Bioassays are among the ecotoxicologist's most effective weapons in the evaluation of water quality and the assessment of ecological impacts of effluents, chemicals, discharges, and emissions on the aquatic environment. Information on these assessment aids is needed throughout the international scientific and environmental management community. This comprehensive reference provides an excellent overview of the small-scale aquatic bioassay techniques and applications currently in use around the world. This special volume is the result of several years of collaboration between Environment Canada and Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Internationally recognized research scientists at many institutions have contributed to this state-of-the-art examination of the exciting, environmentally important field of microscale testing in aquatic toxicology. Microscale Testing in Aquatic Toxicology contains over forty chapters covering relevant principles, new techniques and recent advancements, and applications in scientific research, environmental management, academia, and the private sector.

Freshwater Biological Monitoring contains the proceedings of a Specialized Conference held in Cardiff, Wales, on September 12-14, 1984. Contributors explore advances in freshwater biological monitoring, paying particular attention to the interpretation of traditional community surveillance studies by means of the modern computer and multivariate statistical techniques and how such field community responses are related to laboratory studies of pollutants. The design, validation, and use of novel monitoring systems employing plants, invertebrates, and fish are considered, along with developments in the in vitro assessment of mutagenicity of chemicals present in water. This book is comprised of 16 chapters and begins with a review of issues surrounding the tests used in biological monitoring and the ways in which the information will be used. The discussion then turns to the usefulness of the colonization sampler in collecting macroinvertebrates indicative of river water quality in lowland rivers; biological assessment of water quality and conservation evaluation in Welsh rivers; and water chemistry, benthos, and drift in a fast-flowing river. The following chapters focus on eutrophication in rivers; toxicity testing with freshwater macroinvertebrates; and compliance biomonitoring. This monograph will be of value to policymakers and environmentalists concerned with water pollution control.

Biological Monitoring in Water Pollution focuses on the processes, methodologies, and experiments involved in monitoring water pollution. Divided into six parts, the selection features the contributions of authors who have devoted time and energy in advancing biological monitoring to measure pollution in water. The first part is a review paper that focuses on the strengths of biological monitoring relative to the detection of harmful conditions. This part stresses that biological monitoring has received considerable attention. The second part deals with review papers on biological monitoring. The discussions focused on the identification of problem; the review of functional methods; community and ecosystem indices used in biomonitoring; and structure and function relationships relative to ecosystem stress. The third part covers the application of community structural analysis to biomonitoring programs. This part puts emphasis on the need to develop methods to identify community structures relative to the conduct of ecological research. Other parts of the selection are devoted to toxicity testing and discussions on the monitoring of waste discharges and introduction of chemicals to the environment. Experiments and models are presented to support the claims of the authors. The book can be a valuable source of information for those interested in the monitoring of water pollution.

Bioassays: Advanced Methods and Applications provides a thorough understanding of the applications of bioassays in monitoring toxicity in aquatic ecosystems. It reviews the newest tests and applications in discovering compounds and toxins in the environment, covering all suitable organisms, from bacteria, to microorganisms, to higher plants, including invertebrates and vertebrates. By learning about newer tests, water pollution control testing can be less time and labor consuming, and less expensive. This book will be helpful for anyone working in aquatic environments or those who need an introduction to ecotoxicology or bioassays, from investigators, to technicians and students. Features chapters written by internationally renowned researchers in the field, all actively involved in the development and application of bioassays Gives the reader an understanding of the advantages and deficiencies of available tests Addresses the problem of understanding the impact of toxins in an aquatic environment and how to assess them

Research into ecotoxicology can be classified into three fundamental concerns: abiotic factors, which characterize the physicochemistry of environments; biotic factors, relating to biological structures and functions; and contamination factors, which define the modes of pollution of ecosystems. The most significant research methodologies currently being developed in aquatic ecotoxicology are presented, specifically experimental approaches in the laboratory