Three-dimensional analysis of the swimming behavior of Daphnia magna exposed to nanosized titanium dioxide.

ABSTRACT: Due to their surface characteristics, nanosized titanium dioxide particles (nTiO2) tend to adhere to biological surfaces and we thus hypothesize that they may alter the swimming performance and behavior of motile aquatic organisms. However, no suitable approaches to address these impairments in swimming behavior as a result of nanoparticle exposure are available. Water fleas Daphnia magna exposed to 5 and 20 mg/L nTiO2 (61 nm; polydispersity index: 0.157 in 17.46 mg/L stock suspension) for 96 h showed a significantly (p<0.05) reduced growth rate compared to a 1-mg/L treatment and the control. Using three-dimensional video observations of swimming trajectories, we observed a treatment-dependent swarming of D. magna in the center of the test vessels during the initial phase of the exposure p

SUBMITTER: Noss C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3832431 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature