Use of the organism Daphnia magna in a multigenerational ecotoxicity test

This bachelor thesis deals with the multigenerational effect of microparticles of the biodegradable polymer polyhydroxybutyrate (P3HB) on the freshwater organism Daphnia magna. The presence of microplastics in the environment is a frequently discussed environmental problem, hence efforts are being made to develop biodegradable plastics that would degrade more easily in the environment. The most studied biopolymer P3HB, however, there is not much information on its ecotoxicity yet. In the context of this work, ecotoxicity was assessed using a multigeneration assay; in addition, the effect of P3HB microparticles was compared to that of naturally occurring particles. Multigeneration assays are not yet commonly used for ecotoxicological evaluation, but they offer a comprehensive and realistic view of the effect of the test substance on the test organisms. In this work, 4 generations of D. magna were exposed to P3HB microparticles and kaolin microparticles for comparison. The results showed no negative effect on the mortality of the organism, but a slight decrease in reproductive activity was observed