Biological effects of contaminants: Paracentrotus lividus sea urchin embryo test with marine sediment elutriates.

This ICES Techniques in Marine Environmental Sciences describes a sediment elutriate bioassay using embryos of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus, a species widely distributed in both Atlantic and European Mediterranean waters. The proposed method is directly applicable to other echinoid species used in ecotoxicology worldwide, such as the Strongylocentrotus and Arbacia genus. The bioassay endpoint is a quantitative, observer‐independent, automatically readable response. Statistical methods and assessment criteria to classify sediment samples according to their biological quality status are also included, consistent with the demands of the European Water Framework Directive.