Abstract
Lethal and sublethal effects of ammonia toxicity to juvenile barramundi (Lates calcarifer) were investigated under laboratory conditions following the OECD guidelines for testing of chemicals. Acute toxicity was tested in a static nonrenewal system at pH 9.0 and temperature around 29°C. The 24-, 48-, and 96-h LC50 values for barramundi were 3.89, 3.67, and 3.31 mg total ammonia N L−1 and 1.59, 1.47, and 1.3 mg nonionized ammonia N L−1, respectively. Estimated lethal concentrations indicated a relatively high sensitivity to acute ammonia toxicity for barramundi and equaled the 25th percentile most sensitive North American fish species with regard to the species mean acute value (USEPA 1999). A 3-week postexposure experiment on surviving individuals from the acute toxicity test, in clean water, indicated that exposure to acute concentrations up to 1.16 mg nonionized ammonia N L−1 did not have any significant effects on growth.
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Acknowledgments
We thank Michael Crossland, Barry Butler, and Niall Connolly (James Cook University) for their advice regarding experimental design and data analysis and Russell Erickson (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) for advice on the American ammonia criteria.
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Økelsrud, A., Pearson, R.G. Acute and Postexposure Effects of Ammonia Toxicity on Juvenile Barramundi (Lates calcarifer [Bloch]). Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 53, 624–631 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-006-0215-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-006-0215-z