ABSTRACT
The development of quantitative ecological assessment methods started with the early studies of the effects of pesticides on wildlife, of chemicals in surface water on aquatic life. The nutritional demands of egg formation are met by the inclusion of high quantities of aquatic macroinvertebrates in the diet of laying hens. The increased nutritional demand during the reproductive phase of the duck life cycle has critically linked breeding pairs, small ducklings to the protein-rich macroinvertebrate food resources of the aquatic habitat. Major sources of contamination are expected to be direct overspray, drift droplet deposition from target swaths close to the slough. The availability of appropriate data sets for application of the integrated median lethal exposure model is limited, particularly for macroinvertebrate species important to the feeding of ducklings and laying hens. The data discussed earlier established that duckling growth in natural habitats during the initial 2 wk for species is highly dependent on protein provided by the consumption of aquatic macroinvertebrates.
