Morgan State University

University Transportation Centers Program (U.S.)

Tech Report

Maryland

Final report.

Morgan State University. National Transportation Center

NTL-ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT-Environment Impacts ; NTL-MARINE/WATERWAYS TRANSPORTATION-Marine Planning and Policy ;

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a class of chemical compounds that are mostly anthropogenic in nature, and they can become persistent organic contaminants in aquatic ecosystems. Runoff from impervious surfaces is one of the many ways contaminants enter the aquatic realm. Three different PAH concentrations were used to investigate the effects on oysteregg fertilization, embryonic transformation to the D-shell veliger larva, and larvae settlement onto hard substrate. The three different concentrations of PAHs ranged from one that is environmentally relevant to the concentrations found in runoff from road surfaces, another that was tenfold more concentrated, and finally one that was one hundred times more concentrated. The extremely concentrated solution had negative effects on fertilization success after one hour of exposure, while the lesser concentrations showed significant deleterious effects after two hours of exposure. All of the three PAH solutions caused significant numbers of abnormalities in the embryonic transformation of embryos to D-stage larvae. Finally, the two more concentrated PAH solutions significantly inhibited the oyster larvae in successfully setting on the hard substrate. This study‟s results provide evidence that PAHs entering an aquatic ecosystem from runoff from road surfaces have the potential to inhibit oyster reproduction by negatively impacting three critical processes in the early life cycle of the Eastern oyster.

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US Transportation Collection