The impact of oil-derived products on the behaviour and biochemistry of the eleven-armed asteroid Coscinasterias muricata (Echinodermata)

The present study examines the impact of exposure to oil-derived products on the behaviour and physiology of the Australian 11-armed asteroid Coscinasterias muricata. Asteroids were exposed to dilutions of water-accommodated fraction (WAF) of Bass Strait stabilised crude oil, dispersed oil or burnt oil (n = 8) for 4 days whereby, prey-localisation behaviour was examined immediately after exposure, and following 2, 7, and 14 days depuration in clean seawater. The prey-localisation behaviour of asteroids exposed to WAF and dispersed oil was significantly affected though recovery was apparent following 7 and 14 days depuration, respectively. In contrast, there was no significant change in the prey-localisation behaviour of asteroids exposed to burnt oil. Behavioural impacts were correlated with the total petroleum hydrocarbon concentrations (C6-C36) in each exposure solution, WAF (1.8 mg l(-1)), dispersed oil (3.5 mg l(-1)) and burnt oil (1.14 mg l(-1), respectively. The total microsomal cytochrome P450 content was significantly lower (P(Dunnett test) < 0.01) in asteroids exposed to dispersed oil than in any other asteroids, whilst asteroid alkaline phosphatase activity was not significantly affected (P(ANOVA) = 0.11). This study further documents the deleterious impact of dispersed oil to marine organisms and supports further research in the area of in situ burning as a less damaging oil spill response measure towards benthic macro-invertebrates.