Journal of Environmental Biology

Sensitivity of Costa Rica´s native cladoceran Daphnia ambigua and Simocephalus serrulatus to the organophosphate pesticide ethoprophos

 

María Arias-Andrés*, Freylan Mena Torres, Seiling Vargas and Karla Solano

Instituto Regional de Estudios en Sustancias Tóxicas (IRET). Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica, Heredia, 86-3000, Costa Rica

*Corresponding Author E-mail: maria.arias.andres@una.cr

 

 

 

 

 Publication Data

Paper received:

29 March 2013

 

Revised received:

10 June 2013

 

Accepted:

05 September 2013

 

Abstract

 

The study of pesticide toxicity in aquatic environments is assessed with ecotoxicological tests and most research has been performed using species from temperate regions. In the present study, series of acute (48 hrs) toxicity tests to compare the sensibility of two indigenous cladocera of Costa Rica and two reference species were used in temperate regions to the organophosphate pesticide, Ethoprophos. Additionally, reproduction tests using S. serrulatus with sub lethal concentrations of ethoprophos and a control were assayed to check its sensitivity over a longer period exposure. The sensitivity of Costa Rica´s native species Daphnia ambigua (EC50 48 hr : 12.9 ± 3.0 μgl^-1) and Simocephalus serrulatus (10.6 ± 2.1 μgl^-1) to ethoprophos were higher (p<0.05) when compared to the exotic species Daphnia magna (289.8 ± 77.4 μgl^-1), and were comparable to that of the more widely distributed species, Ceriodaphnia dubia (18.2 ± 5.2 μgl^-1). No effect on S. serrulatus reproduction was observed at concentrations between 1 and 4 μgl^-1. This study provides information that can be considered in the selection of species for ecosystem studies of pesticide toxicity in neotropical regions.

 

Key words

 

 

Ecotoxicology, Native cladocera, Pesticides, Tropics

 

 

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