Video image processing of Daphnia magna Straus (Cladocera, Crustacea) as a basis for automated biotesting methods

Abstract

Computer processing of a video sequence with test organisms is a promising direction in the development of biotesting, as the throughput of methods per unit time increases significantly and several test reactions are taken into account simultaneously. The aim of the work is to develop and test an automated method for considering a complex of D. magna test functions for further assessment of the toxicity of aquatic environments. Videos with D. magna were processed using the Python programming language and the OpenCV computer vision library. The developed algorithm makes it possible to detect D. magna individuals of different ages, to determine their linear dimensions, velocities and accelerations. This functionality, applied to model groups of D. magna, makes it possible to assess the acute toxicity (by lethal and sublethal effects) and chronic toxicity of samples (by the number of juveniles born and their physiological reactions).