ABSTRACT
Sublethal effects are effects occurring at concentrations or doses below those that kill individuals outright. Those most often studied are changes in an important physiological process, growth, reproduction, behavior, development, or a similar quality. Some sublethal effects have lethal consequences in an ecological context, that is, in ecosystems in which the individual must successfully compete with other species, avoid predation, find food and mates, and cope with multiple stressors. Sublethal effects on respiratory activity or respiratory organs may be determined by examining movements associated with respiratory organs. The substantial uncertainty is emphasized about whether or not such sublethal effects may result in death in an ecological arena. Conventional statistical methods used to detect, model, and predict sublethal response to toxicants were described along with the difficulties of applying the associated results to predict ecotoxicological impact or risk.
