Comparative sensitivity of five species of macrophytes and six species of algae to atrazine, metribuzin, alachlor, and metolachlor

• Published in: Environmental toxicology and chemistry Vol. 17; no. 9; pp. 1830 - 1834
• Main Authors: Fairchild, J.F. (U.S. Geological Survey, Columbia, MO.), Ruessler, D.S, Carlson, A.R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken Wiley Periodicals, Inc 01.09.1998; SETAC
• Subjects: ALGAE; Anabaena; Analysis methods; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; Applied sciences; AQUATIC PLANTS; Biological and medical sciences; BIOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES; Ceratophyllum; Chlamydomonas; Chlorella; DIFERENCIAS BIOLOGICAS; DIFFERENCE BIOLOGIQUE; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Effects of pollution and side effects of pesticides on plants and fungi; Elodea; Exact sciences and technology; FITOTOXICIDAD; Freshwater; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; HERBICIDAS; HERBICIDE; HERBICIDES; Lemna; Lemna minor; Macrophytes; Microcystis; Myriophyllum; Najas; Natural water pollution; PHYTOTOXICITE; PHYTOTOXICITY; PLANTAS ACUATICAS; PLANTE AQUATIQUE; Pollution; Scenedesmus; Selenastrum; SPECIES DIFFERENCES; Toxicity; Water treatment and pollution; Monocotyledones; Elodea canadensis; Lemnaceae; Haloragidaceae; Toxicity; Dicotyledones; Angiospermae; Cyanobacteria; Bacteria; Aquatic plant; Thallophyta; Ceratophyllum demersum; Alachlor; Bioassay; Algae; Hydrocharitaceae; Ceratophyllaceae; Herbicide; Lemna minor; Sensitivity; Phytotoxicity; Triazine derivatives; Metribuzin; Water quality; Organic amide; Spermatophyta; Water pollution; Najadaceae; Atrazine
• ISSN: 0730-7268; 1552-8618
• DOI: 10.1002/etc.5620170924

This study determined the relative sensitivity of five species of aquatic macrophytes and six species of algae to four commonly used herbicides (atrazine, metribuzin, alachlor, and metolachlor). Toxicity tests consisted of 96-h (duckweed and algae) or 14-d (submerged macrophytes) static exposures. The triazine herbicides (atrazine and metribuzin) were significantly more toxic to aquatic plants than were the acetanilide herbicides (alachlor and metolachlor). Toxicity studies ranked metribuzin atrazine alachlor metolachlor in decreasing order of overall toxicity to aquatic plants. Relative sensitivities of macrophytes to these herbicides decreased in the order of Ceratophyllum Najas Elodea Lemna Myriophyllum. Relative sensitivities of algae to herbicides decreased in the order of Selenastrum Chlorella Chlamydomonas Microcystis Scenedesmus Anabaena. Algae and macrophytes were of similar overall sensitivities to herbicides. Data indicated that Selenastrum, a commonly tested green alga, was generally more sensitive compared to other plant species. Lemna minor, a commonly tested floating vascular plant, was of intermediate sensitivity, and was fivefold less sensitive than Ceratophyllum, which was the most sensitive species tested. The results indicated that no species was consistently most sensitive, and that a suite of aquatic plant test species may be needed to perform accurate risk assessments of herbicides