ASTM_E_1604_-_12.pdf

Designation:E160412Standard Guide forBehavioral Testing in Aquatic Toxicology1This standard is issued under the fixed designation E1604;the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or,in the case of revision,the year of last revision.A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.Asuperscript epsilon()indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1.Scope1.1 This guide covers some general information on theselection and application of behavioral methods useful fordetermining the sublethal effects of chemicals to fish,amphibians,and macroinvertebrates.1.2 Behavioral toxicity occurs when chemical or otherstressful conditions,such as changes in water quality ortemperature,induce a behavioral change that exceeds thenormal range of variability(1).2Behavior includes allobservable,recordable,or measurable activities of a livingorganism and reflects genetic,neurobiological,physiological,and environmental determinants(2).1.3 Behavioral methods can be used in biomonitoring,thedetermination of no-observed-effect and lowest-observed-effect concentrations,and the prediction of hazardous chemicalimpacts on natural populations(3).1.4 Behavioral methods can be applied to fish,amphibians,and macroinvertebrates in standard laboratory toxicity tests,tests of effluents,and sediment toxicity tests.1.5 The various behavioral methods included in this guideare categorized with respect to seven interdependent,func-tional responses that fish,amphibians,and macroinvertebratesmust perform in order to survive.These functional responsesinclude respiration,locomotion,habitat selection,feeding,predator avoidance,competition,and reproduction(4).Theseresponses can be documented visually or through video oracoustic imagery.Electronically recorded information can bederived through manual techniques or through the use of digitalimage analysis software.(5,6,7)1.5.1 The functional responses are not necessarily mutuallyexclusive categories.For instance,locomotion,of some formof movement,is important to all behavioral functions.1.6 Additional behavioral methods for any category may beadded when new tests are developed as well as when methodsare adapted to different species or different life stages of anorganism.1.7 This guide is arranged as follows:Section NumberScope1Referenced Documents2Terminology3Summary of Guide4Significance and Use5Interferences6Test Facility7Water Supply8Safety Precautions9Test Material10Test Organisms11Responses Measured12Behavioral Test Method Selection Criteria13Experimental Design14Acceptability of Test15Calculation of Test Results16Report171.8 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as thestandard.1.9 This standard does not purport to address all of thesafety concerns,if any,associated with its use.It is theresponsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.Specific precau-tionary statements are given in Section 9.2.Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:3E729 Guide for Conducting Acute Toxicity Tests on TestMaterials with Fishes,Macroinvertebrates,and Amphib-iansE1241 Guide for Conducting Early Life-Stage Toxicity Testswith FishesE1383 Guide for Conducting Sediment Toxicity Tests withFreshwater Invertebrates(Withdrawn 1995)41This guide is under the jurisdiction ofASTM Committee E50 on EnvironmentalAssessment,Risk Management and CorrectiveActionand is the direct responsibilityof Subcommittee E50.47 on Biological Effects and Environmental Fate.Current edition approved Dec.1,2012.Published February 2013.Originallyapproved in 1994.Last previous edition approved in 2007 as E1604-04(2007).DOI:10.1520/E1604-94R07.2The boldface numbers in parentheses refer to the list of references at the end ofthis standard.3For referenced ASTM standards,visit the ASTM website,www.astm.org,orcontact ASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org.For Annual Book of ASTMStandards volume information,refer to the standards Document Summary page onthe ASTM website.4The last approved version of this historical standard is referenced onwww.astm.org.Copyright ASTM International,100 Barr Harbor Drive,PO Box C700,West Conshohocken,PA 19428-2959.United States1 3.Terminology3.1 DefinitionsThe words“must,”“should,“may,”“can,”and“might”have very specific meanings.“Must”is used toexpress an absolute requirement,that is,to state that the testought to be designed to satisfy the specified condition,unlessthe purpose of the test requires a different design.“Must”isused only in connection with the factors that directly relate tothe acceptability of the test.“Should”is used to state that thespecified condition is recommended and ought to be met ifpossible.Although the violation of one“should”is rarely aserious matter,violation of several will often render the resultsquestionable.Terms such as“is desirable,”“is often desirable,”and“might be desirable”are used in con