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Boric acid as reference substance for ecotoxicity tests in tropical artificial soil

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Abstract

Reference substances are recommended to evaluate the quality of laboratory test species and the reliability of ecotoxicity data. Boric acid (BA) has been recommended as reference substance in some standardized tests in OECD soil, but no data are available for Tropical Artificial Soil (TAS). For this purpose, avoidance tests with Eisenia andrei, lethality tests with E. andrei and Folsomia candida, and reproduction tests with E. andrei, Enchytraeus crypticus and F. candida were carried out in TAS (5% organic matter), following ISO guidelines, and compared between two laboratories. Collembolans were more sensitive than earthworms in lethality tests (LC50 = 342 and > 1000 mg kg−1, respectively). For both laboratories, the EC50 values were similar for reproduction of oligochaeta species (165 mg kg−1 for E. crypticus; 242 and 281 mg kg−1 for E. andrei), but significantly different for reproduction of F. candida (96 and 198 mg kg−1). Present results suggest that boric acid could replace the current pesticides recommended by ISO guidelines as reference substances on reproduction tests with soil invertebrates in TAS. Concerning avoidance tests, additional investigations should be performed with other substances that cause no neurotoxic effects on soil organisms.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the financial support of the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) by the financial support (Project CNPq Universal 454842/2014-7) and Brazilian Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES) by doctoral fellowship. The authors would like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments that greatly contributed to improving the final version of the paper.

Funding

This study was funded by Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), Project CNPq Universal 454842/2014-7 for Julia Niemeyer; and Brazilian Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES) by a doctoral fellowship for Letícia Scopel Camargo Carniel.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Programa de Pós Graduação em Ecossistemas Agrícolas e Naturais (PPGEAN), Federal University of Santa Catarina, 89520-000, Curitibanos, SC, Brazil

    Júlia Carina Niemeyer & Fernanda Benedet de Santo

  2. Federal University of Santa Catarina, 89520-000, Curitibanos, SC, Brazil

    Júlia Carina Niemeyer & Mayrine Silva

  3. Santa Catarina State University (UDESC), College of Agriculture and Veterinary (CAV), 88520-000, Lages, SC, Brazil

    Letícia Scopel Camargo Carniel & Osmar Klauberg-Filho

Authors
  1. Júlia Carina Niemeyer
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  2. Letícia Scopel Camargo Carniel
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  3. Fernanda Benedet de Santo
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  4. Mayrine Silva
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  5. Osmar Klauberg-Filho
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Correspondence to Júlia Carina Niemeyer.

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Niemeyer, J.C., Carniel, L.S.C., de Santo, F.B. et al. Boric acid as reference substance for ecotoxicity tests in tropical artificial soil. Ecotoxicology 27, 395–401 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10646-018-1915-7

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