Toxicities of diuron and irgarol on the hatchability and early stage development of Artemia salina

Booster biocides are widely used in antifouling paints as bioactive agents against fouling organisms. In previously published reports, acute toxicity tests on Artemia sauna (Linnaeus, 1758) were only focused on a part of the life cycle of the organism. The aim of this study was to investigate the toxicities of diuron and irgarol on the hatching stage of A. salina. According to the results, diuron significantly decreased the hatching percentage of A. sauna cysts and prevented the hatching of larvae. The EC50 value for diuron was found as 12.01 mg/L. On the other hand, irgarol had no effect on the hatching percentage and did not change the morphology of larvae. Molecular docking experiments showed that diuron could be a potential hatching enzyme inhibitor. In conclusion, toxicities of booster biocides should be tested not only on active nauplii but also at their hatching stage since diuron significantly decreased the hatching percentage of A. sauna in the present study.