Although the possibility of adverse effects of materials on organisms was recognized earlier, not until the 1940s or 1950s short-term acute tests with fishes were being studied. The fishes have become the most popular test organism because the effects of toxic substances in streams have been most evident on the fishes. Many other organisms bearing the important role in the environment live in the waters and began to be used in the toxicological research. Nowadays such great variety of test methods and organisms make the selection of the suitable toxicity test difficult. One or two species of test organisms only are often applied in the determination of the toxic substances or wastewaters. The toxicity test with daphnids is widely used due to its sensitivity to the great part of toxic substances. The purpose of our research was to determine the toxicity of phenol to some aquatic organisms from the group of bacteria, algae, crustacea and fishes, and to determine the most sensitive kind. Test organisms have been selected from three basic groups in the food chain (bacteria - decomposers, algae - producers and crustacea, fish - consumers). Phenol, an organic degradable substance that is a frequent contaminant in wastewaters, hasmore » been chosen for the test substance. 29 refs., 3 tabs.« less