Effect of ambient oxygen concentration upon the acute toxicity of chlorophenols and heavy metals to the groundwater copepod Parastenocaris germanica (crustacea)

Abstract Acute static toxicity experiments have been performed under normoxic and hypoxic conditions. The test animals used were adults of the groundwater-adapted copepod Parastenocaris germanica . The animals originated from a sandy, gravelly phreatic aquifer of the Meuse valley in The Netherlands. Toxicants applied were pentachlorophenol, 3,4-dichlorophenol, zinc, and cadmium. The results were statistically evaluated by a log-logistic model. LC 50 and LC 5 values with 95% confidence limits were calculated. Response models of application under both oxygen conditions were compared. The influence of ambient oxygen concentration on sensitivity appeared to be very small; only in the case of pentachlorophenol were hypoxic and normoxic models slightly but significantly different. Comparisons with the sensitivity of other organisms are made and the results are discussed against the specific physiological adaptations of the organisms to groundwater conditions.