Confirming the species-sensitivity distribution concept for endosulfan using laboratory, mesocosm, and field data

• Published in: Archives of environmental contamination and toxicology Vol. 47; no. 4; pp. 511 - 520
• Main Authors: Hose, G.C, Brink, P.J. van den
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Springer Nature B.V 01.10.2004
• Subjects: Animals; Arthropoda; Arthropods; Australia; ecological risk-assessment; Endosulfan; Endosulfan - toxicity; fish; guidelines; Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated; Insecticides - toxicity; Laboratories; Laboratory tests; Lethal Dose 50; Models, Theoretical; namoi river; Organic compounds; Organochlorine pesticides; Pesticides; Protected species; Reference Values; sediment; Studies; Taxa; toxic substances; Toxicants; Toxicity; water; Water quality; water quality standards; Australia
• ISSN: 0090-4341; 1432-0703
• DOI: 10.1007/s00244-003-3212-5

In Australia, water-quality trigger values for toxicants are derived using protective concentration values based on species-sensitivity distribution (SSD) curves. SSD curves are generally derived from laboratory data with an emphasis on using local or site-specific data. In this study, Australian and non-Australian laboratory-species based SSD curves were compared and the concept of species protection confirmed by comparison of laboratory-based SSD curves with local mesocosm experiments and field monitoring data. Acute LC50 data for the organochlorine pesticide endosulfan were used for these comparisons; SSD curves were fitted using the Burr type III distribution. SSD curves indicated that the sensitivities of Australian fish and arthropods were not significantly different from those of corresponding non-Australian taxa. Arthropod taxa in the mesocosm were less sensitive than taxa in laboratory tests, which suggests that laboratory-generated single-species data may be used to predict concentrations protective of semifield (mesocosm) systems. SSDs based on laboratory data were also protective of field populations.