Water quality requirements of aquatic insects

Technical Report · Sat Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1973

OSTI ID:4311300

Gaufin, A R

The larvae of twenty species of aquatic insects (Diptera, Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera) and the scud (Amphipoda) were exposed to high water temperatures, low dissolved oxygen concentrations, and low pH to determine their tolerance of these three environmental factors. The temperature at which 50% of the specimens died after 96 hours exposure ranged from 11.7 deg C for the mayfly, Cinygmula par Eaton, to 32.6 deg C for the snipe fly, ham, was most sensitive to low dissolved oxygen levels with a 96hour TLm of 5.2 mg/l. Acroneuria pacifica Banks, a stonefly, was the most resistant with a /sup 96/TLm of 1.6 mg/l. Median tolerance levels for pH ranged from pH 2.7 for the caddis fly, Limnephilus ornatus Banks, to 7.2 for the scud, Gammarus limnaeus Smith. Longer term bioassays clearly indicated increased sensitivity and mortality of the test specimens with increased length of exposure to each of these factors. (auth)

• Research Organization: Utah Univ., Salt Lake City (USA)
• NSA Number: NSA-29-024219
• OSTI ID: 4311300
• Report Number(s): EPA--660-3-73-4
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

*CRUSTACEANS-- SURVIVAL CURVES
*INSECTS-- SURVIVAL CURVES
*THERMAL EFFLUENTS-- BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
*WATER POLLUTION-- BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
BIOASSAY
MORTALITY
N44630* --Environmental & Earth Sciences--Thermal Effluents-- Water
OXYGEN
PH VALUE
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE