Ref ID : 1973
S.S.S. Sarma, S. Nandini, and M.A. Fernandez Araiza; Effect of methyl parathion-treated prey (Brachionus calyciflorus) on the population growth of the predator Asplanchna sieboldi (Rotifera). Bull.Environ.Contam.Toxicol. 61:135-142, 1998
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The use of pesticides in combating pests in agriculture has increased tremendously in the last two decades in Mexico. At present, methyl parathion is one of the widely used chemicals for controlling insect pests in agricultural and domestic environments. A substantial portion of the pesticides applied in agricultural fields is known to reach freshwater bodies including rivers, ponds and lakes as run-offs (Kadlec & Benson 1995). Although some information is available on the role of methyl parathion in affecting non-target organisms (Little et al. 1990), its effect on zooplankton, particularly rotifers, is not well-known (Fernandez-Casalderrey et al. 1995). Rotifers of the genus Brachionus are widely used for assessment of water pollution (Rao & Sarma 1986). The species B. calyciflorus is used as standard bioassay organism in experiments aimed at deriving water pollution standards by the American Society of Testing and Materials (Snell & Janssen 1995). Methyl parathion has been earlier shown to be toxic to the populations of B. calyciflorus (Fernandez-Casalderrey et al. 1992). The aim of this study was to understand the effect of methyl parathion on the population growth of a predatory rotifer (Asplanchna) when supplied through its prey (Brachionus calyciflorus).