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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Oxford, Mississippi » National Sedimentation Laboratory » Water Quality and Ecology Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #196941
Title: ACUTE LETHAL CONCENTRATIONS OF CAFFEINE ON NON-TARGET FRESHWATER ORGANISMS

Author
item GUERRA, BERNADETTE - VA COMMONWEALTH UNIV
item FARRIS, JERRY - ARKANSAS STATE UNIV
item Moore, Matthew
item ENGER-LUSTER, NICKI - ARKANSAS STATE UNIV

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/5/2006
Publication Date: 7/14/2006
Citation: Guerra, B., Farris, J.L., Moore, M.T., Enger-Luster, N. Acute lethal concentrations of caffeine on non-target freshwater organisms. Meeting Abstract. 4th Annual Undergraduate Research Conference of the Colonial Academic Alliance. 2006

Interpretive Summary: Abstract only. Interpretive summary not required.

Technical Abstract: Despite the recent detection of caffeine in US streams, studies investigating caffeine's toxic effects on non-target freshwater organisms lack acute data for several standard surrogate species and chronic data for any freshwater species. The present study describes the mortality rate at different concentrations of caffeine for three freshwater species: Ceriodaphnia dubia, Pimephales promelas, and Chironomus tentans. Organisms were exposed to aqueous caffeine solutions for 48 hours under a static system. Relative sensitivities were indicated by LC50s, with C. dubia the most sensitive species (LC50 = 0.06 g/L), P. promelas of intermediate sensitivity (LC50 = 0.10 g/L), and C. tentans the least sensitive species (LC50 = 1.23 g/L). P. promelas larvae exhibited a body kinking at concentrations greater than 0.02 g/L. To our knowledge, these results represent the first description of the effects of caffeine on C. dubia, C. tentans, and the larval form of P. promelas. These results provide interspecific comparisons of sensitivity to caffeine exposures, and groundwork for future chronic toxicity testing with these and other reference test species used in assessing chemicals of prevalent use.