Review 3

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These review questions are taken from material covered in Session 1.  Upon completion of  Session 1, you should be able to answer all of these questions.  If you are taking this workshop for University credit,  test questions for Session 1 will be adapted from these review questions.

  1. Where can you find detailed information on the procedures and methodology to be followed in conducting acute or chronic NPDES biomonitoring tests?
  2. At what temperature should effluent samples and receiving water samples be held prior to using them for biomonitoring tests?
  3. How long may an effluent sample be held prior to initiation of biomonitoring tests?
  4. Why might an effluent sample sometimes need to be filtered before it is used in a biomonitoring test?
  5. List six important water quality parameters that should be measured in an effluent sample prior to testing.
  6. What is the acceptable pH range for biomonitoring tests?
  7. What is the usual time period for a screening test?
  8. What is the purpose of a screening test?
  9. What is meant by the term "stormwater sample"?
  10. How many treatments are usually used in a screening test?  What do these treatments consist of?
  11. How many replicates should be used with each treatment in a screening test?
  12. How many organisms are typically placed in each replicate in screening tests?
  13. Does a screening test give useful information concerning sub-lethal toxicity?
  14. What are some common time periods for acute toxicity tests?
  15. What is the total number of treatments typically required for a definitive toxicity test?
  16. What is the usually the minimum number of replicates required for each treatment in a definitive acute toxicity test?
  17. What is the total number of organisms normally tested with each treatment in acute toxicity tests?
  18. What percentage of the test organisms must survive in the controls in order for an acute toxicity test to be considered valid?
  19. What are three important endpoints for definitive acute toxicity tests?
  20. What is the usual photoperiod used in acute toxicity tests?
  21. Do NPDES permits usually specify the temperature at which acute toxicity tests must be conducted?  If so, what temperatures are usually specified?
  22. What is the minimum test solution volume that can be used in each replicate in an acute toxicity test using fathead minnows as the test organism?
  23. What is the minimum test volume that can be used in each replicate in an acute toxicity test using cladocerans as the test organisms?
  24. How old must cladocerans be at the start of an acute toxicity test?
  25. What is the maximum allowable age for fathead minnows at the beginning of an acute toxicity test?
  26. What is the maximum allowable beginning age for mysid shrimp being used in an acute toxicity test?
  27. What is the normal time period for a chronic toxicity test?
  28. What is the purpose of a chronic test (i.e. what are these tests designed for)?
  29. What are some observable effects that may be observed in chronic toxicity tests?
  30. How many treatments are used in chronic toxicity tests?
  31. What is the age of test organisms, such as cladocerans and fish, at the start of chronic toxicity tests?
  32. If mysid shrimp are being used in a chronic test, and fecundity is a response being observed, how old must the mysid shrimp be at the beginning of the test?
  33. How many replicates at each treatment are required in chronic tests with Ceriodaphnia dubia?  What is the minimum volume of each replicate?
  34. What percentage of the organisms must survive in the controls for a chronic toxicity test to be considered valid?
  35. What is the minimum volume of test solution that can be used in each replicate in chronic tests using fathead minnows or sheepshead minnows?
  36. What are four important endpoints of chronic toxicity  tests?

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