| Title | Phytotoxicity assessment using test systems of different biological complexity and ecological scale
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| Institute responsible for organization | UFZ (Mechthild Schmitt-Jansen, Werner Brack) |
| Objectives | - Provide basic knowledge of toxicity assessment using autotrophic test systems
- Account for the pros and cons of multispecies test systems in aquatic ecotoxicology |
| Contents | The course will introduce in the state-of-the-art methods of phytotoxicity assessment. Algal test systems of different biological complexities will be addressed: Single species test systems will be demonstrated, using organisms of different systematic position. Different life forms (suspended versus attached algae) will be considered in terms of the relevance for bioavailability of toxicants in biofilm communities. The course will introduce in possible observation parameters for phytotoxicity assessment, e.g. PAM-fluorometry or growth and biocoenotic based parameters. A practical experiment will be performed by the candidates themselves by testing a model compound relevant in aquatic systems aiming to introduce in possible difficulties arising from chemical properties of the compound. This work will be supported by chemical analysis. |
| Background necessary | Basics in ecotoxicology and aquatic ecology |
| Place | Helmholtz – Centre for Environmental Research, Leipzig, Germany |
| Duration (h) | 40h, one week |
| ECT | - |
| Time | 9.-13.2.2009 |
| Max number of participants | 10 |