Standard toxicity tests do not allow extrapolations to the
population level, mainly because these tests apply a short,
fixed exposure time and focus on a single end point
only. These limitations can be overcome by (partial) life-cycle toxicity testing, although these test results are harder
to analyze. DEBtox is an existing software tool for the
process-based analysis of standardized bioassays, and this
paper presents two extensions of this method, making it
applicable to life-cycle tests: the simultaneous assessment
of end points and the description of aging (senescence)
of the animals. We demonstrate these adaptations by
describing life-cycle tests with the springtail Folsomia
candida, exposed to cadmium and triphenyltin in their food.
The extended model is able to describe the data for all
end points simultaneously over time with few, physiologically
relevant parameters. Furthermore, the analysis reveals
these chemicals to have distinctly different modes of action:
cadmium apparently decreases the assimilation of
energy from the food whereas triphenyltin increases the
maintenance costs. The model fit allows calculation of the
intrinsic rate of population increase, integrating effects
on survival and reproduction. As the analysis is process
based, population responses under food limitation can be
explored, which depends critically on the selected
mode of action.
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