Aluminum Bioaccumulation and Toxicity toDaphnia magnain Soft Water at Low pH

Abstract

Aluminum may be either harmful or beneficial to Daphnia magna (Straus) depending on pH and on the Al concentration in the water. My results are based on laboratory experiments conducted at various concentrations of total Al (0.02–1.02 mg/L) in soft water (2.5 and 12.5 mg Ca/L) adjusted from pH 6.5 to 4.5. Maximum Al toxicity and maximum Al bioaccumulation were observed at pH 6.5 (at and above 0.32 mg total Al/L). At lower pHs ([Formula: see text]), H+was toxic to D. magna. Aluminum (1.02 mg/L) temporarily ameliorated H+toxicity at pH 4.5. Calcium reduced H+toxicity at pH 5.0 and Al toxicity at pH 6.5. Mortality in the presence of Al and also at low pH was associated with a net loss of Na and Cl from the daphnids. The Ca content of the daphnids was highly variable and showed no consistent pattern apart from a negative correlation with the Al content of the daphnids at pH 5.0 and 5.5. The 24-h bioconcentration ratio for Al was 10 000 at pH 6.5,4000 at pH 5.0, and negligible at pH 4.5. The rapid uptake of Al, particularly at circumneutral pHs, may be an additional source of Al for zooplanktivorous fish and other predators.