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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Oxford, Mississippi » National Sedimentation Laboratory » Water Quality and Ecology Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #173515

Title: ASSESSMENT OF PESTICIDE CONTAMINATION IN THREE MISSISSIPPI DELTA OXBOW LAKES USING HYALELLA AZTECA

Author
item Moore, Matthew
item Lizotte, Richard
item Knight, Scott
item Smith Jr, Sammie
item Cooper, Charles

Submitted to: Chemosphere
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/8/2006
Publication Date: 5/1/2007
Citation: Moore, M.T., Lizotte Jr, R.E., Knight, S.S., Smith Jr, S., Cooper, C.M. 2007. Assessment of pesticide contamination in three mississippi delta oxbow lakes using hyalella azteca. Chemosphere. 67(11):2184-2191.

Interpretive Summary: Pesticide contamination in three lakes located in an area of intense agricultural production within northwestern Mississippi was examined to determine what, if any, effects this would have on aquatic animals using the aquatic animal, Hyalella azteca. Water and sediment collected from each lake were found to contain up to 16 of the 17 pesticides of interest. The aquatic animal, Hyalella azteca was not affected by contaminated sediments. However, animals in contaminated water from two of the three lakes grew more slowly. Based on these results, other aquatic animals, such as fish, may more likely be affected by pesticide-contaminated water than by sediment.

Technical Abstract: Three oxbow lakes in northwestern Mississippi, USA, an area of intensive agriculture, were assessed for biological impairment from historic and current-use pesticide contamination using the amphipod, Hyalella azteca. Aqueous and sediment samples from three sites in each lake were collected from Deep Hollow, Beasley, and Thighman Lakes from September 2000 to February 2001. Samples were analyzed for 17 historic and current-use pesticides and selected metabolites. Ten-day H. azteca survival and growth (as length and dry weight) were measured to determine the degree of biological impairment. Mean number of detectable pesticides in water from Deep Hollow, Beasley and Thighman Lakes were 9, 11, and 16, respectively. Mean number of detectable pesticides in lake sediments was 16, 16, and 15, respectively. Bioassay results indicated no observable survival effects on H. azteca exposed to water or sediment from any lake examined and no growth impairment in animals exposed to lake sediments. However, growth was significantly impaired in aqueous exposures from Deep Hollow Lake (2 sites) and Beasley Lake (1 site). Relationships between growth impairment (length) and cyanazine, methyl parathion,''-cyhalothrin, chlorfenapyr, and pp' DDE aqueous concentrations in Deep Hollow Lake as well as trifluralin, atrazine, and methyl parathion in Beasley Lake were observed. Although pesticide frequency and concentrations were typically greater in sediment than water, bioassay results indicated decreased availability of these pesticides in sediment due to the presence of clay and organic carbon. Growth impairment observed in aqueous exposures was due to the complex interaction of pesticide mixtures that were present.