Developmental and Reproductive Effects of Low Cadmium Concentration onArtemiaparthenogenetica

Abstract

Hatching, reproductive, and lifespan characteristics of an Artemia parthenogenetica population from La Mata (Alicante, Spain) exposed to cadmium were studied. No effects on percentage of cyst hatched nor time of hatching were observed on cysts exposed from 0.01 to 5 mg Cd/L. Cohorts of Artemia were chronically exposed to cadmium in life-table experiments to test whether ecologically relevant impacts may occur after several generations of exposure to a very low concentration of cadmium. Chronic toxicity tests were performed using neonates of a third generation of shrimps exposed to 0.08 mg Cd/L (1/1000 of the LOEC for 24 h acute toxicity test). No significant reduction in the intrinsic rate of natural increase (rm) was found as a result of cadmium exposure, although the age-specific fecundities of the cadmium exposed shrimps were lower than those of the controls. A significant decrease in the prereproductive period and a reduction in the percentage of fertile females was also found as a consequence of the metal exposure.

Pesticide exposure impacts not only hatching of dormant eggs, but also hatchling survival and performance in the water flea Daphnia magna

“…Our findings are in agreement with the results of Raikow et al (2006Raikow et al ( , 2007, who observed that the biocide SeaKlean had significant negative effects on hatching of D. mendotae dormant eggs, but with a ten times lower sensitivity compared to neonate mortality (Song et al 2011). Studies using dormant eggs of other zooplankton species (mainly rotifers and Artemia) gave variable results; ranging from no significant adverse effects on hatching rates (Sarabia et al 2003(Sarabia et al , 2008Varó et al 2006;Marcial and Hagiwara 2007), to effects on unhatched embryos at concentrations below effect levels for hatched individuals Rafiee et al 1986). This indicates that effects of chemicals on dormant stages differ among and within species as well as among toxicants, depending on their mode of action.…”

“…The results of different studies using Artemia cysts, however, appear to be inconclusive. Varó et al (2006) and Sarabia et al (2003Sarabia et al ( , 2008 reported no adverse effects of metal and pesticide exposure on hatching of Artemia cysts. Bagshaw et al (1986) and Rafiee et al (1986), on the contrary, reported that hatching of dormant eggs was more sensitive to heavy metal exposure than hatched individuals.…”

Can Artemia Hatching Assay Be a (Sensitive) Alternative Tool to Acute Toxicity Test?

“…Carballo et al (2002) found high concordance between mortality of nauplii and hatchability of cysts (measured as the number of nauplii hatched from a known weight of cysts in treatment and control) exposed to different organic extracts, suggesting a simultaneous application of both the assays. Also Sarabia et al (2003) had consistent results comparing chronic toxicity tests on nauplii and percentage and timing of cyst hatching under cadmium exposure: no effects were found neither with nauplii nor with cysts. Caldwell et al (2003) compared the hatching success (as enumeration of random chosen subsamples of hatched nauplii) and larval mortality (48 and 72 h) of A. salina exposed to diatom extracts or aldehydes, finding the hatching assay as the least sensitive test.…”

“…Most of the efforts were focused on acute toxicity studies (Okamura et al 2000;Hadjispyrou et al 2001;George-Ares et al 2003;Mayorga et al 2010;Leis et al 2014). At a lesser extent, investigations have been focused on long term, subchronic and chronic exposures (Brix et al 2003;Sarabia et al 2003;Savorelli et al 2007;Bustos-Obregon and Vargas 2010). Acute tests with Artemia are known to show low sensitivity; while, prolonged exposure assays, although more sensitive, require quite complex procedures, discouraging their use.…”

Importance of metal-binding proteins in the partitioning of Cd and Zn as trophically available metal (TAM) in the brine shrimp Artemia franciscana

“…Artemia spp. can accumulate Cd through solution and food, and exposure interferes with emergence and hatching and may impact reproduction (Jennings & Rainbow 1979b, Sarabia et al 2002a). The cyst shell of Artemia spp.…”