Chronic Reproduction Test with Daphnids (external lab)

Test organism

  • Ceriodaphnia dubia
  • Water Flea (Daphnia magna)

Test principle

  • Pollutants can have a detrimental effect on the offspring production of daphnids.
  • The effects of environmental pollutants on the reproduction of daphnids are investigated in a chronic test during 7/8 and/or 21 days.
  • For this purpose, adult daphnids are exposed to a medium contaminated with environmental pollutants or to environmental samples and the number of offspring after a defined period of time is determined.
  • An increased or reduced reproduction rate can be determined by comparing the number of offspring in controls with that of exposed animals.

Analysed parameters (impact)

  • Effects on the population growth/number of offspring (reproduction toxicity)
  • Mortality of parent animals

Test duration

  • 7 days and/or 8 days (C. dubia)
  • 21 days (D. magna)

Relevance

  • Component of zooplankton in standing water bodies feeding on algae and representing the basic food resource for fish
  • Standard test organism for determining the chronic ecotoxicity of chemicals and water samples

Guidelines and literature

  • International Organization for Standardization (2008) Water quality -- Determination of chronic toxicity to Ceriodaphnia dubia. ISO 20665:2008. 21 p.
  • Association Française de Normalisation (2000). AFNOR NF T 90-376, Water quality—determination of chronic toxicity to Ceriodaphnia dubia in 7 days. Population growth inhibition test.
  • OECD (2004). Guideline for the testing of chemicals 211, Daphnia magna Reproduction Test.