Experimental ditches were teated with Dursban®4E at nominal concentrations of 0, 0.1, 0.9, 6, and 44 μg/L of the active ingredient chlorpyrifos. Continuous oxygen, pH, and temperature measurements were made to determine the ecosystem metabolism. In addition, alkalinity and conductivity were determined weekly. Oxygen concentrations and pH were elevated at the highest treatment level. The “dissolved oxygen-pH-alkalinity-conductivity syndrome” was analyzed with the multivariate ordination technique “redundancy analysis” and indicated a temporary effect of chlorpyrifos. Whole-system gross primary production and oxygen consumption were both lowered in relation to the treatment, with oxygen consumption showing the most prominent decrease. These effects are explained as a decrease in decomposition after the arthropods are killed. The effect of chlorpyrifos on the ecosystem metabolism is slight. The influence of the state of the ecosystem on the response of ecosystem functions to insecticide treatment is also discussed.
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Kersting et al. (1997) studied this question.
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