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Abstract:
The oxygen tolerance of aquatic insect larvae with tracheal gills or comparable respiratory mechanisms can be used for bioindication of limiting minimal contents of dissolved oxygen. An analysis of the community permits the retrospective evaluation of critical values. Specific lethal oxygen concentrations and their temperature dependence are given for 22 species. Above a critical temperature, Tc, and specific LC sub(50) increases exponentially. Tc is considerably lower with cold-adapted than with warm-adapted species. The values of oxygen tolerance determined demonstrate that restriction of a species to running water is not determined by oxygen level, temperature and water flow only.
