TRANSGENERATIONAL EFFECT OF DI ( 2-ETHYLHEXYL ) PHTHALATE ( DEHP ) EXPOSURE ON THE GROWTH AND REPRODUCTION OF MOINA MACROCOPA ( CRUSTACEA : CLADOCERA) )

Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate ( DEHP ) is extensively used in plastic, which results in DEHP to appear in numerous environmental media worldwide. There is a lack of sufficient studies on the longterm transgenerational effect of DEHP exposure on the growth and reproduction of M. . macrocopa. While non-fatal effects of DEHP exposure in M. macrocopa have been reported earlier, this study elucidates that DEHP exposure to parental water fleas had no adverse effects on offspring development or capacity for reproduction. The exposure for the parental generation through F2 progeny did not result in a concentration-dependent growing deleterious effect in subsequent generations, even with long-term exposure. These findings imply that DEHP exposure can cause oxidative stress, and that water flea (M. M. macrocopa) ) growth and reproduction were not significantly different from blank control and solvent control. The results of the present study aid in the understanding of DEHP risk assessment in aquatic systems. Moreover, the findings can be applied as baseline data to carry out future research on ecotoxicological risk assessment of DEHP.