Neurotoxicity of organophosphate pesticides could reduce the ability of fish to escape predation under low doses of exposure.
Sci Rep
; 9(1): 10530, 2019 07 19.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-31324839
ABSTRACT
Biomarkers are frequently used in ecotoxicology as they allow to study toxicant effects happening at low concentrations of exposure. However, most sublethal studies only evaluate cellular biomarkers which lack evident ecological relevance. We used a multibiomarker approach to estimate the toxic effects of ethoprophos, an organophosphate insecticide commonly used in banana plantations, on the tropical fish Astyanax aeneus (Characidae). We measured biomarkers at sub-individual (cellular) and individual (metabolism, behavior) levels and examined relationships among these responses. A sublethal exposure to ethoprophos caused a significant (54%) reduction of brain Cholinesterase (ChE) activity, reflecting the pesticide's high neurotoxicity. However, other biomarkers like oxidative stress, biotransformation reactions, and resting metabolic rate were not affected. Exposure to ethoprophos modified antipredator behaviors such as escape response and detection avoidance (light/dark preference) exposed fish escaped slower from a simulated attack and preferred brighter areas in a novel tank. The relationship between ChE activity and reaction time suggests that pesticide-induced ChE inhibition reduces escape ability in fish. Our results provide evidence that impacts of organophosphate pesticides on fish ecological fitness can occur even with short exposures at very low concentrations.
Texto completo:
1
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Compostos Organotiofosforados
/
Organofosfatos
/
Comportamento Predatório
/
Poluentes Químicos da Água
/
Resíduos de Praguicidas
/
Reação de Fuga
/
Characidae
/
Inseticidas
Limite:
Animals
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Sci Rep
Ano de publicação:
2019
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Costa Rica