Multiple metals and agricultural use affects oxidative stress biomarkers in freshwater Aegla crabs

Abstract

Metals and agrochemicals are among the main aquatic contaminants, being able to trigger oxidative stress in exposed organisms. The objective of this work was to evaluate the correlation between the level of oxidative stress biomarkers in Aegla crabs (Crustacea, Anomura) with (i) the set of metals present in the streams sediment and (ii) with land uses of three hydrographic basins. The study was carried out in streams (≤ 2nd order) of hydrographic basins in southern Brazil (Basins of Rio Suzana, Rio Ligeirinho-Leãozinho and Rio Dourado). In these streams were quantified the land uses and Cu, Cr, Cd, Fe, Mn and Zn concentrations in the sediment. The enzymes Catalase (CAT) and Glutathione Reductase (GR), as well as the level of membrane lipid peroxidation (TBARS), were analyzed in adult females. The PCA analysis showed that the distribution of metals was different between the basins. Cd, Cr and Fe were correlated positively with CAT and negatively with TBARS and GR. The Dourado basin had the lowest concentrations of these three metals and the highest levels of TBARS. However, in Dourado basin there is predominance of agriculture land use, and TBARS was positively correlated with agricultural land use. Besides in Dourado basin, GR activity was higher than in the others basins, indicating a compensatory response in relation to CAT inhibition. The basins of Suzana and Ligeirinho-Leãozinho rivers had lower TBARS values, which may be due to the induction of CAT in response to metals accumulated in sediment. In summary, this work indicates that in the basins with a higher concentration of toxic metals there is an adaptive response of CAT induction, which reduces TBARS in Aegla. On the other hand, in the basin with lower metallic contamination, TBARS occurrence was primarily influenced by agricultural land use.

Evaluation of the use of Ancistrus brevipinnis (Loricariidae) as a bioindicator of water quality in the Ilha river, RS, Brazil

“…It is known that exposures to Cr result in changes in behavior, physiology, and morphology of exposed animals (Bakshi & Panigrahi, 2018), while complex mixtures containing this and other pollutants are associated with increased hyperplasia and hypertrophy (Mishra & Mohanty, 2008;Macedo et al, 2020), as mentioned above. The main route of entry of these elements in the environment is through anthropic activities, which generate effluents that do not receive proper treatment before returning to the natural environment (Borges et al, 2022;Munner, Alobaid, Ullah, Relman, & Erinle, 2022). This justifies the impacts on aquatic biota observed in previous studies (Fontanella et al, 2009;Rodrigues, Dalzochio, & Gehlen, 2016).…”

Toxicological insight of metiram: immuno-oxidative, neuro-behavioral, and hemato-biochemical changes during acute exposure of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)

“…Environmental pollution caused by chemical abuse poses potential risks to all levels of biological organization, including aquatic species [ 1 , 2 ]. A wide range of harmful pollutants, such as agrochemicals and pesticides have been introduced into the ecosystem through wash-off, irrigation, and drift as a result of development processes and agricultural activities [ 3 ]. Pesticides are chemicals for managing pests and boosting the output of crops.…”

Biomonitoring for Watershed Protection from a Multiscale Land-Use Perspective

“…Human activities have significantly altered freshwater ecosystems worldwide [1], affecting flow regimes, freshwater biodiversity, water quality, and water security [2][3][4][5][6]. Pollutant accumulation patterns in freshwater ecosystems are influenced by land use and land cover in the catchment areas [7]. The type and intensity of land use in the riparian zone and/or in the watershed will affect aquatic organisms differently, according to temporal and spatial scales [8,9].…”

“…The impacts are farreaching for many processes, such as nutrient cycling, food webs, streamflow, runoff, and sedimentation, affecting the aquatic biota [11,12]. In addition, the chemical compounds associated with land use can accumulate in the environment and in the tissues of living organisms [7]. Biomonitoring can thus be used at a watershed scale to evaluate diffuse pollution from different land use types [13], to assess pollution from specific activities such as industrial production or mining [14], or to monitor river conditions after environmental disasters such as the collapse of a mining dam [15] or oil spills in rivers [16].…”

“…Different biological groups are used in freshwater ecosystem biomonitoring programs due to species differences in terms of their sensitivity to pollution and response time to contamination [17]. The various assemblages used include: cyanobacteria, diatoms, and microbial communities [15,[17][18][19]; fungal communities [20]; biofilms [14]; phytoplankton [21]; algae [13]; zooplankton [16,22]; macroinvertebrates [7,23,24]; fish [25][26][27]. For example, microbial communities may respond to sudden disturbances by exhibiting resilience, enabling rapid recovery toward pre-existing ecosystem functions [15,18].…”