Ecology 5th Edition by Manuel Molles

Exercise 22

In our discussions of the research of Baird, Soares, and their colleagues (Baird, Barber, Calow 1990, Soares, Baird, Calow 1992), we focused on the effects of a residue of an organic pesticide, dichloroaniline (DCA), on the per capita rate of increase, r , of D. magna. These researchers also found that the r of D. magna responds significantly to a variety of inorganic pollutants. What do these results indicate about the usefulness of r as an indicator of the ecological impact of potential pollutants?