While it is generally accepted that water hardness affects copper toxicity, the major ions that contribute to water hardness (calcium [Ca] and magnesium [Mg]) may affect copper toxicity differently. This is important because the Ca:Mg ratio in standard laboratory-reconstituted waters often differs from the ratio in natural surface waters. Copper toxicity was assessed for five different aquatic ...

Herbivore-plant interactions have been well studied in both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems as they are crucial for the trophic transfer of energy and matter. In nutrient-rich freshwater ecosystems, the interaction between primary producers and herbivores is to a large extent represented by Daphnia and cyanobacteria. The occurrence of cyanobacterial blooms in lakes and ponds has, at least pa...

We present evidence that Mg2+ antagonism is one mechanism for acute toxicity of waterborne Ni to Daphnia magna. Acutely, adult D. magna were exposed to either control or 694 microg Ni L(-1) as NiSO4 in moderately soft water (45 mg L(-1) as CaCO3; background Ni approximately 1 microg Ni L(-1)) for 48 h without feeding. Chronically, adults were exposed to either control or 131 microg Ni L(-1) for...

Current knowledge on fate and effect of agricultural pesticides comes is mainly from temperate ecosystems. More studies are needed in tropical systems in order to assess contamination risks to nontarget endemic tropical species from the extensive use of pesticides e.g. in banana and pineapple plantations. In this study, acute laboratory toxicity tests with organophosphate pesticides ethoprophos...

The invasive diatom Didymosphenia geminata (Lyngbye) Schmidt, D. has invaded the austral zone of Chile, causing significant ecological, scientific and societal concerns. We aimed to evaluate viability motility Daphnia magna (D. magna), as a biosensor for effects geminata. Toxicity assays were performed in dilutions river water alone (V/V dilution) contaminated with or polyphenols extracted from...

DDT (Dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane) and chlordane are the organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) dangerous to human health easily accumulate in biological tissues, used control insects crops, livestock house protection. This study aimed evaluate toxicity of DDT, cis (alpha-chlordane), trans (gamma-chlordane) on growth two crustaceans species Daphnia magna (D. magna) Moina macrocopa (M. macrocopa)...

Mounting evidence suggests that population endpoints in risk assessment are far more accurate than static assessments. Complete demographic toxicity data based on full life tables are eminently useful in predicting population outcomes in many applications because they capture both lethal and sublethal effects; however, developing these life tables is extremely costly. In this study we investiga...

Genotoxic and ecotoxic assessments of widely used nanoparticles, cerium dioxide (CeO(2)), silicon dioxide (SiO(2)) and titanium dioxide (TiO(2)), were conducted on two aquatic sentinel species, the freshwater crustacean Daphnia magna and the larva of the aquatic midge Chironomus riparius. CeO(2) may have genotoxic effects on D. magna and C. riparius, given that the DNA strand breaks increased i...

Fluoxetine is a serotonin re-uptake inhibitor, generally used as an antidepressant. It is suspected to provoke substantial effects in the aquatic environment. This study reports the effects of fluoxetine on the life cycle of four invertebrate species, Daphnia magna, Hyalella azteca and the snail Potamopyrgus antipodarum exposed to fluoxetine spiked-water and the midge Chironomus riparius expose...

The use of quantum dots (QDs) for nanomedicine is hampered by their potential toxicologic effects and difficulties with delivery into the cell interior. We accomplished an in vivo study exploiting Daphnia magna and Xenopus laevis to evaluate both toxicity and uptake of QDs coated with the membranotropic peptide gH625 derived from the glycoprotein H of herpes simplex virus and widely used for dr...