagens (i.e. doses inducing equal mean number of cells with chromosome aberration in %) on Gammarus olivii and Idothea balticaposterity are analized and compared with results of cytogenetic analysis of natural crustacian populations. For the assessment of specimens reproductive contribution and effective population size (i.e. number of specimens determing genetic structure of next posterities) a number of embryos with spontaneous chromosome mutagenesis (up to 2% of cells with chromosome aberrations) is used as a criterion of postery of full value. It is concluded that cytogenetic analysis of female posterity allows to assess expected reduction of population adaptive possibiliity and ecological risk.

Keywords: Lonising radiation, chemical mutagens, benthic crustaceans, ecological risk

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