The effect of diatom-derived aldehydes on aquatic organisms.

• Main Authors: Dunstan HJ, Caldwell GS, Bentley MG
• Format: Conference Object
• Language: unknown
• Published: British Phycological Society
• Subjects: Salmo salar
• Online Access: https://eprint.ncl.ac.uk/fulltext.aspx?url=55585/A5F67157-9055-49EF-B77F-F6F7FEFCEC1A.pdf&pub_id=8106

Exposure to diatom-derived aldehydes including 2,4-decadienal has been shown to cause undesirable effects on a range of invertebrate organisms ranging from infertility and abortion to pronounced larval malformations. In this study 2,4-decadienal was assayed on Daphnia magna and Salmo salar L. Exposure led to increased physiological stress in Daphnia (as determined by monitoring heart beat rate) and reduced growth. The effect on salmon included reduced hatching success and increased incidence of morphological abnormality, providing further evidence of the teratogenic properties of decadienal. This work demonstrates that decadienal is toxic to invertebrates and vertebrates alike and may represent an important stress factor limiting the recovery of salmon populations in rivers containing aldehyde producing microalgae.