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Evaluating the sub-lethal toxicity of PFOS and PFOA using rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus
Lilan Zhang1, Junfeng Niu, Yang Li
1State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, PR China.
Abstract:
The acute and chronic effects of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) on the rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus (B. calyciflorus) were investigated at the organismal and the population level. The acute toxicity of PFOS to rotifers was approximately 2.5-fold greater than that of PFOA. From 0.25 to 2.0 mg L(-1), PFOS exhibited higher toxicity than PFOA on the F0-generation of B. calyciflorus, including effects on body size, juvenile periods, net reproductive rate, and generation time. Both PFOS and PFOA exposure induced a smaller egg size in B. calyciflorus, suggesting that these risks can be transferred from mother to offspring. The 28-day population growth studies showed that PFOS and PFOA reduced the population density and increased the mictic ratio. Our results demonstrated that both PFOS and PFOA had adverse effects on B. calyciflorus, not only at the individual level but also at the population level.

