The short-term effects of crude oil on the survival of different size-classes of cladoceran Daphnia magna (Straus, 1820)

SummaryWe studied the acute effects of crude oil on the size-class population structure of the cladoceran Daphnia magna. D. magna were tested in three size-classes: small (1.4 mm, SE = 0.013), medium (2.5 mm, SE = 0.026), and large (3.1 mm, SE = 0.022) with six concentrations of crude oil (10, 50, 100, 400, 600, and 1700 mg L−1). The most important results of our experiment were as follows: (1) Crude oil had no significantly effect on D. magna below concentration 100 mg L−1. (2) An increasing crude oil concentration above 100 mg L−1 sharply decreased the survival of D. magna, (3) and survival varied among size classes. Being in contact with the concentration of 400 mg L−1 and above, all cladoceran specimens died after 96 h.