Baseline A novel methodology for the determination of biomarker baseline levels in the marine polychaete Hediste diversicolor A. Barrick a, ⁎, A. Châtel a , J.-M. Marion b , H. Perrein-Ettajani a , M. Bruneau a , C. Mouneyrac a a Mer Molécules Sante (MMS), Université Catholique de l'Ouest, 3 Place André Leroy, BP10808, 49008 Angers Cedex 01, France b LARIS (Laboratoire Angevin de Recherche en Ingénierie des Systèmes), EA-7315, Université Catholique de l'Ouest, 3 Place André Leroy, BP10808, 49008 Angers Cedex 01, France abstract article info Article history: Received 24 February 2016 Received in revised form 26 April 2016 Accepted 28 April 2016 Available online xxxx Identifying environmental damage due to anthropogenic activities is a focal point for scientists and policy makers like those involved in the European Water Framework Directive (WFD). Many of these approaches focus on ecological endpoints for assessing environmental perturbations, which lead to policies emphasizing mitigation rather than prevention. Biomarkers provide early-warning indicators of stress but it is necessary to distinguish their natural variations from those induced by chemical stress. The global aim of this study was to establish a baseline assessment criterion (BAC) using historical data in a reference site to define toxicity thresholds. We have developed a multiple polynomial regression model (MPR) accounting the influence of salinity, temperature and size of individual on energetic reserves (glycogen and lipids) in the marine polychaete Hediste diversicolor. The model identified a complex, orthogonal relationship between confounding factors and glycogen and a linear relationship between lipids and size of individuals. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Environmental monitoring Baseline assessment criteria Threshold of biomarkers Hediste diversicolor Glycogen Lipids The identification of environmental impacts due to anthropogenic contaminants (e.g. industrial, agricultural and urban inputs, increased nutrient deposition, hypoxia) has become a global concern with partic- ular emphasis on aquatic ecosystems as they are the ultimate sink for all land based contaminants (Critto et al., 2007; Dallas and Jha, 2015). The formation of organizations like the international panel of expertise on biodiversity (IPBES) is a testament to the increasing interest of policy makers and scientists in characterizing these influences with monitor- ing programs including the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) now focused on incorporating an ecosystem based approach in measuring water quality in order to assess anthropogenic impacts present (Artigas et al., 2012; Hagger et al., 2008; WFD CIS, 2005). Cur- rent biomonitoring programs, however focus on ecological endpoints (species abundance, density and biodiversity) to characterize health status, which are ideal for identifying sites that are currently impacted but lack predictive capabilities (Dallas and Jha, 2015; Martinez-Haro et al., 2015). Using lower levels of biological organization such as sub- individual, multimarker approaches can provide an effective method in characterizing environmental stressors (oxidative, immunological, neurological, etc.) at sublethal concentrations, allowing for predictive and cost effective means of monitoring chemical contamination (Hanson, 2011; Al-Subiai et al., 2012; Mouneyrac et al., 2010; Vethaak et al., 2015). Biomarkers can be useful tools in identifying potential stressors in the ecosystem before environmental change occurs (Amiard-Triquet et al., 2013). It is however, difficult to attribute cellular responses to eco- logically relevant impacts, making it necessary to use individual markers that have a strong relationship to ecological measurements, namely ecological biomarkers (Biagianti-Risbourg et al., 2013). Energet- ic reserves are physiological biomarkers that fit this requirement due to their significance in identifying the metabolic costs of contamination and their relevance in identifying suboptimal environmental conditions (Pook et al., 2009; Durou et al., 2007). In addition to this, energetic reserves have been shown to have considerable influence on reproduc- tive capacities, making this endpoint relevant for characterizing popula- tion effects in contaminated sites (Durou and Mouneyrac, 2007). The influence of confounding factors (e.g. temperature, salinity and size/ weight/age) can however influence biomarker responses, including energetic reserves, and creates uncertainty in the interpretation of results, limiting the effectiveness of biomarkers in environmental monitoring programs (Amiard-Triquet et al., 2015; Kalman et al., 2010). Successful implementation of biomarkers into environmental monitoring programs requires the development of effective strategies that account for confounding factors; one method of achieving this goal is the application of statistical analysis which can be used to standardize the influence of confounding factors and allows for the development of predictive models able to define the baseline represen- tative of reference conditions (Artigas et al., 2012; Amiard-Triquet et al., 2015; Vethaak et al., 2015). Marine Pollution Bulletin xxx (2016) xxx–xxx ⁎ Corresponding author. E-mail address: Andrew.barrick@etud.uco.fr (A. Barrick). MPB-07669; No of Pages 6 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2016.04.056 0025-326X/© 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Marine Pollution Bulletin journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/marpolbul Please cite this article as: Barrick, A., et al., A novel methodology for the determination of biomarker baseline levels in the marine polychaete Hediste diversicolor, Marine Pollution Bulletin (2016), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2016.04.056