Effect of Microcystis aeruginosa and Nodularia spumigena on survival of Eurytemora affinis and the embryonic and larval development of the Baltic herring Clupea harengus membras

Laboratory experiments were carried out to investigate the effect of two strains of Microcystis aeruginosa and a strain of Nodularia spumigena on the survival of Eurytemora affinis (Copepoda) and on the embryonic and larval development of the Baltic spring‐spawning herring Clupea harengus membras . The trials were made in water taken from Pärnu Bay, at a salinity of 3.7–5.1 psu, a constant temperature (15°C ± 1°C in trials with Eurytemora and herring embryos; 18°C ± 2°C with herring larvae), and an oxygen concentration of 8.8–10.4 ppm. The strains tested had a negative impact on the survival of Eurytemora , as well as on the embryonic development and hatching regime of the Baltic herring. In Eurytemora the response depended on the sex of the animals: the survival was clearly higher in females. In the embryonic stages of herring, the influence resulted in an increase in deviations from the normal pattern of development and a higher mortality. The impact of the strains on the larval development of herring was rather moderate. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 18: 236–242, 2003.