Development of a new low cost high sensitivity system for behavioural ecotoxicity testing.

The amphipod Gammarus pulex has been extensively used for ecotoxicological studies. However, the tests used are either labourious to perform and/or require relatively expensive equipment. We report the development of a new low cost infra red actograph system that measures relative activity, and can detect the behavioural effects of very low concentrations of heavy metals. Trials demonstrated that the home built system can distinguish significantly different behaviour between G. pulex exposed to clean water and that contaminated with as low as 10 microg L(-1) copper. This highly sensitive low cost automated system has the potential to become an important tool for ecotoxicity testing and water quality monitoring.