Developmental differences and a test for reciprocity in the tolerance of Chaoborus punctipennis larvae to ultraviolet radiation

Abstract

We estimated the ultraviolet radiation (UVR) tolerance of Chaoborus punctipennis in five 2- to 4-day in situ experiments conducted with third and fourth instar larvae at 0.25, 1.25, 3.0, and 5.0 m in Ruth Roy Lake, a lake with low dissolved organic carbon levels (0.2 mg·L–1). UVR tolerance increased with larval age. Third and late fourth instar LD50 (median lethal dose) ranged from 52.3 to 62.2 J·cm–2 and from 82.4 to 119.6 J·cm–2, respectively, among the four depths. Reciprocity held for UVR exposure down to 5.0 m, i.e., toxicity was independent of dose rate. At any given depth, the LT50 (median lethal time) increased with larval stage, but even at 5.0 m, third and late fourth instars died in less than 10 and 20 h, respectively, under sunny skies. These results suggest that Chaoborus abundance and distribution might be affected by UVR, especially in clear lakes. If UVR levels continue to increase in some lakes because of stratospheric ozone loss and climate change, we predict that UVR damage to Chaoborus will increase in the future, thereby affecting trophic interactions in temperate freshwater food webs.