Abstract
This study investigated the responses of natural phytoplankton communities of an urban stormwater pond to biocide contamination. The biocides carbendazim, terbutryn, diuron, and irgarol 1051, and their mixture, were used in two laboratory microcosm and one outdoor mesocosm studies at concentrations of 10, 100, and 1000 ng L−1. The water samples were collected in a pond receiving significant biocide contamination. The mesocosm study was carried out in the same pond. The phytoplankton community response was evaluated after 10–15 days of exposure, with respect to its taxonomic composition, abundance and biovolume. No significant changes were observed in any of the experiments. Only at the highest applied terbutryn concentration were lower numbers of taxa identified in both microcosm and mesocosm experiments. Additionally, increases in Chlorophyta abundance and biovolume, along with an increase in irgarol concentration, were observed throughout the three experiments. Nevertheless, the statistical analysis did not confirm any significant differences among the biocide treatments. These results suggest that the biocide concentrations probably were below the harmful or toxic threshold to the stormwater pond phytoplankton. On the other hand, as the investigated pond phytoplankton taxa face biocide inputs throughout the year, they could have already adapted to the tested biocide contamination.
Highlights
Biocides are used to suppress the growth of unwanted organisms
TB of 6 ng L−1, while IRG and DR were below Limits of detection (LOD)
total phosphorus (TP) concentrations were found to be significantly higher in CD, DR, IRG, and MIX biocide treatments groups than in controls, and the pH
Summary
Biocides are used to suppress the growth of unwanted organisms. Coating materials of buildings are, for instance, enriched with algaecides and fungicides to protect them from algae and fungi attacks.Many materials contain in-can preservatives to prevent bacterial growth before application.next to the many benefits that biocides bring, there are some significant drawbacks, especially when considering biocide toxicity to the natural environment [1].Wet weather conditions cause leaching of biocides from building materials into the surrounding environment [2,3]. Thiophanate methyl is a pesticide registered for outdoor use on fields and indoor use in greenhouses [43] It could have entered the stormwater pond with a runoff event that occurred shortly before the mesocosms were put in place and been degraded forming CD as a metabolite. Conditions established in the mesocosms might further have favored its degradation and the lack of continuous water exchange might have led to the observed build-up during the experiment. This was not investigated further, but was a likely cause of the observed phenomenon
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