Bioessays in marine environments might are represent an useful tool to evaluate the toxicity of both water and sediments. Their use can allow to estimates the effect of the interaction between chemicals in the analyzed environment. The bio-essay approach can give information on the degree of toxicity of a sample by answering directly to the chemicals present and/or to their interactions. Moreover it can highlight the bio-availability of different contaminants in the environment, the overall effects of biotic and non-biotic factors present, accounting simultaneously for bio-accumulation phenomena.
The CIBM bioessay laboratory is capable of performing bioessays on sediments with the bacteria Vibrio Fischery(Microtox ®) as well as bioessays of acute and chronic toxicity with the amphipod Coropihum orientale and with the annelid worm Hediste diversicolor. In the water column CIBM laboratory can perform bioessays by means of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus(tests of fecundity, embriotoxicity and development) and by means of Vibrio Fischery (Microtox ®) as well as with the algae Dunaliella Tertiolecta and Phaeodactylum tricornutum.