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Marine ecological risk assessment for the herbicide sulfometuron-methyl based on species sensitivity distribution approach

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Abstract

In recent years, herbicide sulfometuron-methyl (SM) has been used to kill the invasive plant Spartina alternflora in some coastal areas of China, which may lead to the toxic effects on non-target marine organisms. The 96-h median effective concentrations (96-h EC50) of SM on six species of marine microalgae were measured in growth inhibition tests, and were then compared with other published toxicity data, based on which a method of species sensitivity distribution (SSD) was built to estimate the hazardous concentration of SM for 5% of species (HC5) and potentially affected fraction (PAF) for a certain concentration. Results indicate that SM exhibited a high toxicity to two species of green algae (Chlorella pacifica and Dunaliella salina) with a 96-h EC50 of 0.11 and 0.13 mg/L respectively, had a medium toxicity to two species of golden algae (Diacronema viridis and Isochrysis galbana) with a 96-h EC50 of 14.24 and 21.48 mg/L respectively, and showed a low toxicity to two species of diatoms (Skeletonema costatum and Phaeodactylum tricornutum) with a 96-h EC50 of 148.99 and >100 mg/L, respectively. The estimated values of HC5 and the predicted no-effect concentrations (PNEC) for SM were 0.077 and 0.015 mg/L, respectively. According to the current dosage for killing S. alterniflora in tidal flats in Fujian Province, China, SM entering the sea by spraying might cause the acute injury or death of 14% of marine species. This hazard could last for about a month for those sensitive species. Therefore, on the premise of inhibiting the growth of this invasive plant, the dosage of SM should be reduced as much as possible to avoid severe damage to the marine ecosystem. The results provide a valuable information for marine ecological risk assessment on SM and for marine environmental management.

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Data Availability Statement

The data generated, or analyzed, during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Marine Environment and Ecology, Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266100, China

    Jiaqi Liu, Fanping Meng, Shuhao Du & Siyuan Shao

  2. College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266100, China

    Jiaqi Liu, Fanping Meng, Shuhao Du & Siyuan Shao

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  1. Jiaqi Liu
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  2. Fanping Meng
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  4. Siyuan Shao
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Correspondence to Fanping Meng.

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Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 42077335)

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Liu, J., Meng, F., Du, S. et al. Marine ecological risk assessment for the herbicide sulfometuron-methyl based on species sensitivity distribution approach. J. Ocean. Limnol. 41, 1493–1503 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00343-022-2074-5

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