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Effects of Malathion on Microorganisms of an Artificial Salt-Marsh Environment¹

ABSTRACT

Laboratory salt-marsh environments were treated with malathion, an organophosphate insecticide, and aerobic heterotrophic bacteria were monitored to determine changes in their microbial ecology. Several physiological activities were assayed in both treated and untreated controls; however, no reliable trends in numbers of these microorganisms were detected. On the other hand, populations of malathion sole-carbon-degrading bacteria increased significantly with increasing treatment levels and in the sediments with repeated treatment. Malathion cometabolizing bacteria increased significantly over the control systems in the water column with increasing treatment levels. Although numbers of malathion-degrading bacteria increased with higher treatment levels or frequency of treatment, these changes had no effect on the total numbers of bacteria from the water or sediment. When an organochlorine insecticide, mirex, was used to treat the ecosystems, essentially no changes in the bacterial populations were detected.

Key Words: microbial-pesticide interaction • degradation • effects of pesticides • microbial activities • mirex

¹ Contribution no. 312, Environ. Res. Lab., Gulf Breeze, Fla.

² Microbiologist, U. S. Environ. Prot. Agency, ERL, Gulf Breeze, FL 32561.

Received for publication December 28, 1976.