English Abstract This report describes an acute toxicity test with the
groundwater copepod Parastenocaris germanica which has been developed within
the framework of the Netherlands Integrated Soil Research Program. Test
animals originate from a field population and can be kept vital in the
laboratory during 1 to 2 months. Toxic effects on both survival and
mobility are studied during 96 hours in small volume and closed test vials.
Several metals (aluminium, cadmium and zinc), pesticides (aldicarb,
chloropyrifos and pentachlorophenol) and volatile compounds (tri- and
tetrachloroethene) have been used as toxicants during test development.
Results of the experiments are discussed regarding application,
reproducibility, and standardization of the test. The ecological
significance of an acute toxicity test is limited. However, the development
of ecologically more relevant chronic tests with groundwater animals appears
unfeasible for the moment. Nevertheless the availability of a productive
field population of P. germanica and a standardised method enables us now to
generate toxicity data for a groundwater adapted organism. At this way
groundwater specific toxicity data can be obtained which can serve as a
basis too for setting standards for groundwater on ecotoxicological
grounds.
