ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF COPPER ON NEMATODE COMMUNITIES FROM A CHRONICALLY METAL-ENRICHED ESTUARY USING POLLUTION-INDUCED COMMUNITY TOLERANCE

Toxicity tests on the whole nematode community from Restronguet Creek, a severely contaminated estuary, show that nematodes are more resista nt to copper than those from an adjacent, less contaminated estuary. T his is a result of an increase in the abundance of Cu-resistant specie s, the evolution of enhanced Cu tolerance in some species and the prob able exclusion of more sensitive species. These findings are in agreem ent with extensive ecological studies (Somerfield et al. (1994) Mar. E col. Frog. Ser. 105, 79-88; Millward, pers. obs.) which suggest that t he Restronguet Creek nematode community is distinct from that in the P ercuil River, and supports the inference that this distinction is a pr oduct of the Cu contamination. The study demonstrates for the first ti me that pollution-induced community tolerance (PICT) may be used as a tool to evaluate the biological impact of a chronic pollutant on marin e benthos, and that ecologically meaningful results can be gained from a simple and cheap acute toxicity test. The natural diversity of the nematode fauna makes this group particularly suitable for the applicat ion of PICT.