Impacts of the plastic additive Di-ethylhexyl phthalates on life history-traits of two cladocerans, Thermocyclops crassus and Moina dubia

Plastic pollution and plastic additive contamination in water systems could result in a variety of problems for the aquatic environment. Di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) is a prevalent plastic additive commonly detected in water environments and has numerous adverse effects on aquatic organisms. This study aimed to investigate the influences of DEHP (from 2 to 100 μg L −1 ) on (i) the life cycle, anamorphic development, and survival of the copepod Thermocyclops crassus, and (ii) the life history traits of the micro-custacean Moina dubia upon chronic exposures in the laboratory conditions. The results showed that DEHP seriously prevented the anamorphic development and reduced the survival of T. crassus larvae (77%–100 %). The survival proportion of M. dubia was strongly reduced (50 %), and its time to first reproduction was significantly shorter in the 100 μg L −1 DEHP treatment compared to the control. However, the reproductive characteristics of the M. dubia were not significantly altered in the DEHP exposures. The present study contributes to a better understanding of the toxicity of DEHP on two different and common groups of zooplankton in tropical water systems.