Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Federal University of São Carlos, SP, Brazil.
Arch Environ Contam Toxicol. 2011 Feb;60(2):241-9. doi: 10.1007/s00244-010-9541-2. Epub 2010 May 13.
Cladocerans have long been used for toxicological assessments of a diverse range of substances. The use of cladocerans in toxicity tests has many advantages, such as their short life cycle, parthenogenetic reproduction (clones), and high sensitivity to toxicants, as well as the easy laboratory maintenance of cultures. The most commonly used cladoceran in ecotoxicological studies of aquatic environments is undoubtedly Daphnia magna. Standard methods using cladocerans as test organisms have been documented and adopted by major international organizations and regulatory agencies of many countries. However, today there is a growing need for improving test organisms and protocols to better reflect local species sensitivity or site-specific conditions. The present study aimed to assess the tropical species Pseudosida ramosa as a potential test organism for ecotoxicological purposes, by carrying out standard acute tests with six reference compounds. Based on the results obtained in the present study and in comparison with other cladocerans, it was found that P. ramosa was more sensitive than Daphnia magna, had a sensitivity similar to that of Daphnia similis, and was less sensitive compared to Ceriodaphnia dubia and C. silvestrii (Neotropical species), except for the salts, sodium chloride and potassium chloride. Also, when P. ramosa was compared with test organisms of other taxonomic groups, we observed that it was more sensitive than most of the others, from simple coelenterates to complex fish. Considering these results and the wide distribution of the cladoceran P. ramosa in tropical and subtropical regions, we suggest that this species can be adopted as a test organism, being a good substitute for the exotic daphnid D. magna, for monitoring of toxicants in freshwaters.
枝角类动物长期以来一直被用于对各种物质进行毒理学评估。在毒性测试中使用枝角类动物具有许多优点，例如其生命周期短、孤雌生殖（克隆）和对毒物的高度敏感性，以及易于在实验室中维持培养物。在水生环境的生态毒理学研究中，最常用的枝角类动物无疑是大型溞（Daphnia magna）。使用枝角类动物作为测试生物的标准方法已被主要国际组织和许多国家的监管机构记录和采用。然而，如今人们越来越需要改进测试生物和方案，以更好地反映当地物种的敏感性或特定地点的条件。本研究旨在评估热带物种伪沼虾（Pseudosida ramosa）作为生态毒理学目的的潜在测试生物，通过对六种参考化合物进行标准急性测试。基于本研究中获得的结果并与其他枝角类动物进行比较，发现与大型溞相比，伪沼虾更敏感，与近似溞（Daphnia similis）的敏感性相似，而与圆溞（Ceriodaphnia dubia）和细额溞（C. silvestrii）（新热带物种）相比，敏感性较低，除了盐（氯化钠和氯化钾）以外。此外，当将伪沼虾与其他分类群的测试生物进行比较时，我们观察到它比大多数其他生物更敏感，从简单的腔肠动物到复杂的鱼类。考虑到这些结果以及热带和亚热带地区广泛分布的枝角类动物伪沼虾，我们建议可以将该物种作为测试生物，作为外来大型溞 D. magna 的良好替代品，用于监测淡水环境中的毒物。
