The Effects of Sodium Arsenite and Silvex on the Plankton Populations in Farm Ponds

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Abstract
Polyethylene barriers were constructed to divide each pond into two similar areas. With this technique, replications of treatment and control plots can be made in the same pond, thereby eliminating among-pond variability. Pre-treatment sampling also was eliminated by the use of a relatively new test statistic, sequential analysis. Neither herbicide had any effect on the phytoplankton, and silvex was not toxic to zooplankton at concentrations of 2 ppm. Applications of 4 ppm sodium arsenlte produced drastic reductions in zooplankton. Differences between areas treated with sodium arsenite and control (untreated) areas ranged from 1 to 2 order of magnitude for rotifers and from 7-fold to 1 order of magnitude for copepods and cladocerans. Comparisons of control with control and control with a silvex-treated area did not show such differences.

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