Abstract
The aim of the workshop on rotifers in ecotoxicology was to stimulate discussions on new developments in the field. Discussions about the use of biomolecular tools indicate that gene expression analysis with rotifers should be available in the next few years. Such analyses will be a great asset as they enable ecotoxicologists to study molecular mechanisms of toxicity. Rotifers also appear as useful tools in the risk assessment of pharmaceuticals and their metabolites that find their way into aquatic ecosystems because their sensitivity to some of these substances is higher than that of cladocerans and algae. The nature and extent of the impact of potential endocrine disruptors on aquatic invertebrates is another poorly resolved issue for which rotifers are a promising tool. Indeed, rotifers seem to be particularly sensitive to androgenic and anti-antiandrogenic substances, whereas copepods and cladocerans are typically more affected by estrogens and juvenile hormone-like compounds. Besides their usefulness in these emerging fields of aquatic ecotoxicology, it was emphasized that research with rotifers on basic issues like, e.g., toxicant interference with predation, competition, or interspecific and interclonal variation in ecotoxicological tests is still needed.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Andersen, H. R., L. Wollenberger, B. Halling-Sorensen & K. O. Kusk, 2001. Development of copepod nauplii to copepodites—A parameter for chronic toxicity including endocrine disruption. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 20: 2821–2829.
Baldwin, W. S., S. E. Graham, D. Shea & G. A. LeBlanc, 1997. Metabolic androgenization of female Daphnia magna by the xenoestrogens 4-Nonylphenol. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 16: 1905–1911.
Bechmann, R. K., 1999. Effect of the endocrine disrupter nonylphenol on the marine copepod Tisbe battagliai. Science of the Total Environment 233: 33–46.
Breitholtz, M. & B. E. Bengtsson, 2001. Oestrogens have no hormonal effect on the development and reproduction of the harpacticoid copepod Nitocra spinipes. Marine Pollution Bulletin 42: 879–886.
Cargouet, M., D. Perdiz, A. Mouatassim-Souali, S. Tamisier-Karolak & Y. Levi, 2004. Assessment of river contamination by estrogenic compounds in Paris area. Science of the Total Environment 324: 55–66.
Charoy, C. P., C. R. Janssen, G. Persoone & P. Clément, 1995. The swimming behaviour of Brachionus calyciflorus (rotifer) under toxic stress. I. The use of automated trajectometry for determining sublethal effects of chemicals. Aquatic Toxicology 32: 271–282.
Dodson, S. I., C. M. Merritt, L. Torrentera, K. M. Winter, C. K. Tornehl, & K. Girvin, 1999. Dieldrin reduces male production and sex ratio in Daphnia galeata mendotae. Toxicology and Industrial Health 15: 192–199.
Gallardo, W. G., A. Hagiwara, Y. Tomita, K. Soyano & T. W. Snell, 1997. Effect of some vertebrate and invertebrate hormones on the population growth, mictic female production, and body size of the marine rotifer Brachionus plicatilis Müller. Hydrobiologia 358: 113–120.
Gomes, R. L., H. E. Deacon, K. M. Lai, J. W. Birkett, M. D. Scrimshaw & J. N. Lester, 2004. An assessment of the bioaccumulation of estrone in Daphnia magna. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 23: 105–108.
Guillette L. J. Jr., D. B. Pickford, D. A. Crain, A. A. Rooney & H. F. Percival, 1996. Reduction in penis size and plasma testosterone concentrations in juvenile alligators living in a contaminated environment. General and Comparative Endocrinology 101: 32–42.
Heberer, T., 2002. Occurrence, fate, and removal of pharmaceutical residues in the aquatic environment: a review of recent research data. Toxicology Letters 131: 5–17.
Hense, B. A., G. F. Severin, G. Welzl & K. W. Schramm, 2004. Effects of 17 alpha-ethinylestradiol on zoo- and phytoplankton in lentic microcosms. Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry 378: 716–724.
Isidori, M., M. Lavorgna, A. Nardelli, A. Parrella, L. Previtera & M. Rubino, 2005. Ecotoxicity of naproxen and its phototransformation products. Science of the Total Environment 348: 93–101.
Janssen, C. R., M. D. Ferrando & G. Persoone, 1994. Ecotoxicological studies with the freshwater rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus. IV. Rotifer behaviour as a sensitive and rapid sublethal test criterion. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 28: 244–255.
Jobling, S., D. Sheahan, J. A. Osborne, P. Matthiessen & J. P. Sumpter, 1996. Inhibition of testicular growth in rainbow trout (Onchorynchus mykiss) exposed to estrogenic alkylphenolic chemicals. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 15: 194–202.
Jones, O. A. H., N. Voulvoulis & J. N. Lester, 2001. Human pharmaceuticals in the aquatic environment a review. Environmental Technology 22: 1383–1394.
Kime, D. E., 1995. The effects of pollution on reproduction in fish. Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries 5: 52–96.
Kolodziej, E. P., J. L. Gray & D. L. Sedlak, 2003. Quantification of steroid hormones with pheromonal properties in municipal wastewater effluent. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 22: 2622–2692.
Lai, K. M., M. D. Scrimshaw & J. N. Lester, 2002. Biotransformation and bioconcentration of steroid estrogens by Chlorella vulgaris. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 68: 859–864.
LeBlanc, G. A. & J. B. McLachlan, 2000. Changes in the metabolic elimination profile of testosterone following exposure of the crustacean Daphnia magna to tributyltin. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 45: 296–303.
Marcial, H. S., A. Hagiwara & T. W. Snell, 2002. Effect of known and suspected endocrine disrupting chemicals on the demographic parameters of the copepod Tigriopus japonicus. Fisheries Science 68: 863–866.
Marcial, H. S., A. Hagiwara & T. W. Snell, 2003. Estrogenic compounds affect development of harpacticoid copepod Tigriopus japonicus. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 22: 3025–3030.
Marcial, H. S., A. Hagiwara & T. W. Snell, 2005. Effect of some pesticides on reproduction of rotifer Brachionus plicatilis Müller. Hydrobiologia 546: 569–575.
Matthiessen, P. & P. E. Gibbs, 1998. Critical appraisal of the evidence for tributyltin mediated endocrine disruption in mollusks. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 17: 37–43.
Okay, O. S., L. Tolun, L. Tüfekçi, B. Karacik, A. Kungolos, P. Samaras, C. Papadimitriou, M. Petala & V. Tsiridis, 2005. Comparison of several toxicity tests applied to complex wastewaters and mussel biomarkers in receiving waters. Journal of Environmental Science and Health 40: 1525–1541.
Olmstead, A. W. & G. A. LeBlanc, 2000. Effects of endocrine-active chemicals on the development of sex characteristics of Daphnia magna. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 19: 2107–2113.
Olmstead, A. W. & G. A. LeBlanc, 2001. Temporal and quantitative changes in sexual reproductive cycling of the cladoceran Daphnia magna by a juvenile hormone analog. Journal of Experimental Zoology 290: 148–155.
Olmstead, A. W. & G. A. LeBlanc, 2003. Insecticidal juvenile hormone analogs stimulate the production of male offspring in the crustacean Daphnia magna. Environmental Health Perspectives 111: 919–924.
Pickering, A. D. & J. P. Sumpter, 2003. Comprehending endocrine disrupters in aquatic environments. Environmental Science and Technology 37: 331A–336A.
Preston, B. L., T. W. Snell, T. L. Robertson & B. J. Dingmann, 2000. Use of freshwater rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus in screening assay for potential endocrine disruptors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 19: 2923–2928.
Radix, P., G. Severin, K. W. Schramm & A. Kettrup, 2002. Reproduction disturbances of Brachionus calyciflorus (rotifer) for the screening of environmental endocrine disrupters. Chemosphere 47: 1097–1101.
Severin, G. F., G. Welzl, I. Jüttner, G. Pfister & K. W. Schramm, 2003. Effects of nonylphenol on zooplankton in aquatic microcosms. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 22: 2733–2738.
Snell, T. W. & M. J. Carmona, 1995. Comparative toxicant sensitivity of sexual and asexual reproduction in the rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 14: 415–420.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Guest editors: S. S. S. Sarma, R. D. Gulati, R. L. Wallace, S. Nandini, H. J. Dumont & R. Rico-Martínez
Advances in Rotifer Research
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Snell, T.W., Joaquim-Justo, C. Workshop on rotifers in ecotoxicology. Hydrobiologia 593, 227–232 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-007-9045-x
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-007-9045-x