Even though some standard developmental bioassay protocols for environmental assessment using sea urchins have already been described, there have not been many attempts to apply and modify these protocols with Korean species. Therefore, there is a strong need to establish standard bioassay protocols using sea urchins commonly found in Korea. Prior to developing a new protocol, it is essential to know the optimal conditions for the bioassay procedures. We investigated the optimal conditions (temperature, salinity, and embryo density) of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus intermedius. The ideal temperature for developmental bioassay of S. intermedius was determined to be 15℃ and the time required for the embryo to become pluteus larva was 72hr. The optimal range of salinity for the embryo toxicity test using S. intermedius was between 30 to 32 psu, which is similar to the range found in the natural habitats of adult populations. The optimum density of embryos at the beginning of bioassays was 100 embryos/㎖. When the assays were carried out at higher densi-ties, the proportion of normally developed larvae decreased significantly.
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