P. Fioroni

The morphological expression of imposex in Hinia reticulata (Gastropoda: Buccinidae): a potential indicator of tributultin pollution

Specimens from the prosobranch Hinia reticulata collected along the coast of Brittany and Normandy from 1988 to 1991 exhibited imposex (occurrence of male parts in addition to the female genital duct) in response to tributyltin (TBT) pollution. Four stages of imposex development (1 to 4) with two different types in the Stages 1, 3 and 4 could be distinguished and have been documented with scanning electron micrographs for the first time. Furthermore, three additional alterations of the genital tract are shown. Neither TBT-induced sterilization nor sex change occurred. TBT accumulation in whole body and selected tissues is described and sex-related differences are shown. The VDS (vas deferens sequence) index, cubed and uncubed RPS (relative penis size) index and average female penis length of a population were analysed with regard to their quality as indices for TBT biomonitoring. Based on the way imposex develops in this species the VDS is recommended as the most valid index. Only in highly polluted areas should the uncubed RPS be used as a second index.

Tributyltin (TBT) effects on Ocinebrina aciculata (Gastropoda: Muricidae): imposex development, sterilization, sex change and population decline

Abstract The anatomy and histology of the male and female genital systems of the prosobranch Ocinebrina aciculata are described and compared with Nucella lapillus and Ocenebra erinacea. O. aciculata , collected at Roscoff (France) from 1989 to 1993, exhibited imposex (pseudohermaphroditism; occurrence of male parts in addition to the female genital duct) in response to tributyltin (TBT) pollution. Two stages of imposex development (4 and 5) with three different types (a, b, c) in stage 5 can be distinguished and are documented for the first time with scanning electron micrographs. Furthermore, three additional alterations of the genital tract are shown. Evidence for TBT-induced sterilization and protogyne sex change is given. This species exhibits a higher TBT-sensitivity than Nucella lapillus , the most sensitive TBT indicator species known previously. Due to TBT pollution, populations of Ocinebrina aciculata are declining in France and corresponding symptoms for this extremely endangered species are described: high numbers of sterilized females, male-biased sex ratios and poor reproductive performance and recruitment. The question of whether chemicals in the environment can influence the hormonal systems of humans and animals has been discussed for many years. At the centre of interest from early on were compounds with a known or supposed estrogenic activity and their possible impact on male reproductive health. However, another class of endocrine disruptors, environmental androgens such as TBT with their detrimental effects on females, may also cause serious problems for wildlife and for mankind.

Hinia reticulata and Nucella lapillus. Comparison of two gastropod tributyltin bioindicators

Hinia reticulata and Nucella lapillus (collected from 1989 to 1991 at Pointe de Pléneuf and Méan Mélen, France, respectively) exhibit imposex in response to tributyltin (TBT) pollution leached from antifouling paints and proved to be good TBT bioindicators. H. reticulata was kept for 18 mo under TBT-free conditions in the laboratory, but no evidence for imposex remission was found. A second series of experiments showed that food chain uptake of TBT from a contaminated diet is an important mode of TBT exposure in H. reticulata. Comparative tank experiments with H. reticulata and N. lapillus demonstrated that the same type of TBT exposure resulted in comparable TBT body burdens, biological concentration factors, and imposex development in both species [measured as increase of VDS (vas deferens sequence index), uncubed RPS (relative penis size index) and average female penis length]. Differences in imposex development of natural and laboratory populations are discussed against the background of different types of TBT contamination of their food. A statistical study, based on an analysis of natural populations of both prosobranch species, makes a comparison of the specific TBT sensitivity of the two bioindicators possible. As a consequence it is proposed that TBT biomonitoring programs in Europe should use both prosobranchs as indicator species.

Imposex in Nucella lapillus and intersex in Littorina littorea: interspecific comparison of two TBT-induced effects and their geographical uniformity

Two different tributyltin (TBT)-induced virilisation phenomena in prosobranch snails — intersex in Littorina littorea and imposex in Nucella lapillus — are compared in order to facilitate their simultaneous use in geographical large scale effect monitoring surveys. Imposex in dogwhelks is a more sensitive biomarker and should be used in areas that are only slightly or moderately contaminated with TBT (ambient TBT concentrations < 2.0 ng as Sn 1−1). The assessment of intersex intensities in periwinkle populations has considerable advantages in areas with higher TBT concentrations and should be used also wherever dogwhelks are absent irrespective of the TBT exposure level. The intersex index (ISI) and vas deferens sequence (VDS) index are proposed as the most suited parameters for effect monitoring purposes. The geographical uniformity of intersex and imposex is analysed and proven for the coasts of Ireland, France, and Germany. A relative loss of TBT sensitivity in females can be found, but to a varying extent in both species. The implications of this result for biological TBT effect monitoring programmes are discussed in light of the fact that intersex and imposex have both been found to be irreversible. Because it is the objective of these programmes to assess current TBT contaminations and resulting biological effects, only relatively young specimens should be considered in the sampling strategy.

The use of Littorina littorea for tributyltin (TBT) effect monitoring - Results from the German TBT survey 1994/1995 and laboratory experiments.

Field investigations and laboratory experiments were performed to test the applicability of the intersex phenomenon in Littorina littorea for biological TBT-effect monitoring and to give further insights into toxicological aspects of intersex development. The intensity of the phenomenon is correlated with the degree of TBT contamination in the environment. Statistically highly significant correlations of biological indices and TBT concentrations in tissue and sediment exist. Intersex can be induced only in juvenile and sexually immature females and its intensity depends on the ontogenetic stage of development during TBT exposure. For the first time, malformations in male periwinkles closely related to the TBT contamination can be described; the reduction of male mamilliform penial glands shows highly significant correlations to TBT concentrations in tissues. The intersex phenomenon in Littorina littorea is proposed for a biological TBT-effect monitoring in those areas where the dogwhelk Nucella lapillus, as the more sensitive species in European surveys, is absent. The intersex index (ISI) as the mean value of the intersex stages in a sample should be used as the most sensitive biological parameter for the assessment of the TBT contamination in Littorina littorea.

Comparison of imposex response in three Prosobranch species

A comparative study of the three gastropod species Nucella lapillus (L.), Ocenebra erinacea (L.) and Hinia (Nassarius) reticulata (L.) reveals that Nucella is the most TBT sensitive species while Hinia is the least sensitive. Of the two imposex indices VDSI and RPSI, good interspecies correlations were obtained only for VDSI. The three species can be considered as complementary not only in terms of their ecology but also for their levels of sensitivity. Indeed, Nucella and Ocenebra are useful test species at TBT concentrations below 2 ng Sn 1−1 while Hinia is the more appropriate species at higher TBT levels. For the first time, two sterilised Hinia females are recorded. This sterilization does not seem to be due to proliferation of vas deferens tissue in the vaginal opening and further investigation is needed to find intermediary VDS stages between stage 4+ and sterilization. Studies using Nucella show that the use of narcotization in imposex analysis leads to an underestimation of RPSI compared with non-narcotization methods. Indeed, narcotization straightens the penis and increases its length when compared with non-narcotized animals, but this increase is proportionally higher in males than in females.

Toxico-kinetic and -dynamic aspects of TBT-induced imposex in Hydrobia ulvae compared with intersex in Littorina littorea (Gastropoda, Prosobranchia)

A short description of the imposex condition in Hydrobia ulvae is presented. In this species four different imposex stages with two types of development were identified. In laboratory experiments the mud snail accumulates TBT in a time and concentration-dependent manner. Increasing biological indices e.g. VDSI (vas deferens sequence index), female penis length (FPL) and the imposex incidence are significantly correlated with increasing TBT body burden. The percentage of sterile females depends on the TBT contamination of sediments. An interspecific comparison of the mud snail H. ulvae and the periwinkle Littorina littorea elucidates that the mud snail is the more sensitive species at lower environmental TBT concentrations.