A novel approach to assessing environmental disturbance based on habitat selection by zebra fish as a model organism

Araújo, Cristiano V.M.; Griffith, Daniel M.; Vera-Vera, Victoria C.; Jentzsch, Paul Vargas; Cervera, Laura; Nieto-Ariza, Beatriz; Salvatierra, David; Erazo, Santiago; Jaramillo, Rusbel; Ramos, Luis A.; Moreira‐Santos, Matilde; Ribeiro, Rui

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.11.170

Cited by 14 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…The connectivity that exists between habitats with different characteristics is an important factor in terms of population dynamics: such connectivity provides organisms with different conditions and resources. Using a nonforced, multicompartmented exposure system, the preference/avoidance responses of zebrafish to 2 connected Ecuadorian rivers with different levels of disturbance was assessed in the laboratory (Araújo et al ). It was observed that organisms tended to move from the most disturbed river toward the less disturbed one.…”

Section: Integrating Ecological Concepts To Improve Erasmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial avoidance as a response to contamination by aquatic organisms in nonforced, multicompartmented exposure systems: A complementary approach to the behavioral response

Araújo¹,

Blasco²

2018

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

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The idea that the hazard of contaminants is exclusively related to their toxic effects does not consider the fact that some organisms can avoid contamination, preventing toxicity. Although inferences about avoidance are made in most behavioral ecotoxicology studies, assessment of the real spatial displacement (organisms moving toward another habitat to escape contamination) is difficult due to the type of exposure (confined and mandatory) used in the bioassays: a forced exposure approach. A complementary approach using nonforced exposure systems to assess how contaminants affect the spatial distribution of organisms in a bicompartmented (toxic or nontoxic) environment has long been described. Recently, this nonforced approach has been developed to include a multi compartmented system in which different samples can be simultaneously tested. The aim of the present review was to describe the importance of the nonforced, multicompartmented exposure approach to simulate a gradient or patches of contamination, to describe the 2 main exposure systems, and to highlight the ecological relevance of including spatial avoidance and habitat preference in ecotoxicological studies. The multicompartmentalization of the system makes it possible to simulate more complex scenarios and therefore include new ecological concepts in bioassays. We also contrasted spatial avoidance in the nonforced exposure systems with the behavioral endpoints measured under other exposure systems. Finally, we showed that the nonforced, multicompartmented exposure approach makes it possible 1) to improve environmental risk assessments by adding the dispersion pattern of organisms in a multihabitat scenario, and 2) to integrate ecological concepts such as recolonization of recovering habitats, loss of habitat connectivity, habitat fragmentation, and contamination-driven metapopulation, which have received limited attention in ecotoxicological studies. Environ Toxicol Chem 2019;38:312-320. C 2018 SETAC

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Section: Integrating Ecological Concepts To Improve Erasmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial avoidance as a response to contamination by aquatic organisms in nonforced, multicompartmented exposure systems: A complementary approach to the behavioral response

Araújo¹,

Blasco²

2018

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

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“…This behavior validates the avoidance tests because it indicates that there is no other environmental factor (associated either to the laboratory conditions, to the exposure system, or to the shrimps' behavior) influencing habitat selection by the shrimps. Previous studies using nonforced exposure systems with different organisms, such as shrimps, tadpoles, and fish, have also shown that organisms presented a random distribution with no preference for any compartment of the system in the absence of a contaminant (Moreira-Santos et al 2008;Ara ujo et al 2014Ara ujo et al , 2016aAra ujo et al , 2018Silva et al 2018).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…Previous studies using nonforced exposure systems with different organisms, such as shrimps, tadpoles, and fish, have also shown that organisms presented a random distribution with no preference for any compartment of the system in the absence of a contaminant (Moreira-Santos et al 2008;Ara ujo et al 2014Ara ujo et al , 2016aAra ujo et al , 2018Silva et al 2018). Initially, it was observed that the shrimp distribution was similar when there was no contamination gradient in the system.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Avoidance response by shrimps to a copper gradient: Does high population density prevent avoidance of contamination?

Araújo

Pereira

Blasco

2018

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

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Bioassays using the nonforced exposure approach have been shown to be a relevant tool that might complement the traditional ecotoxicological risk assessment. Because the nonforced exposure approach is based on spatial displacement of organisms and the consequent habitat selection processes, the population density might play an important role in the decision to avoid or prefer an ecosystem. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to assess if the avoidance response to contamination, measured in a nonforced exposure system, is density‐dependent and how determinant contamination could be for the habitat‐selection process in comparison with the population density. The freshwater shrimp Atyaephyra desmarestii was exposed to a copper gradient in a nonforced exposure system formed by 7 interconnected compartments (total volume 600 mL), which contained different copper concentrations. The density treatments used were 3, 5, and 10 organisms per compartment, corresponding to 0.5, 0.8, and 1.7 organisms per 100 mL, respectively. Clearly, the avoidance response to copper was more intense in the population with the lower density: the highest population density showed the lowest avoidance. The concentrations that triggered an avoidance of 50% of the population were 47, 134, and 163 μg L−1. In summary, it was observed that shrimps were able to detect and avoid potentially toxic copper concentrations but that the avoidance response was affected by population density. Environ Toxicol Chem 2018;37:3095–3101. © 2018 SETAC

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“…This is of great importance if static systems (without peristaltic pumps) are used, as it is difficult to maintain the gradient for a long time when the fish are swimming continuously. Avoidance studies with fish have also been performed with different contaminants such as: tuna fish processing plant effluent [72], triclosan [73], atrazine [74], river samples [75,76], bisphenol [77], copper [78,79], fipronil and 2,4-D [80], dairy wastewater [76], among others. In the study by Araújo et al [71], the avoidance response was assessed during very short exposure periods, sometimes not exceeding 4 h. In almost all cases, the avoidance initially observed (e.g., after 30 min) was similar to the avoidance at different periods during the remaining hours of the experiment.…”

Section: Avoidance: a Repellency-driven Behavioral Responsementioning

confidence: 99%

Not Only Toxic but Repellent: What Can Organisms’ Responses Tell Us about Contamination and What Are the Ecological Consequences When They Flee from an Environment?

Araújo

Laissaoui

Silva

et al. 2020

Toxics

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The ability of aquatic organisms to sense the surrounding environment chemically and interpret such signals correctly is crucial for their ecological niche and survival. Although it is an oversimplification of the ecological interactions, we could consider that a significant part of the decisions taken by organisms are, to some extent, chemically driven. Accordingly, chemical contamination might interfere in the way organisms behave and interact with the environment. Just as any environmental factor, contamination can make a habitat less attractive or even unsuitable to accommodate life, conditioning to some degree the decision of organisms to stay in, or move from, an ecosystem. If we consider that contamination is not always spatially homogeneous and that many organisms can avoid it, the ability of contaminants to repel organisms should also be of concern. Thus, in this critical review, we have discussed the dual role of contamination: toxicity (disruption of the physiological and behavioral homeostasis) vs. repellency (contamination-driven changes in spatial distribution/habitat selection). The discussion is centered on methodologies (forced exposure against non-forced multi-compartmented exposure systems) and conceptual improvements (individual stress due to the toxic effects caused by a continuous exposure against contamination-driven spatial distribution). Finally, we propose an approach in which Stress and Landscape Ecology could be integrated with each other to improve our understanding of the threat contaminants represent to aquatic ecosystems.

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A novel approach to assessing environmental disturbance based on habitat selection by zebra fish as a model organism

Cited by 14 publications

References 40 publications

Spatial avoidance as a response to contamination by aquatic organisms in nonforced, multicompartmented exposure systems: A complementary approach to the behavioral response

Spatial avoidance as a response to contamination by aquatic organisms in nonforced, multicompartmented exposure systems: A complementary approach to the behavioral response

Avoidance response by shrimps to a copper gradient: Does high population density prevent avoidance of contamination?

Not Only Toxic but Repellent: What Can Organisms’ Responses Tell Us about Contamination and What Are the Ecological Consequences When They Flee from an Environment?

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