The ecotoxicological effects of two antibiotics, fenbendazole and lincomycin, were observed in the harpacticoid copepod Tigriopus japonicus s.l. collected from tidal pools in the southern coast of Korea. Fenbendazole had a significant effect on the survival rates (p<0.05), delay of copepodite emergence, and urosome size (p<0.05). Lincomycin, on the other hand, had no significant influence on these environmental indicators. However, our analysis of morphological abnormalities in T. japonicus s.l. showed that lincomycin was more effective than fenbendazole in causing deformities. The pattern of deformity was diverse, with fused segments, and loss or addition of setae in the swimming legs. All of these patterns appeared as a result of relatively low concentrations of this antibiotic (0.3, 1㎍ L?¹). We report here patterns of morphological abnormality in T.japonicus s.l. exposed to antibiotics, and suggest their possible application in ecotoxicological monitoring.
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