Impact of the herbicide metolachlor on river periphytic diatoms: Experimental comparison of descriptors at different biological organization levels

A microcosm experiment was carried out in order to test the effect of the herbicide metolachlor on river periphytic diatoms and to find potential diatom bioindicators of contamination. Effects were investigated at different biological organization levels (biofilm, diatom community, population and individual levels). The colonization of glass substrates by natural biofilm in artificial streams did not vary quantitatively between control and contaminated conditions (5 and 30 μg.L− 1 ). However, non-parametric multivariate analysis of variance revealed a significant difference between contaminated and control diatom communities with regard to species composition. The difference was due to the greater development of probably tolerant species in the presence of the herbicide (e.g. , Planothidium frequentissimum, Planothidium lanceolatum, Amphora montana, Surirella brebissonii and Nitzschia gracilis ). An increase in the occurrence of abnormal forms was observed in relation to metolachlor concentration. In particular, up to 8% of the frustules of the species Surirella angusta exhibited prominent deformities. Monospecific acute toxicity tests were then performed on two species to estimate toxicity parameters based on growth inhibition. These tests also confirmed the teratogenic effect of the herbicide on S. angusta . This study shows that low concentrations of metolachlor in natural streams may significantly alter diatom community structure and that abnormal diatom forms should be taken into account in water contamination assessment.

[1]  A. Carlson,et al.  Comparative Sensitivity of Selenastrum capricornutum and Lemna minor to Sixteen Herbicides , 1997, Archives of environmental contamination and toxicology.

[2]  Á. Borja,et al.  The European Water Framework Directive at the age of 10: a critical review of the achievements with recommendations for the future. , 2010, The Science of the total environment.

[3]  R. Altenburger,et al.  Toxic effects of isoproturon on periphyton communities – a microcosm study , 2005 .

[4]  A. Boudou,et al.  Effects of the phenylurea herbicide isoproturon on periphytic diatom communities in freshwater indoor microcosms. , 1996, Environmental pollution.

[5]  Blair D. Siegfried,et al.  Effects of alachlor on an algal community from a midwestern agricultural stream , 1997 .

[6]  W. Admiraal,et al.  Metal-induced tolerance in the freshwater microbenthic diatom Gomphonema parvulum. , 2002, Environmental pollution.

[7]  M Coste,et al.  Sensitivity of freshwater periphytic diatoms to agricultural herbicides. , 2009, Aquatic toxicology.

[8]  D. Barceló,et al.  Effects of low concentrations of the phenylurea herbicide diuron on biofilm algae and bacteria. , 2009, Chemosphere.

[9]  Marion Junghans,et al.  S-metolachlor pulse exposure on the alga Scenedesmus vacuolatus: effects during exposure and the subsequent recovery. , 2008, Chemosphere.

[10]  Sybille Wunsam,et al.  Diatom taxonomic and morphological changes as indicators of metal pollution and recovery in Lac Dufault (Québec, Canada) , 2004 .

[11]  D. Goolsby,et al.  Occurrence and load of selected herbicides and metabolites in the lower Mississippi River. , 2000, The Science of the total environment.

[12]  Jutta Papenbrock,et al.  Effects of the Herbicide Metazachlor on Phytoplankton and Periphyton Communities in Outdoor Mesocosms , 2003 .

[13]  E. Pinelli,et al.  Effects of pesticides on freshwater diatoms. , 2010, Reviews of environmental contamination and toxicology.

[14]  Mark Hildebrand,et al.  SILICON METABOLISM IN DIATOMS: IMPLICATIONS FOR GROWTH  , 2000 .

[15]  A. Hill,et al.  The possible effects of the aggregation of the molecules of haemoglobin on its dissociation curves , 1910 .

[16]  M Coste,et al.  Linking diatom community structure to pesticide input as evaluated through a spatial contamination potential (Phytopixal): a case study in the Neste river system (South-West France). , 2009, Aquatic toxicology.

[17]  Other.  Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of The Council of 23 October 2000 establishing a Framework for Community Action in the Field of Water Policy (Water Framework Directive) , 2000 .

[18]  G. Durrieu,et al.  Long-term survey of heavy-metal pollution, biofilm contamination and diatom community structure in the Riou Mort watershed, South-West France. , 2008, Environmental pollution.

[19]  Marti J. Anderson,et al.  Distance‐Based Tests for Homogeneity of Multivariate Dispersions , 2006, Biometrics.

[20]  R. Guillard,et al.  YELLOW‐GREEN ALGAE WITH CHLOROPHYLLIDE C 1, 2 , 1972 .

[21]  W. Battaglin,et al.  Occurrence of sulfonylurea, sulfonamide, imidazolinone, and other herbicides in rivers, reservoirs and ground water in the Midwestern United States, 1998. , 2000, The Science of the total environment.

[22]  P. Hamilton,et al.  The impact of atrazine on lake periphyton communities, including carbon uptake dynamics using track autoradiography. , 1987, Environmental pollution.

[23]  Huijun Liu,et al.  Comparative toxicity of racemic metolachlor and S-metolachlor to Chlorella pyrenoidosa. , 2009, Aquatic toxicology.

[24]  Barley Mill Plaza.  Occurrence of sulfonylurea, sulfonamide, imidazolinone, and other herbicides in rivers, reservoirs and ground water in the Midwestern United States, 1998 , 2000 .

[25]  W. Liang,et al.  Acute Toxicity of 12 Herbicides to the Green Algae Chlorella pyrenoidosa and Scenedesmus obliquus , 2001, Bulletin of environmental contamination and toxicology.

[26]  A. Boudou,et al.  Effects of cadmium stress on periphytic diatom communities in indoor artificial streams , 2003 .

[27]  Heinz P. Kollig,et al.  The effects of atrazine on periphyton communities in controlled laboratory ecosystems , 1985 .

[28]  Robert V. Salkin,et al.  State of the art in Europe , 1996 .

[29]  Christelle Margoum,et al.  Evaluation of single and joint toxic effects of diuron and its main metabolites on natural phototrophic biofilms using a pollution-induced community tolerance (PICT) approach. , 2010, Aquatic toxicology.

[30]  P. Böger,et al.  Towards the primary target of chloroacetamides –new findings pave the way , 2000 .

[31]  Robert Kosinski,et al.  The effect of terrestrial herbicides on the community structure of stream periphyton , 1984 .

[32]  R. Berghahn,et al.  Response of plankton communities in freshwater pond and stream mesocosms to the herbicide metazachlor. , 2008, Environmental pollution.

[33]  Horacio Zagarese,et al.  New evidences of Roundup® (glyphosate formulation) impact on the periphyton community and the water quality of freshwater ecosystems , 2010, Ecotoxicology.

[34]  S. Wang,et al.  Toxicity of 21 Herbicides to the Green Alga Scenedesmus quadricauda , 2003, Bulletin of environmental contamination and toxicology.

[35]  Ross Ihaka,et al.  Gentleman R: R: A language for data analysis and graphics , 1996 .

[36]  T. Backhaus,et al.  Predictability of combined effects of eight chloroacetanilide herbicides on algal reproduction. , 2003, Pest management science.

[37]  A. L. Roberts,et al.  Are neutral chloroacetamide herbicide degradates of potential environmental concern? Analysis and occurrence in the upper Chesapeake Bay. , 2005, Environmental science & technology.

[38]  Marti J. Anderson,et al.  A new method for non-parametric multivariate analysis of variance in ecology , 2001 .

[39]  L. Hoffmann,et al.  Morphological abnormalities of diatom silica walls in relation to heavy metal contamination and artificial growth conditions , 2009 .

[40]  Brian A. Whitton,et al.  Use of algae for monitoring rivers II , 1996 .

[41]  in Situ ev ALuATIOn OF HeRbICIDe eFFeCTS On THe COMPOSITIOn OF RIveR PeRIPHyTIC DIATOM COMMunITIeS In A ReGIOn OF InTenSIve AGRICuLTuRe , 2010 .

[42]  W. Admiraal,et al.  Comparative toxic and genotoxic effects of chloroacetanilides, formamidines and their degradation products on Vibrio fischeri and Chironomus riparius. , 2002, Environmental pollution.

[43]  Michel Coste,et al.  Improvements of the Biological Diatom Index (BDI): Description and efficiency of the new version (BDI-2006) , 2009 .

[44]  E. Pinelli,et al.  Herbicide effects on freshwater benthic diatoms: induction of nucleus alterations and silica cell wall abnormalities. , 2008, Aquatic toxicology.