In spite of increasing naval activities and petroleum exploration in cold environments, there is currently a paucity of tools available to monitor oil contamination in boreal marine life, especially in sedentary (non-fish) species that dominate benthic communities. This research aimed to identify biotic sources of variation in biomarkers using subarctic echinoderms, and to identify suitable biomarkers of their exposure to hydrocarbons. The focal species included the sea star Asterias rubens, the brittle star Ophiopholis aculeata, the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis, and the sea cucumber Cucumaria frondosa, which are among the most abundant echinoderms in the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. The latter two species are also commercially exploited. A series of 96-h acute exposures of the water-accommodating fraction (WAF) of used lubricating oil (ULO) were performed in different seasons (i.e. distinct reproductive stages). Digestive and reproductive tissues were analyzed for baseline and response levels of glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD). GPx activity was detected in the pyloric caecum, stomach, and gonad of sea stars, the intestine and gonad of sea cucumbers, and the gonad of brittle stars and sea urchins. No seasonal variation in baseline GPx activity occurred. Upon exposure to the ULO WAF, sex-based differences were elicited in the GPx activity of sea star stomachs (lower in females than males). EROD activity was present in the pyloric caeca of sea stars, and the gonads of brittle stars and sea urchins. An interaction between season and sex on baseline EROD activity was measured in the gonads of sea urchins. Ovaries exhibited significant seasonal variation in EROD activity and had greater activity than testes during the spawning and post-spawning seasons. Seasonal variation in EROD activity also occurred in sea star pyloric caeca and brittle star gonads. Furthermore, testes of sea urchins exposed to the ULO WAF exhibited suppressed EROD activity compared to baseline levels. The nearly universal presence of GPx activity highlights its potential as a useful biomarker, while EROD activity was much more limited. Findings suggest a complex relationship between temporal and biotic factors on both the baseline and response levels of enzymatic activity, emphasizing the need to consider sex and sampling season in studies of biomarkers of hydrocarbon exposure in boreal indicator species that display annual reproductive cycles.

尽管在寒冷的环境中海军活动和石油勘探活动不断增加，但目前仍缺乏用于监测北方海洋生物中石油污染的工具，特别是在主导底栖生物的久坐（非鱼类）物种中。这项研究旨在利用弧下棘皮动物识别生物标志物变异的生物来源，并确定暴露于碳氢化合物的合适生物标志物。重点物种包括海星Asterias rubens，脆星Ophiopholis aculeata，海胆Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis和海参Cucumaria frondosa。是北大西洋和北冰洋最丰富的棘皮动物之一。后两个物种也被商业开发。在不同的季节（即不同的生殖阶段），对用过的润滑油（ULO）的水分吸收分数（WAF）进行了96小时的一系列急性暴露。分析了消化和生殖组织的谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶（GPx）和乙氧基试卤灵-O的基线和应答水平-脱乙基酶（EROD）。在海星的幽门盲肠，胃和性腺，海参的肠和性腺以及脆性恒星和海胆的性腺中检测到GPx活性。基线GPx活性未发生季节性变化。暴露于ULO WAF后，海星胃的GPx活性引起性别差异（女性低于男性）。EROD活性存在于海星的幽门盲肠，脆性恒星和海胆的性腺中。在海胆的性腺中测量季节和性别之间关于基线EROD活性的相互作用。在产卵期和产卵后季节，卵巢的EROD活性表现出明显的季节性变化，并且比睾丸具有更大的活性。EROD活性的季节性变化也发生在海星幽门盲肠和脆性腺性腺中。此外，与基线水平相比，暴露于ULO WAF的海胆睾丸表现出抑制的EROD活性。GPx活性几乎普遍存在，突显了其作为有用的生物标志物的潜力，而EROD活性则更为有限。研究结果表明，在酶活性的基线和响应水平上，时间和生物因素之间存在复杂的关系，在研究显示年度繁殖周期的北方指示物物种的碳氢化合物暴露生物标志物研究中，强调需要考虑性别和采样季节。