The use of<i>Daphnia</i>in studies of metal pollution of aquatic systems

Abstract

Daphniidae (Crustacea, Anomopoda) have often been utilized in toxicological studies and environmental monitoring of aquatic systems for a number of reasons, such as their sensitivity to toxins and their ease of culture, and because they are such important members of the zooplankton in so many lakes. The extensive literature on the use of Daphnia as a bioindicator of environmental pollution with metal ions is critically reviewed. A summary of the data on the toxicity of metal ions in Daphnia is presented. These studies have lead to attempts to standardize the use of the bioindicator, as well as the monitoring of procedures. There have also been efforts to derive a relationship between toxicity data and the actual properties of toxins. Such a relationship would be beneficial for predicting the power of toxicity. To date, however, the efforts to establish this relationship have not been satisfactory. This compilation of metal toxicity data and the presentation of the attempts to establish such relationships was carried out in anticipation that it would be useful in future studies that might lead to a universal theory of the effect of metal ion toxicity on aquatic organisms.Key words: aquatic toxicology, bioindicators, Daphniidae, metal ion toxicity.