Effect of exposure to carbofuran on the behavior and metabolism of the Atlantic Forest lambari Deuterodon iguape (Eigenmann 1907), a native species from Brazil

Abstract

One of the major causes of aquatic biodiversity loss is the contamination of the environment by pesticides. Although there is a considerable amount of studies on the subject, there are still few that deal with the effects of carbofuran on native species in Brazil. Although carbofuran is widely used in Brazil, its action on native organisms, such as the Atlantic Forest lambari Deuterodon iguape , has not yet been studied. This work aimed to evaluate the effects of exposure to carbofuran on the fish D. iguape , considering the behavior and specific oxygen consumption and specific ammonia excretion as end points. Opercular movements, dorsal fin movements and swimming speed were analyzed as behavioral parameters. To assess specific oxygen consumption and specific ammonia excretion, fish were subjected to concentrations of 0.0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.25, and 0.5 mg/L, for 24 hours. For behavior analysis, fish remained exposed to carbofuran at concentrations: 0.0, 0.01, 0.05, 0.1 and 0.5 mg/L, in periods of 0, 2, 24 and 48 hours. The behavior was studied through filming, analyzed with the free software, Tracker 4.92 (Open Source Physics). The results showed that there was a decrease in opercular movements (-8%±2.65), in dorsal fin movements (-18.6%±2.97), as well as in swimming speed (-66.4%±1.83). There was an increase in oxygen consumption of 58.4% and ammonia excretion by 90.6% in fish exposed to the highest concentration of carbofuran. Thus, it is concluded that carbofuran altered D. iguape 's behavior, oxygen consumption and ammonia excretion. The species was sensitive to carbofuran concentrations and can be used as a bioindicator.