A Pilot Evaluation of the Toxicity of EarthTec® QZ on Invasive (Bithynia tentaculata) and Native (Physa gyrina) Snail Species from the Upper Mississippi River

• Published in: Bulletin of environmental contamination and toxicology Vol. 101; no. 4; pp. 428 - 433
• Main Authors: Carmosini, Nadia, Gillis, Rick, Ismail, Abdelrahman, Sandland, Gregory J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.10.2018; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Aquatic Pollution; Bithynia tentaculata; Copper; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; Embryos; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Exposure; Hatching; Indigenous species; Invasive species; Mollusks; Mortality; Pesticides; Physa gyrina; Pollution; Rivers; Soil Science & Conservation; Survival; Toxicity; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollution Control; Copper toxicity; Invasive species; Snail embryos; Mortality; Bithynia; Physa
• ISSN: 0007-4861; 1432-0800
• DOI: 10.1007/s00128-018-2427-0

We used a comparative approach to investigate the effects of a copper-based pesticide (EarthTec® QZ) on embryos of an invasive snail ( Bithynia tentaculata ) and a native snail ( Physa gyrina ). Embryos were exposed to one of three treatments: control (0 mg/L Cu 2+ ), low-dose (0.1 mg/L Cu 2+ ), or high-dose (0.6 mg/L Cu 2+ ), which reflect manufacturer-recommended low and medium 4-day molluscicide treatment concentrations. Exposure to 0.6 mg/L Cu 2+ over 4 days generated 100% mortality in both invasive and native snail embryos; however, reducing the exposure time from 4 to 1 day resulted in 100% mortality in B. tentaculata but some hatching (7%) in P. gyrina . In contrast, embryos of both species exposed to 0.1 mg/L Cu 2+ treatment for 4 days showed almost 100% survivorship. Further manipulations of Cu 2+ concentrations and exposure times may yield regimes that maximize mortality in B. tentaculata while minimizing negative impacts on native species.