2Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro

ABSTRACT. The influence of copper on the ciliate Euplotes sp. and associated bacteria isolated from sediment samples of Guanabara Bay were investigated in bioassays. This region is highly affected by heavy metals such as copper, from solid waste constantly dumped in the bay and other sources such as industrial effluents, antifouling paints, atmospheric deposition and urban drainage, and even today there are few data on the metal toxicity to the ecosystem of the Bay of Guanabara. Bioassays were conducted to estimate the LC50– 24 h of copper, in order to determine the concentration of metal bearing 50 % of the population mortality. The results indicated that the concentrations of 0.05 and 0.009 mg L-1 presented no toxicity to Euplotes sp. The associated bacteria are tolerant to copper concentrations used in bioassays, and suggest that they could be used as a potential agent in the bioremediation of areas affected by copper