Influence of salinity on copper and azide toxicity to larval topsmelt Atherinops affinis (Ayres).

Performance of a 7-d growth and survival toxicity test protocol using larval topsmelt, Atherinops affinis (Ayres), was evaluated for copper chloride and sodium azide at representative estuarine salinities. Results showed that topsmelt are amenable to toxicity testing at estuarine salinities ranging from 5 to 34/1000 since control survival was 100% in all toxicity tests. Sensitivity to both toxicants increased at lower salinities, with the LC50s for copper ranging from 205 micrograms/L at 34/1000 to 44 micrograms/L at 10/1000, and those for sodium azide ranging from 54 mg/L at 34/1000 to 7 mg/L at 5/1000. Larval tissue osmolality decreased with increasing copper concentration relative to control fish. Copper uptake was not affected by changes in salinity. This suggests that increased sensitivity to copper was due, in part, to the increasing physiological challenge of osmoregulation. It is also possible that cupric ion concentration increased at lower salinities, resulting in reduced larval survival. It is hypothesized that increased sensitivity to azide at lower salinity was due to the interaction between azide toxicity and increasing osmotic challenge. A second experiment with azide showed that larval acclimation time did not affect the interaction between salinity and azide toxicity.