Rotifers in ecotoxicology: a review

In the past five years the use of rotifers in ecotoxicologial studies has substantially increased. This greater interest has been due to the central role of rotifers in freshwater planktonic communities, the ease and speed of making quantitative measurements of mortality and reproduction, their sensitivity to common pollutants, the commercial availability of cysts, and the existence of reliable, standardized protocols. The main endpoints used in ecotoxicology studies are reviewed, including mortality, reproduction, behavior, cellular biomarkers, mesocosms, and species diversity in natural populations. For each endpoint, published studies are cited, along with the compounds investigated, duration of exposure, and the LC50s, EC50s or NOECs reported. Rotifers have been included as part of a standardized mesocosm and in several large-scale, outdoor mesocosm studies. A critique of rotifer use in ecotoxicology is offered and it is concluded that the scientific basis for including rotifers as part of a battery of ecotoxicological tests is well established.