The Field Application of Cellular and Physiological Biomarkers, in the Mussel Mytilus edulis, in Conjunction with Early Life Stage Bioassays and Adult Histopathology

Indigenous and deployed mussels, Mytilus edulis, were examined at sites on the Tees estuary, an industrialized region of North-east England. Four sites were sampled for water and biota, two of which had been recently exposed to an acute effluent discharge. Mussels were deployed for 24 h before return to the laboratory. Tests for lysosomal stability were conducted on the haemolymph. Heart rate activity was measured. Bioassays were conducted on larvae from indigenous and deployed mussels. Clean site (Whitsand Bay, South-west England) larvae were exposed to the sampled water. Tissue was preserved for histopathology. Lysosomal stability, heart rate activity, larval bioassays and histopathology showed significant differences between sites. Correlations between these techniques were observed. There is a need for biomarkers that can rapidly provide sensitive environmental data on marine organisms in a cost-effective manner. These results are encouraging for the continued application of these biomarkers as initial indicators of environmental quality.