Effects of aldicarb on two microcrustaceans

Aldicarb is a widely-used pesticide in the United States because it is both
effective against a wide range of agricultural antagonists and because, under
most conditions, it is unstable and does not persist in the environment in an
active form. However, it has recently been detected in groundwater (Zaki et
al., 1982), resulting in concern that it may find its way into the coastal
ecosystem. Landau and Tucker (in press) have shown it is more toxic to
embryonic and juvenile estuarine fish than to freshwater species. It was the
goal of the research reported here to assess aldicarb's toxicity to two marine
crustacean zooplanktors.
The organisms chosen for this test were the cysts (eggs) of the brine
shrimp, Artemia salina, and adult copepods, Tigriopus spp. The brine shrimp were of the San Francisco Bay strain.