Physiological interactions of silver and humic substances in Daphnia magna: effects on reproduction and silver accumulation following an acute silver challenge

Abstract

Silver (Ag) in aquatic environments mediates its toxic actions by inhibiting sodium influx. Humic substances protect against silver toxicity by complexing the toxic, ionic form of the metal, but may also directly stimulate sodium influx in aquatic organisms. This study investigated the effects of silver and humic substances on the water flea Daphnia magna. Acute silver challenge (24 h; 1 μg L −1) and the chronic exposure to humic substances (Aldrich humic acid; 7 mg C L −1) had considerable influence on daphnid physiology and reproduction. In particular silver exposure in the absence of humic substances stimulated reproduction, resulted in enhanced adult mass, and altered both the response of the animal to subsequent silver exposure and a physiological surrogate measure of silver toxicity (whole body sodium concentration). The presence of humic substances countered the effects on adult mass and reproduction, returning these parameters to control levels. Humic substances also lowered silver body burden, but with significantly improved whole body sodium status than previously silver-exposed animals. These changes may distort the correlation between silver body burden and indicators of toxic action, an important tenet of site-specific risk assessment tools such as the biotic ligand model.