| Summary: | Sulfate pollution in the aquatic environment is a growing concern, particularly in brackish water ecosystems such as the Baltic Sea. Human activities have significantly increased sulfate inputs, posing potential risks to aquatic organisms. Elevated sulfate concentrations can negatively affect aquatic organisms by causing osmolarity-related toxicity. This study examined the chronic toxicity of sulfate ( SO4 2−) on juvenile Baltic isopods (Idotea balthica), a widely distributed species in the Baltic Sea coastal ecosystem. The main aim of this ecotoxicological study was to assess the impact of sulfate on survival and growth of juvenile Baltic isopods and determine the lethal concentration (LCx) and effective concentration (ECx) of sulfate. A 16-day chronic toxicity test was conducted in a controlled laboratory condition, exposing juvenile I. balthica to a range of sulfate concentrations. Survival was used to calculate LC10, LC20 and LC50 values, which were determined to be 2 884 mg/l, 3 355 mg/l and 4 216 mg/l respectively. The results showed that elevated levels of sulfate negatively affected the survival of juvenile I. balthica. Growth analysis indicated that there was no statistically significant difference in growth at lower sulfate concentrations. Furthermore, the findings suggested that I. balthica exhibited relatively high tolerance to sulfate compared to freshwater species, likely due to its osmoregulatory adaptations, including active ion transport across its pleopods. However, long-term sulfate pollution may contribute to salinity fluctuations and impact growth of I. balthica and other brackish water species with lower tolerance levels.
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