Guidelines on Laboratory Practices (GLP) with subterranean fauna
Outline: The workshop is convened to facilitate discussions among a panel of experts on testing subterranean fauna in the laboratory. The specific objectives of the workshop are to discuss important critical aspects of laboratory testing and rearing and to develop consensus recommendations, based on the best available knowledge, on the most appropriate and reliable laboratory practices. The main aim of the workshop is providing the overall scientific community with a review of the state-of-the-art and Guidelines on Laboratory Practices (GLP) with subterranean species. GLP are provided with the objective of filling a gap for laboratory guidance for conducting laboratory testing using subterranean species.
An array of specialists (max. 15 participants) in different aspects of subterranean biology research is invited to participate in the workshop. The attendees are selected based on their expertise and ecotoxicologists, taxonomists and ecologists are included.
A review of the state-of-the-art is provided by the Organizer at the workshop beginning. Afterwards, key questions to be discussed by the participants during the workshop are presented. A questionnaire is provided by the workshop Organizer to facilitate in focusing and capturing the results of the discussion. The topics are as follows: 1) rearing methods; 2) methodological uncertainties: number of replicates, target species; 3) confounding factors: acclimation, starvation and exposure timing; 4) aquatic versus sediment toxicity testing; 5) intercalibration; 6) research highlights.
The results of the discussion are briefly presented by the Organizer during the workshop final session. More extensive information are going to be provided by email to each participant, including a description of the core elements that constitute the GLP.
The workshop proceeding will be presented as a review paper for publication. The expectation is that the review will allow researchers and laboratories to provide data on subterranean fauna that are repeatable, reliable, and that can be easily reconstructed in any research setting.
Workshop duration: 3 h.
Organizer: Dr. Tiziana Di Lorenzo, Permanent researcher, Institute of Ecosystem Study of the CNR – National Research Council of Italy, Via Madonna del Piano 10, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy.