Indicators of petroleum product exposure in benthic cold-water marine invertebrates

Abstract

The ubiquity of petroleum in society has led to widespread pollution of the marine environment resulting in a need to identify suitable biomarkers. The aim of this study was two-fold: (1) To measure variables that influence baseline biomarker activity and (2) to determine their response to the water-accommodating fraction of used engine lubricating oil. The biomarkers glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) were studied across three stages of the breeding cycle within the reproductive and digestive tissues of the common sea star, the orange-footed sea cucumber, the daisy brittle star, and the green sea urchin. Overall, sea stars were identified as the most promising cold-water biomonitors of oil contamination among the species studied, and GPx was found to be the most suitable biomarker due to its widespread activity, lack of seasonal baseline variation, and the simple separation of sexes during analyses. In comparison, the baseline activity of EROD was influenced by both season and sex.