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Acute Toxicity and Acetylcholinesterase Inhibition in Grass Shrimp (Palaemonetes pugio) and Oysters (Crassostrea virginica) Exposed to the Organophosphate Dichlorvos: Laboratory and Field Studies

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Abstract

The use of various organophosphates to control mosquito populations is a common practice across the globe. We review the literature (LC50s) on dichlorvos, the primary breakdown product of Dibrom®, and use laboratory and field experiments to determine the lethal and sublethal (bioassays) effects of dichlorvos on two widely distributed and ecologically important estuarine invertebrate species, the marsh grass shrimp, Palaemonetes pugio and the Eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica. Laboratory results based on LC50s and sublethal acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition activity bioassays indicate that adult grass shrimp are more sensitive (∼ 500 × ) to dichlorvos than juvenile oysters. Although potentially an important factor for intertidal or shallow-dwelling estuarine organisms, the toxicity of dichlorvos was not enhanced in the presence of simulated sunlight for adult P. pugio. The most notable decreases in AChE activity were for grass shrimp and oysters exposed to dichlorvos concentrations above those considered ecologically relevant. In field experiments, both species were deployed in cages in unsprayed (n = 2) and sprayed (n = 3) sites and water samples collected pre- and post-spraying. Quantifiable dichlorvos levels were measured at the two narrowest creek treatment sites following mosquito spraying, suggesting that overspray can occur and there was evidence of a sublethal AChE response at these same sites. However, experiments at the widest creek revealed no measurable dichlorvos or sublethal responses. Results from this research suggest that adult grass shrimp are more sensitive to dichlorvos than juvenile oysters. Spraying near small tidal creeks may have measurable impacts on resident species, while larger (wider) creeks appear to be capable of buffering organisms from transient fluxes of mosquito control agents that may enter the system.

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Acknowledgments

We wish to acknowledge Amy Ringwood for technical assistance and Keith Walters for statistical advice throughout this study. Special thanks to Pete Key, Marie DeLorenzo, Jen Hoguet, Chuck Keppler, Kevin Crawford, Martin Hyatt, Ed Harne, staff at the Center for Coastal Environmental Health and Biomolecular Research Lab (CCEHBR) and the Shellfish Research Section, Marine Resources Research Institute, SCDNR, for their laboratory and field assistance. This research was made possible through grant funds to L.D.C. from the SC Maine Recreational Fisheries Stamp Program, CICEET (NA17OZ2507), and the South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium (nos. NA86RG0052 and NA16RG2250) and to J.E.W. through The Citadel Foundation. This is contribution no. 294 from the Grice Marine Laboratory, College of Charleston, and from SCDNR no. 591.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Grice Marine Laboratory, College of Charleston, 205 Fort Johnson Road, Charleston, SC, 29412, USA

    Majbritt Bolton-Warberg

  2. Marine Resources Research Institute, SC Department of Natural Resources, 217 Fort Johnson Road, Charleston, SC, 29412, USA

    Loren D. Coen

  3. Biology Department, The Citadel, 171 Moultrie Street, Charleston, SC, 29409, USA

    John E. Weinstein

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  1. Majbritt Bolton-Warberg
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  2. Loren D. Coen
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Correspondence to Loren D. Coen.

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Bolton-Warberg, M., Coen, L.D. & Weinstein, J.E. Acute Toxicity and Acetylcholinesterase Inhibition in Grass Shrimp (Palaemonetes pugio) and Oysters (Crassostrea virginica) Exposed to the Organophosphate Dichlorvos: Laboratory and Field Studies. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 52, 207–216 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-005-0325-z

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