Ecotoxicology of sediment in the estuary of the Jundiaí and Potengi Rivers in Natal-RN, Brazil, by using Leptocheirus plumulosus as test-organism

Authors

  • Rejane Batista Lopes Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte. Secretaria de Estado da Educação e da Cultura do Rio Grande do Norte - SEEC/RN http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5188-4200
  • Raquel Franco de Souza Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8818-0605
  • Sinara Cybelle Turíbio Silva-Nicodemo Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia da Paraíba, IFPB.
  • Jessica Vitória Felix Cruz Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte
  • Guilherme Fulgencio de Medeiros Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5132/eec.2018.02.10

Abstract

The estuary of the Potengi and Jundiaí Rivers is situated on the coast of the state of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, and has a record of contamination by metals and organic contaminants. However, there are few studies regarding the toxic effects of pollution on the aquatic organisms from this area. The objective was to assess the quality of sediments from the Jundiaí and Potengi Rivers, by the use of toxicity tests with the amphipod Leptocheirus plumulosus. The sediments were collected from 4 sites, in 4 different months along 2011. After data analysis, it was possible to observe that the sediments collected close to the most populated areas of Macaíba and Natal (P1 and P3) were toxic. Sediment from the Station 4 did not show toxicity in any of the months studied, despite its urban location near the port of Natal. This result might be related to a low level of organic matter and greater tidal influence, which affect the dilution of the contaminants at this area and can reduce the sediment toxicity. No relationship between rainfall and environmental toxicity was observed.

Author Biographies

Rejane Batista Lopes, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte. Secretaria de Estado da Educação e da Cultura do Rio Grande do Norte - SEEC/RN

Mestre em Desenvolvimento e Meio Ambiente UFRN. Professora de Ciências e Biologia da Secretaria de Estado da Educação e da Cultura do Rio Grande do Norte.

Raquel Franco de Souza, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte

Ph.D. Em Engenharia de Recursos Naturais - Universidade de Tohoku (Japão 1999). Professora Titular da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Departamento de Geologia. Docente do Programa Regional de Pós Graduação em Desenvolvimento e Meio Ambiente - PRODEMA / UFRN.

Sinara Cybelle Turíbio Silva-Nicodemo, Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia da Paraíba, IFPB.

Unidade Acadêmica de Infraestrutura, Design e Meio Ambiente - Curso Superior de Gestão Ambiental.

Jessica Vitória Felix Cruz, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte

Departamento de Oceanografia e Limnologia. Engenharia de Aquicultura

Guilherme Fulgencio de Medeiros, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte

Professor Associado IV . Departamento de Oceanografia e Limnologia

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Published

20-08-2018

How to Cite

Lopes, R. B., de Souza, R. F., Silva-Nicodemo, S. C. T., Cruz, J. V. F., & de Medeiros, G. F. (2018). Ecotoxicology of sediment in the estuary of the Jundiaí and Potengi Rivers in Natal-RN, Brazil, by using Leptocheirus plumulosus as test-organism. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Contamination, 13(2), 77–84. https://doi.org/10.5132/eec.2018.02.10