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Toxicity of silver to steelhead and rainbow trout, fathead minnows and Daphnia Magna
Author(s) -
Nebeker Alan V.,
McAuliffe Chris K.,
Mshar Roger,
Stevens Donald G.
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
environmental toxicology and chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.1
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1552-8618
pISSN - 0730-7268
DOI - 10.1002/etc.5620020111
Subject(s) - rainbow trout , daphnia magna , pimephales promelas , trout , salmo , biology , minnow , acute toxicity , zoology , toxicology , daphnia , fishery , toxicity , fish <actinopterygii> , chemistry , crustacean , organic chemistry
Abstract Rainbow (Salmo gairdneri) and steelhead (Salmogairdneri) trout and fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) were exposed to silver for 96 h in replicated flow‐through tests. Rainbow trout, fathead minnows and Daphnia magna were exposed to silver in replicated static acute tests. Steelhead trout embryo‐larval stages were tested in a flow‐through system for 60 d, and D. magna were exposed through complete life cycles in replicated static‐renewal tests. All silver concentrations were measured values. No differences were seen between flow‐through and static LC 50 values. Rainbow trout 96‐h flow‐through LC 50 values were 8.6 and 9.7 μg/L silver; static values were 10.9 and 8.5 μg/L. The 96‐h LC 50 for steelhead trout in the flow‐through test was 9.2 μg/L. Fathead minnow 96‐h flow‐through LC 50 values were 5.6 and 7.4 μg/L silver; static values were 9.4 and 9.7 μg/L. The absence of food in static tests with D. magna caused silver to be about 10 times more toxic; the 48‐h static mean EC 50 value for D. magna without food was 0.9 μg/L, compared to 12.5 μg/L in the test with food. The early‐life‐stage test with steelhead trout, from newly fertilized eggs to post‐swimup juveniles, showed complete mortality at 1.3 μg/L and significant reduction in fish survival at 0.5 μg/L silver. Mean weight and length at end of test were greatly reduced at 1.1 μg/L, and were significantly different from controls at 0.1 μg/L. The mean 21‐d EC 50 value for the D. magna test with food was 3.5 μg/L. The 21‐d lowest significant (α = 0.05) effect on survival occurred at 4.1 μg/L. The mean silver concentration at which there was a significant decrease in total Daphnia young/female/day after 21 d, compared to the control was 10.5 μg/L silver.