Development of an easily made artificial sediment that reduces experimental variability

Chironomus riparius toxicity tests are commonly performed on natural, thus variable, sediments. The introduction of transcriptomics in ecotoxicology increased the necessity for reduced experimental variability. To this purpose we developed an easily made artificial sediment and monitored larval development. We showed that larval development was synchronized and that the days when specific larval stages are reached can be identified. We conclude that the newly developed artificial sediment will facilitate the use of transcriptomics in ecotoxicology