Research Product

The objective of the research summarized herein was to provide information necessary to determine appropriate responses for assessing the long-term effects of various classes of pesticides on estuarine crustacean populations. Dose-response relationships of pesticide toxicity and individual physiological functions were examined and compared for various life stages of estuarine mysids (Mysidopsis bahia), grass shrimp (Palaemonetes pugio), and mud crabs (Eurypanopeus depressus). Correlations between physiological dysfunction of discrete life stages and alterations in the ecological fitness of the population should aid in the selection of sensitive, rapid, and inexpensive monitoring tools for predicting chronic effects of pesticides on pesticide-sensitive estuarine populations.