Rotifer Sensitivity: Pollution's Impact On Rotifer Ecology

Rotifers are small, simple, genetically homozygous, and easy to cultivate, playing an important role in the transportation of aquatic pollutants across the food web. They are widely distributed in freshwaters, estuaries, and coasts. Their high species diversity means that they contain both pollution-tolerant and pollution-sensitive taxa and individuals. Brachionus calyciflorus, one of the most widely studied rotifer species, has been observed to have impaired swimming performance, feeding rate, body growth, and survival in response to copper pollution. Rotifers are also used in toxicity screening and are important model organisms for ecophysiology, ecotoxicology, and environmental genomics.

Rotifers are used as models in toxicity screening

Rotifers are small, simple, genetically homozygous, and easy to cultivate. They are widely distributed and ecologically important in freshwater, estuaries, and coasts, and they play a significant role in transporting aquatic pollutants across the food web. Their sensitivity to some substances is higher than that of cladocerans and algae. Rotifers are also important secondary producers, and in some freshwater ecosystems, they represent the larger fraction of zooplankton biomass.

Rotifers are now considered model organisms for toxicological screening. They are used to determine the effects of toxic compounds in organisms that play a central role in aquatic communities. Their short life cycles, rapid reproduction, small size, and the minimal volume required for culture and toxicity assays make them attractive for ecotoxicological studies. The main endpoints used in ecotoxicological studies are mortality, reproduction, behaviour, and biomarkers.

The high diversity of rotifers is an important consideration in toxicity screening as it can modify their relative susceptibility to toxicants. For example, brachionid rotifers have been used to investigate the effects of common pollutants on the behaviour, morphology, and life history of isolated individuals or small populations. Copper has been found to impair swimming performance, feeding rate, body growth, and demographic parameters such as survival and fecundity.

In addition, rotifers can be used to determine sublethal effects, such as abnormal body shapes in B. calyciflorus after vinclozolin exposure, demonstrating that this pesticide acts as an endocrine disruptor. Rotifers are also useful tools in the risk assessment of pharmaceuticals and their metabolites that find their way into aquatic ecosystems.

Rotifer sensitivity varies depending on their life stage

Rotifers are small, genetically homogenous organisms that are widely distributed in freshwaters, estuaries, and coasts. They are an important link in the transportation of aquatic pollutants across the food web. Rotifers are also used as model organisms in ecotoxicology to study the effects of toxic compounds on organisms that play a central role in aquatic communities.

Rotifer sensitivity to pollution varies depending on their life stage. For instance, in a study on the effects of increasing copper pollution on rotifers, it was found that juvenile survival declined with increasing copper pollution, and population fitness was sensitive to that decline. This is because individuals in the juvenile stage are unable to escape pollution and must respond quickly via phenotypic plasticity, while populations may respond more slowly via genetic change. However, the rate of genetic change is often outpaced by the rate of anthropogenic pollution, so the fate of populations may depend largely on the individual's plastic response.

In another study, rotifers from a polluted lake were found to have a smaller body size compared to those from an unpolluted lake. The rotifers from the polluted lake laid bigger eggs, which resulted in newborns that were more resistant to pollution. This suggests that pollution can affect the morphological differentiation and evolution of rotifers, with phenotypic plasticity playing an important role in their spatial and temporal distribution.

The sensitivity of rotifers to pollution can also vary depending on their species and size. For example, larger rotifer species are more sensitive to chemicals than smaller ones, as larger organisms require more energy to resist environmental stresses. Additionally, the high diversity of rotifers can modify their relative susceptibility to toxicants, and more studies are needed to understand the mechanisms involved in clonal variation, sensitivity, and development.

Overall, rotifers are important organisms for studying the effects of pollution on aquatic ecosystems, and their sensitivity to pollution can vary depending on their life stage, species, size, and other factors.

Rotifers are affected by both natural and anthropogenic pollution

Rotifers are tiny aquatic invertebrates that are widely distributed in freshwaters, estuaries, and coasts. They are an important link in the transportation of aquatic pollutants across the food web. Due to their ecological importance, rotifers are often used in ecotoxicology studies to understand the impact of environmental contaminants on aquatic ecosystems.

Anthropogenic pollution, such as copper pollution, has been shown to impair swimming performance, feeding rate, body growth, and survival in rotifers. Studies have also investigated the effects of other pollutants like coal ash, which has resulted in smaller body sizes in rotifers. Additionally, rotifers have been found to contribute to the fragmentation of microplastics, potentially leading to an increase in nanoplastic pollution in aquatic ecosystems.

The high diversity of rotifers means that some species are more sensitive to pollution than others. Larger species tend to be more susceptible to chemicals, as they require more energy to resist environmental stresses. Brachionus calyciflorus, a widely studied rotifer species, has been used to investigate the effects of common pollutants on behaviour, morphology, and life history.

Overall, rotifers play a crucial role in understanding the impact of pollution on aquatic ecosystems. Their small size, short life cycles, rapid reproduction, and sensitivity to pollutants make them attractive organisms for ecotoxicological studies. By studying rotifer responses to natural and anthropogenic pollution, we can gain insights into the ecological processes and potential risks associated with different pollutants.

Rotifer size is influenced by pollution and predation

Rotifers are small, simple, and genetically homozygous invertebrates that play an important role in aquatic ecosystems. They are widely distributed in freshwater, estuaries, and coastal regions, and they also contribute to the transportation of aquatic pollutants across the food web. Due to their ecological significance, short life cycles, rapid reproduction, and small size, rotifers are commonly used as model organisms in ecotoxicology studies.

One of the most widely studied rotifer species is Brachionus calyciflorus, which has been used to investigate the effects of common pollutants on behavior, morphology, and life history. Studies have found that copper pollution, for example, can impair swimming performance, feeding rate, body growth, and survival in this species. Additionally, UV-B exposure can increase the acute toxicity of certain pollutants, such as pentachlorophenol and mercury.

The size of rotifers can indeed be influenced by both pollution and predation. In a study examining the effects of predation pressure and coal ash pollution on rotifer morphology, it was found that rotifers from habitats with high predation pressure evolved a stable long posterior lateral spine and a relatively small body size. Additionally, rotifers collected from polluted habitats tended to have a smaller body size compared to those from ordinary habitats.

In another study, rotifers from a highly polluted lake with limited food availability were found to have larger body sizes, possibly as a strategy to resist starvation and pollution. This relationship between food availability and body size was further supported by findings that Brachionus angularis showed enlarged body size with increasing food levels. Additionally, bigger eggs were laid by rotifers in polluted areas or lakes with high predation pressure, resulting in more resistant and smaller newborns.

Overall, it is clear that rotifer size is influenced by a combination of factors, including pollution levels, predation pressure, and food availability. Their small size, ecological importance, and sensitivity to pollutants make rotifers valuable model organisms for studying the impacts of environmental contaminants in aquatic ecosystems.

Rotifers contribute to global nanoplastic pollution

Rotifers are small, simple, genetically homozygous, and easy to cultivate. They are widely distributed and ecologically important in freshwaters, estuaries, and coasts. They also play a significant role in transporting aquatic pollutants across the food web.

Rotifers are used as important invertebrate aquatic model organisms for ecophysiology, ecotoxicology, and environmental genomics. They are attractive organisms for ecotoxicological studies due to their short life cycles, rapid reproduction, small size, and the minimal volume needed for culture and toxicity assays.

Rotifers are sensitive to pollution. Studies have shown that copper pollution impairs the swimming performance, feeding rate, body growth, and survival of rotifers, impacting their population growth. Rotifers are also sensitive to UV-B exposure, which increases the toxicity of certain chemicals to them.

Rotifers have been found to contribute to global nanoplastic pollution through the biological fragmentation of microplastics. Rotifers, a type of microscopic zooplankton found in both freshwater and ocean environments, chew up plastics, breaking them down into dangerous micro- and nanoplastic particles. The trophi or jaws of the rotifer's chitinous masticatory apparatus can grind microplastics, independent of polymer composition, and generate particulate nanoplastics. This process may accelerate the nanoplastic flux in global surface waters.

Marine and freshwater rotifers have been found to generate a significant number of sub-micrometre particles per rotifer per day from photo-aged microplastics. This contributes to the ubiquitous occurrence of microplastic fragmentation by different rotifer species in natural aquatic environments, leading to an increased presence of nanoplastics in global surface waters.

Frequently asked questions