Effects of the herbicide metazachlor on phytoplankton and periphyton communities in outdoor mesocosms

Abstract

The effects of the chloroacetanilide herbicide metazachlor have been investigated in outdoor artificial mesocosms. Decreasing phytoplankton densities were caused by the application, however, the communities recovered after 30 to 35 days. Periphyton growth was found to be affected not only by the herbicide application but by the presence of species with different ability to grow on artificial substrates. Zooplankton diversity was small due to low density of ingestible algae species. Oxygen saturation was found to be correlated with the dosage levels of the herbicide in the second half of the study. © 2003 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim.