Short-term lethal and sublethal atrazine effects on Litoditis marina: towards a nematode model for marine toxicity assessment?

Organochlorine pesticides are still widely used in many regions of the world, despite their toxic properties to organisms, including humans, and high environmental persistence waters sediments. In order properly assess contaminant effects across trophic levels aquatic communities, responses different model organisms should be investigated. Particularly for marine benthic environments, relatively few assessment under controlled laboratory conditions both lethal sublethal available. Here we investigate use a cryptic species free-living nematode Litoditis marina as organism short-term tests impacts contaminants, using case herbicide atrazine. Its ease culturing, short generation time fecundity render L. PmIII good candidate rapid more detailed investigations mechanisms behind those effects. The LC50 atrazine adult was 3.3 ± 0.5 mg/L after 5-day exposure, suggesting comparatively higher sensitivity this compared other invertebrate species, mainly crustaceans. This less than half value 4-day exposure 22-fold lower 48 h LC50, demonstrating importance performing lethality long an possible. Sublethal were observed at much concentrations encompassed, from 0.8 onwards, impairment life-history traits (reduced extended egg deposition development times) population parameters (abundances juveniles adults, sex ratio). These broadly consistent among parameters, but maximum abundances juveniles, adults total nematodes most sensitive response variables. We therefore suggest that adequate on requires combination population-level parameters. conclude is suitable ecotoxicological research encompassing effects, can such contribute risk estuarine systems.