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