Cycling and effects of ³⁶Cl labeled DDT on soil invertebrates

Technical Report · Tue Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1978

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6252186· OSTI ID:6252186

Dindal, Daniel L.

DDT, radiolabeled with /sup 36/Cl (total activity of 10.2 mc) and applied in the field at the rate of 1.12 kg/ha, cannot be detected within decomposer microarthropods using liquid scintillation spectrometry. Soil microarthropods exhibit both positive and negative responses to direct and indirect effects of DDT. Faunal simplification (decreased diversity) resulting from pesticide application as reported by many others does not apply to the oribatid and prostigmatid mites of the old field. New colonization is possible by some species of Acari as a result of DDT application. Soil microbial respiration is enhanced by a single DDT application of 1 kg/ha. No apparent relationships exist between the increased microbial respiration and soil microarthropod population dynamics in this DDT treated old field. No apparent relationships exist between soil pH, moisture levels, texture and soil microarthropod population dynamics. Microarthropod community structure (species diversity and richness, interspecific relationships and similarity) are definitely affected by a single application of DDT. The Prostigmata are the most numerous mites in the soil of an old field in central Ohio. Vertebrate predators feeding on terrestrial snails may be subjected to magnified concentrations of DDT residues. Coprophagic decomposer organisms feeding on snail feces will be subject to much larger DDT concentrations. Terrestrial snails represented by Cepaea and Otala are not killed by acute oral doses of DDT. Within a three year period after a single application of DDT no effects on the soil faunal populations were seen below 3 cm of soil.

• Research Organization: State Univ. of New York, Syracuse (USA). Coll. of Environmental Science and Forestry
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• OSTI ID: 6252186
• Report Number(s): COO--3474-4
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

510200 -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
560304* -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology-- Invertebrates-- (-1987)
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ANIMALS
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
ARACHNIDS
AROMATICS
ARTHROPODS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
CHLORINE 36
CHLORINE ISOTOPES
COLONY FORMATION
DATA
DATA FORMS
DDT
ELECTRON CAPTURE RADIOISOTOPES
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
GRAPHS
INFORMATION
INSECTICIDES
INVERTEBRATES
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
MASS TRANSFER
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
MICROORGANISMS
MITES
MOLLUSCS
NUCLEI
NUMERICAL DATA
ODD-ODD NUCLEI
ORGANIC CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
PESTICIDES
POLLUTION
POPULATION DYNAMICS
RADIOISOTOPES
RESPIRATION
SNAILS
SOILS
SPECIES DIVERSITY
SPECTROMETERS
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES