Great Barrier Reef research from 2016 and 2017 measures the effects of three insecticides and two fungicides on larval metamorphosis in the coral Acropora tenuis. The dataset includes concentration-response curves and estimated no-effect and effect concentrations (NEC, EC10, EC50). The work was conducted by the Australian Institute of Marine Science to inform water quality guidelines.
Use Cases
- Modeling pesticide toxicity thresholds based on no-effect concentration (NEC) and effect concentration (ECx) values.
- Assessing ecological risk to coral reefs from agricultural runoff based on specific pesticide toxicity data.
- Comparing the relative toxicity of insecticides (diazinon, fipronil, imidacloprid) and fungicides (chlorothalonil, propiconazole) to coral larvae.
- Informing regulatory water quality guidelines for the Great Barrier Reef catchment based on experimental bioassay results.
Strengths
- Experimental data covers five specific pesticides detected in the Great Barrier Reef region.
- Concentration ranges for each pesticide are explicitly defined (e.g., diazinon 2.62 – 638 µg l-1).
- Data collection occurred over two field seasons in November 2016 and November 2017.
- Larvae were sourced from specific reef locations (Trunk Reef and Falcon Island) and cultured under controlled conditions.
Limitations
- Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
- Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
- Data may reflect geographic/temporal bias inherent to data_gov_au, focusing on two specific reefs and time periods.
Provenance
- Source
- Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) under the NESP TWQ 3.1.5 project.
- Collection Method
- Static laboratory exposures of coral larvae to pesticides, with settlement assays and concentration-response analysis.
- Time Range
- 2016-2017
- Freshness
- Last updated 2026-07-10 21:33:50.806231; freshness should be verified
- Geography
- Great Barrier Reef, Australia (specifically Trunk Reef and Falcon Island collection sites).