(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2020-05)
Park, Nancy
This study is the first inquiry into the suitability of the rotifer Proales similis as a test
animal for researchers studying marine pollution. It also introduces a novel toxicity test based on
inhibition of hatching rates of P. similis diapausing embryos. We exposed P. similis to various
concentrations of cadmium, copper, and mercury and then quantified effects on survival,
hatching, reproduction, and ingestion. We found that mortality and cyst hatching endpoints were
more robust to heavy metal toxicity than reproduction or ingestion. Overall, we confirmed that P.
similis is a suitable tool for convenient and quick ecotoxicology assessments, and we established
cyst inhibition as a novel, reliable endpoint for observing effects of toxicity on rotifer
populations.