Rank Ordering of Species Sensitivities to Chemicals: Discrepancies between Behavioral and Lethal Responses in Freshwater and Marine Invertebrates

Fuente: arXiv
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Autores principales: Mocq, Julien, Ruck, George, Demortier, Michaël, Brun, Flavie, Coulaud, Romain, Geffard, Olivier, Chaumot, Arnaud
Formato: Preprint
Publicado: 2025
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author Mocq, Julien
Ruck, George
Demortier, Michaël
Brun, Flavie
Coulaud, Romain
Geffard, Olivier
Chaumot, Arnaud
author_facet Mocq, Julien
Ruck, George
Demortier, Michaël
Brun, Flavie
Coulaud, Romain
Geffard, Olivier
Chaumot, Arnaud
contents Locomotor behavioural responses are increasingly recognized as sensitive and ecologically relevant indicators for assessing aquatic organism exposure to contaminants. They often occur at concentrations lower than those causing physiological damage, yet their consequences for organisms' fitness and population dynamics remain unclear. Moreover, it is still uncertain how these behavioural endpoints align with traditional toxicological apical endpoints used to assess species sensitivities in risk assessment. This study evaluates the correlation between thresholds triggering locomotor reactions with LC50 values across 19 freshwater and 12 marine invertebrate species exposed to the insecticide imidacloprid and the metal copper. Behavioural responses were measured via videotracking during pulse exposure assays, while 96h acute tests provided species-specific LC50 values for copper. Results reveal strong discrepancies: some highly sensitive species showed no locomotor changes, whereas others tolerant to lethality displayed strong movement responses. For instance, freshwater annelids and gastropods responded markedly to imidacloprid, while marine shrimps exhibited hyperactivity under low copper levels. These findings indicate that relying solely on lethality-based data may underestimate the fraction of species affected by contamination. Integrating behavioural endpoints into population risk assessment frameworks is therefore crucial to better protect aquatic biodiversity.
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publishDate 2025
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spellingShingle Rank Ordering of Species Sensitivities to Chemicals: Discrepancies between Behavioral and Lethal Responses in Freshwater and Marine Invertebrates
Mocq, Julien
Ruck, George
Demortier, Michaël
Brun, Flavie
Coulaud, Romain
Geffard, Olivier
Chaumot, Arnaud
Quantitative Methods
Locomotor behavioural responses are increasingly recognized as sensitive and ecologically relevant indicators for assessing aquatic organism exposure to contaminants. They often occur at concentrations lower than those causing physiological damage, yet their consequences for organisms' fitness and population dynamics remain unclear. Moreover, it is still uncertain how these behavioural endpoints align with traditional toxicological apical endpoints used to assess species sensitivities in risk assessment. This study evaluates the correlation between thresholds triggering locomotor reactions with LC50 values across 19 freshwater and 12 marine invertebrate species exposed to the insecticide imidacloprid and the metal copper. Behavioural responses were measured via videotracking during pulse exposure assays, while 96h acute tests provided species-specific LC50 values for copper. Results reveal strong discrepancies: some highly sensitive species showed no locomotor changes, whereas others tolerant to lethality displayed strong movement responses. For instance, freshwater annelids and gastropods responded markedly to imidacloprid, while marine shrimps exhibited hyperactivity under low copper levels. These findings indicate that relying solely on lethality-based data may underestimate the fraction of species affected by contamination. Integrating behavioural endpoints into population risk assessment frameworks is therefore crucial to better protect aquatic biodiversity.
title Rank Ordering of Species Sensitivities to Chemicals: Discrepancies between Behavioral and Lethal Responses in Freshwater and Marine Invertebrates
topic Quantitative Methods
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.18225