title: Effect of butyl paraben on the development and microbial composition of periphyton.
abstract: Parabens are extensively used as preservatives and bactericides in personal care and other consumer products, and are commonly found in wastewater and surface water as contaminants. However, few data are currently available on the ecotoxicity of parabens. Periphyton biofilm, a widely distributed microbial aggregate of ecological importance in aquatic environment, is frequently used for water quality monitoring, ecological restoration, and toxicity assessment. In this work, the effects of butyl paraben on the development and microbial composition of periphyton biofilm was studied in a laboratory experiment for 32 days using flow through channels. No effect was observed at the environmental relevant concentration level (0.5 μg L(-1)) during the experiment. At the highest tested concentration level (5000 μg L(-1)), following effects were noted: (1) inhibition on algae growth at the end of the experiment as indicated by the chlorophyll a and total biovolume; (2) inhibition of photosynthetic efficiency on day 24 as suggested by the maximal Photosystem II quantum yield (Fv/Fm); (3) decrease of the algal diversity on day 24 and 32 as reflected by the Pielou and Shannon-Weiner indices. Bacteria were less sensitive than algae in the periphyton biofilm, which showed no difference at all tested concentration levels as illustrated by the Biolog EcoPlates™ analysis. Therefore, we conclude that environmental residues of butyl paraben have a very low risk to periphyton in aquatic ecosystems.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 7 Donghu South Road, Wuhan, 430072, China.|Graduate University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
authors.forename: Chaofeng
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 7 Donghu South Road, Wuhan, 430072, China.|Graduate University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 7 Donghu South Road, Wuhan, 430072, China.|Graduate University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
authors.forename: Xiaolong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, China.
authors.forename: Yonghong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 7 Donghu South Road, Wuhan, 430072, China.
authors.forename: Jiantong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 7 Donghu South Road, Wuhan, 430072, China. chenxi.wu@ihb.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Chenxi
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000633:toxicity; D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects*; D018407:Bacterial Physiological Phenomena; D018441:Biofilms / Q000187:drug effects*; D058086:Microalgae / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D064307:Microbiota / Q000187:drug effects; D010226:Parabens / Q000633:toxicity*; D010788:Photosynthesis / Q000187:drug effects; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D010226:Parabens; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Algae; Butyl paraben; Microbial community structure; Periphyton biofilm