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Effects of the pyrethroid insecticide, cypermethrin, on a freshwater community studied under field conditions. I. Direct and indirect effects on abundance measures of organisms at different trophic levels

Friberg-Jensen, U ; Wendt-Rasch, Lina LU ; Woin, Per LU and Christoffersen, K (2003) In Aquatic Toxicology 63(4). p.357-371
Abstract
The effects of the pyrethroid insecticide cypermethrin on a natural freshwater community were studied in small in situ enclosures over an 11-day period. The experiment was conducted in a eutrophic lake using a regression design that included three untreated controls and a gradient of six unreplicated cypermethrin concentrations, ranging from 0.01 to 6.1 mug/l. This paper is the first in a series of two, and describes the fate of cypermethrin and its effects on the abundance of crustaceans, rotifers, protozoans (cilliates and heterotrophic nanoflagellates (HNF)) and bacteria and the biomass of periphytic and planktonic algae. The concentration of cypermethrin decreased quickly during the experiment, with a half-life of 48 h for the total... (More)
The effects of the pyrethroid insecticide cypermethrin on a natural freshwater community were studied in small in situ enclosures over an 11-day period. The experiment was conducted in a eutrophic lake using a regression design that included three untreated controls and a gradient of six unreplicated cypermethrin concentrations, ranging from 0.01 to 6.1 mug/l. This paper is the first in a series of two, and describes the fate of cypermethrin and its effects on the abundance of crustaceans, rotifers, protozoans (cilliates and heterotrophic nanoflagellates (HNF)) and bacteria and the biomass of periphytic and planktonic algae. The concentration of cypermethrin decreased quickly during the experiment, with a half-life of 48 h for the total and 25 h for the dissolved fractions of cypermethrin, respectively. Cypermethrin proved to be acutely toxic to crustaceans in enclosures receiving nominal cypermethrin concentrations of greater than or equal to0.13 mug/l. No Effect Concentration (NEC) and median Effect Concentration (EC50) for the total crustacean community and cladoceran and copepod subgroups ranged between 0.02-0.07 and 0.04-0.17 mug/l, respectively, with copepods being less sensitive than cladocerans. The abundance of rotifers, protozoans and bacteria and the chlorophyll-a concentration of planktonic and periphytic algae was significantly related to the concentration of cypermethrin. All groups proliferated within 2-7 days after the cypermethrin application in those enclosures where the abundance of crustaceans was seriously affected by cypermethrin (i.e. greater than or equal to0.13 mug/l). We hypothesise that the proliferation of rotifers, protozoans, bacteria and algae was due to a reduced grazer control from crustaceans and thereby mediated indirectly by cypermethrin. The results of this experiment provide knowledge on how an entire microplankton community may respond to pyrethroids in nature, and the indirect effects observed on the community clearly demonstrates the necessity of multispecies field experiments in ecotoxicological risk assessment. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. (Less)
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author
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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
algae, protozoans, crustaceans, pyrethroids, no effect concentration, indirect effects, ecosystem effects
in
Aquatic Toxicology
volume
63
issue
4
pages
357 - 371
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • wos:000183186000003
  • pmid:12758002
  • scopus:0038185155
ISSN
1879-1514
DOI
10.1016/S0166-445X(02)00201-1
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
The information about affiliations in this record was updated in December 2015. The record was previously connected to the following departments: Chemical Ecology/Ecotoxicology (Closed 2011) (011006020)
id
3474936e-4cec-4318-a416-865aa10c952d (old id 309892)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 11:41:55
date last changed
2022-04-28 18:38:56
@article{3474936e-4cec-4318-a416-865aa10c952d,
  abstract     = {{The effects of the pyrethroid insecticide cypermethrin on a natural freshwater community were studied in small in situ enclosures over an 11-day period. The experiment was conducted in a eutrophic lake using a regression design that included three untreated controls and a gradient of six unreplicated cypermethrin concentrations, ranging from 0.01 to 6.1 mug/l. This paper is the first in a series of two, and describes the fate of cypermethrin and its effects on the abundance of crustaceans, rotifers, protozoans (cilliates and heterotrophic nanoflagellates (HNF)) and bacteria and the biomass of periphytic and planktonic algae. The concentration of cypermethrin decreased quickly during the experiment, with a half-life of 48 h for the total and 25 h for the dissolved fractions of cypermethrin, respectively. Cypermethrin proved to be acutely toxic to crustaceans in enclosures receiving nominal cypermethrin concentrations of greater than or equal to0.13 mug/l. No Effect Concentration (NEC) and median Effect Concentration (EC50) for the total crustacean community and cladoceran and copepod subgroups ranged between 0.02-0.07 and 0.04-0.17 mug/l, respectively, with copepods being less sensitive than cladocerans. The abundance of rotifers, protozoans and bacteria and the chlorophyll-a concentration of planktonic and periphytic algae was significantly related to the concentration of cypermethrin. All groups proliferated within 2-7 days after the cypermethrin application in those enclosures where the abundance of crustaceans was seriously affected by cypermethrin (i.e. greater than or equal to0.13 mug/l). We hypothesise that the proliferation of rotifers, protozoans, bacteria and algae was due to a reduced grazer control from crustaceans and thereby mediated indirectly by cypermethrin. The results of this experiment provide knowledge on how an entire microplankton community may respond to pyrethroids in nature, and the indirect effects observed on the community clearly demonstrates the necessity of multispecies field experiments in ecotoxicological risk assessment. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.}},
  author       = {{Friberg-Jensen, U and Wendt-Rasch, Lina and Woin, Per and Christoffersen, K}},
  issn         = {{1879-1514}},
  keywords     = {{algae; protozoans; crustaceans; pyrethroids; no effect concentration; indirect effects; ecosystem effects}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{4}},
  pages        = {{357--371}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Aquatic Toxicology}},
  title        = {{Effects of the pyrethroid insecticide, cypermethrin, on a freshwater community studied under field conditions. I. Direct and indirect effects on abundance measures of organisms at different trophic levels}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0166-445X(02)00201-1}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/S0166-445X(02)00201-1}},
  volume       = {{63}},
  year         = {{2003}},
}