Ecotoxicological studies with the freshwater rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus. III. The effects of chemicals on the feeding behavior.

The effect of short-term exposure to xenobiotics on the feeding behavior of the freshwater rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus was studied. The filtration and ingestion rates of this rotifer decreased after an exposure of 5 hr to sublethal concentrations of copper, pentachlorophenolate, 3,4-dichloroaniline, and lindane. The effective concentrations at which feeding rate was reduced to 50% of that in controls (EC50) for the respective chemicals are 0.032, 1.85, 41.2, and 8.5 mg/liter. The potential use of feeding behavior as test criterion for toxicity screening tests with aquatic invertebrates is discussed.