Outreach activities

1. Mónica Martínez Haro, PhD
Reunião de Equipa – 19 abril 2013 IMAR-CMA Coimbra

2. RL1 - Wetlands, Transitional Waters
and Coastal Marine Ecosystems
Prof. João Carlos Marques
RL4 - Ecotoxicology and
Environmental Risk Assessment
Prof. Rui Ribeiro

3. One of the most important pieces of the
European environmental legislation
in the water field in recent decades

4. It is a reflection of increasing efforts to improve,
protect and conserve aquatic ecosystems

5. Ecosystem Approach
Poor
Bad
Moderate
Good
High
Ecological and Chemical
Status
2015

6. Chemical
Hydromor-
phological
Biological
Monitoring Programmes
Quality elements
Methodologies
Techniques

7. Environmental
parameters
Biomarkers
Biological early
warning system
Immunoassays
Bioassays/bi
osensors
SWIFT-WFD project; RIZA working document 2005.053X; Allan et al. 2006a,b
In situ
Bioassays
Emerging tools for biological effects

8. The core objective of this project is:
To gauge the benefits of combining
Ecological Quality assessments – through the
Standard Approach - with ecologically
relevant bioassays

9. Working hypothesis:
Bioassays may contribute significantly to our
ability to more comprehensively assess and
manage European water bodies in compliance
with the WFD

10. Mondego Estuary
Thorough knowledge of the study area
More than two decades of environmental monitoring

11. Zostera*
4
* 5 7
Intermédio*
Montante
Intertidal
Sampling
Stations
Armazéns

12. • Microalgae: Phaeodactylum tricornutum
• Polychaetes: Hediste diversicolor
• Gastropod: Hydrobia ulvae/Peringia ulvae
• Decapoda: Carcinus maenas
• Isopod: Cyathura carinata
• Amphipod: Echinogammarus marinus
• Bivalve: Scrobicularia plana
In situ methodologies previously developed
In situ methodologies to develop
In situ bioassays based on 48h postexposure feeding
Selected species for a battery ecologically relevant
Moreira et al. 2005, Moreira et al. 2006a,b; Krell et al. 2011

13. Species requirement:
• Ecological relevant (estuarine systems)
• Wide distribution (geographically)
• Abundance
• High temporal availability (all year)

14. Development of an In situ bioassays
Cyathura carinata
Steps:
1-Feeding assays: Food item (type
and quantity), time,…
2- Reference toxicant assasys:
Mortality 48h-LC50,
postexposure feeding 48h-EC50
3- In situ assays: Reference and
polluted sites, with different
environmntal conditions
(substrate, salinity,…)
<500μm
Artemia nauplii

15. Mondego In situ Battery
7 days growing
Microalgae
Polychaete
Gastropod
Isopod
Decapod
48h postexposure
feeding

16. Intertidal sampling
POMs
Turbidity
Saliniy
Temperature
pH
Oxygen
Chlorophylla
TSS Nutrients
Particle
size
Organic
matter
Chlorophylla
Invertebrates
WaterSediment

17. Summer Autumn Winter Spring
Battery
summer
INTEGRATION
Multivariate
statistical
tools
Biossays
Intertidal
Sampling
Battery
spring
Intertidal sampling (every two months)

18. Research team
Mónica Martínez Haro
Alexandra Baeta
Heliana Teixeira
João Carlos Marques
Rui Ribeiro
Consultants
Matilde Moreira dos Santos
Mark A. Taggart – ERI, Scotland
Pelayo Acevedo Lavandera – CIBIO, Portugal
Bioassay integration under the
European Water Framework Directive:
A step towards an ecological approach
Funding requested
call for R&D project 2012

19. Obrigada!