Effects of perfluorooctane sulfonate and perfluorooctanoic acid on the zooplanktonic community.
This comparative survey summarizes six individual studies on the ecological effects of two common perfluorinated surfactants, PFOS and PFOA, on zooplankton. We compare the test designs and quantify the relative sensitivity and statistical power (1-beta > or = 0.8). The survey compares 30-L indoor microcosm to 12,000-L outdoor microcosm experiments, with 225-mL single species laboratory tests as reference. By this we elucidate the extrapolation of ecological effects in space and complexity. Generally, zooplankton had lower tolerance toward PFOS than toward PFOA. With increasing concentrations the zooplankton community became simplified toward more robust rotifer species, which, as an indirect effect, increased their abundance due to a shift in competition and predation. The statistical power of the designs exhibits inverse proportionality between complexity and realism, indoor microcosm>outdoor microcosm. Surprisingly, the 30-L study had a lower LOEC value for Daphnia magna than the laboratory chronic test, indicating that D. magna and D. pulicaria were not the most sensitive species and that laboratory tests are not always conservative relative to microcosm experiments. Food scarcity due to phytotoxicity was not the reason for the difference.
Sanderson
Hans
H
Centre for Toxicology, University of Guelph, Bovey Building, Gordon Street, Guelph, Toronto, Ont., Canada N1G 2W1. hsander@uoguelph.ca
Boudreau
Timothy M
TM
Mabury
Scott A
SA
Solomon
Keith R
KR
D017738:Alkanesulfonic Acids / Q000506:poisoning*; D000818:Animals; D002210:Caprylates / Q000506:poisoning*; D003621:Daphnia; D003625:Data Collection; D005466:Fluorocarbons / Q000506:poisoning*; D005508:Food Deprivation; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D019055:No-Observed-Adverse-Effect Level; D011157:Population Dynamics; D011235:Predatory Behavior; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012107:Research Design; D015048:Zooplankton
D017738:Alkanesulfonic Acids; D002210:Caprylates; D005466:Fluorocarbons; C023036:perfluorooctanoic acid; C076994:perfluorooctane sulfonic acid