Ecotoxicology

Search line summary 

The general objective of the line is to study the impact that different types of pollutants can produce on the aquatic and terrestrial environment, either in natural communities or at the laboratory level.

In the evaluation of the ecological impact different parameters or aspects can be taken into account such as the effects on the survival and the behaviour of the species of organisms, the incidence at the level of metabolism on some general and specific biomarkers of certain functions

Main lines of research

• Studies of acute and chronic toxicity.
• Field studies with aquatic organisms.
• Physiochemical and biological characterization of soils and sediments.
• Studies of plants.
• Studies with terrestrial invertebrates.

Services

• Acute and chronic toxicity studies according to guides and standardized rules, and own methods.
• Essays with bacteria, seaweed, daphnia and fish.
• Biodegradation studies in aquatic environment.
• Physicochemical and biological parameters in soil and sediment samples. Studies of acute and chronical toxicity according to guidelines and standardized standards, and its own methods with plants and with terrestrial invertebrates.
• Toxicity studies with plants.
• Terrestrial invertebrate’s studies.
• Removal tests with earthworms.
• Acute toxicity and breeding tests with earthworms.
• Insect and toxicity tests with insects (collembolans).