Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

The Acute and Behavioral Effects of a Copper-Nickel Mixture on Roach Rutilus rutilus

  • Published:
Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Semi-static acute toxicity tests were conducted on adult roach, Rutilus rutilus, to estimate its sensitivity toward an equitoxic binary mixture (EBM) of copper and nickel. The sum of their individual LC50 values was considered to equal 100 %. The main endpoints of the study were mortality and behavioral responses: detection, locomotor activity, coughing rate and pectoral-fin activity. The 96-h LC50 of EBM was 14.4 (10.1 %–20.5 %), indicating a synergism of individual metals. The most meaningful behavioral results were obtained after 10-min, 1-h and 24-h exposures, and the most sensitive and informative behavioral response was found to be coughing rate. This bioassay response may be used successfully to evaluate wastewaters containing heavy metals for their toxicity toward fish.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alabaster JS, Lloyd R (1982) Water quality criteria for freshwater fish. FAO and Butterworths, London

    Google Scholar 

  • ASTM (2008a) Standard guide for measurement of behavior during fish toxicity tests. E1711-95(2008). ASTM International, West Conshohocken, PA

  • ASTM (2008b) Standard guide for ventilatory behavioral toxicology testing of freshwater fish. E1768-95(2008). ASTM International, West Conshohocken, PA

  • Atchison GJ, Henry MG, Sandheinrich MB (1987) Effects of metals on fish behavior: a review. Environ Biol Fish 18:11–25

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Boeck G, Vlaeminck A, Balm PH, Lock RA, De Wachter B, Blust R (2001) Morphological and metabolic changes in common carp, Cyprinus carpio, during short-term copper exposure: interactions between Cu2+ and plasma cortisol elevation. Environ Toxicol Chem 20:374–381

    Google Scholar 

  • Drummond RA, Spoor WA, Olson GF (1973) Some short-term indicators of sublethal effects of copper on brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis. J Fish Res Board Can 30:698–701

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Eisler R. (1998a) Copper hazards to fish, wildlife and invertebrates: a synoptic review. Biological science report USGS/BRD/BSRN-1997-0002, Washington, DC

  • Eisler R (1998b) Nickel hazards to fish, wildlife and invertebrates: a synoptic review. Biological science report USGS/BRD/BSR-1998-0001, Laurel, MD

  • Ellgaard EG, Ashley SE, Langford AE, Harlin DC (1995) Kinetic analysis of the swimming behavior of the goldfish Carassius auratus exposed to nickel: hypoactivity induced by sublethal concentrations. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 55:929–936

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Flerov BA (1989) Ecological and physiological aspects of toxicology in fresh-water animals (in Russian). Nauka, Leningrad

    Google Scholar 

  • Gagnon A, Jumarie C, Hontela A (2006) Effects of Cu on plasma cortisol and cortisol secretion by adrenocortical cells of rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss. Aquat Toxicol 78:59–65

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hamilton MA, Russo RC, Thurston RV (1977) Trimmed Spearman-Karber method for estimating median lethal concentrations in toxicity bioassays. Environ Sci Technol 11:714–719

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Henry MG, Atchison GJ (1986) Behavioral changes in social groups of bluegills exposed to copper. Trans Am Fish Soc 115:590–595

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kane AS, Salierno JD, Brewer SK (2005) Fish models in behavioral toxicology: automated techniques, updates and perspectives. In: Ostrander GK (ed) Methods in aquatic toxicology, 2nd edn. Lewis Publishers, Boca Raton, pp 559–590

    Google Scholar 

  • Kazlauskienė N, Vosylienė MZ (1990) Effect of copper on respiratory system of rainbow trout (in Russian). In: Andrušaitis GP et al. (eds) Experimental aquatic toxicology, vol 14. Zinatne, Riga, pp 136–144

  • Könemann H (1981) Fish toxicity tests with mixtures of more than two chemicals: a proposal for a quantitative approach and experimental results. Toxicology 19:229–238

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lemly AD (1983) A simple activity quotient for detecting pollution-induced stress in fishes. Environ Tech Lett 4:173–178

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Little EE, Finger SE (1990) Swimming behavior as an indicator of sublethal toxicity in fish. Environ Toxicol Chem 9:13–19

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Scherer E (1992) Behavioural responses as indicators of environmental alterations: approaches, results, developments. J Appl Ichthyol 8:122–131

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scherer E, Harrison SE, Brown SB (1986) Locomotor activity and blood plasma parameters of acid-exposed lake whitefish Coregonus clupeaformis. Canadian J Fish Aquat Sci 43:1556–1561

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • SCORECARD (2005) Water quality indicators. http://www.scorecard.org

  • Svecevičius G (2005) Behavioral responses of rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss to sublethal toxicity of a model mixture of heavy metals. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 74:845–852

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Svecevičius G (2010) Acute toxicity of nickel to five species of freshwater fish. Pol J Environ Stud 19:453–456

    Google Scholar 

  • Svecevičius G, Vosylienė MZ (1996) Acute toxicity of copper to common fishes of Lithuania. Ekologija 2:17–21

    Google Scholar 

  • Tudorache C, Jordan AD, Svendsen JC et al (2009) Pectoral fin beat frequency predicts oxygen consumption during spontaneous activity in a labriform swimming fish Embiotoca lateralis. Environ Biol Fish 84:121–127

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • US EPA (2002) Short-term methods for estimating the chronic toxicity of effluents and receiving waters to freshwater organisms. 4th edn. EPA-821-R-02-013. Office of Water. Washington, DC

  • US EPA (2006) National recommended water quality criteria. Office of Water. Office of Science and Technology (4304T). Washington, DC

  • US EPA (2007) Aquatic life ambient freshwater quality criteria—copper. 2007 Revision. EPA-822-R-07-001. Office of Water. Office of Science and Technology. Washington, DC

  • US EPA (1984) Ambient water quality criteria for copper—EPA-440/5-84-031. Office of Water Regulations and Standards, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • USEPA (1986) Ambient water quality criteria for nickel—EPA-440/5-86-004. Office of Water Regulations and Standards, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Van der Schalie WH, Shedd TR, Knechtges PL, Widder MW (2001) Using higher organisms in biological early warning systems for real-time toxicity detection. Biosens Bioelectron 16:457–465

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Waser W, Bausheva O, Nikinmaa M (2009) The copper-induced reduction of critical swimming speed in rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss is not caused by changes in gill structure. Aquat Toxicol 94:77–79

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This work was funded by Research Council of Lithuania, Project No. MIP-58/2010-2011.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Hydrobiont Ecology and Physiology, Institute of Ecology, Nature Research Centre, Akademijos 2, 08412, Vilnius-21, Lithuania

    Gintaras Svecevičius, Nijolė Kazlauskienė & Edvinas Taujanskis

Authors
  1. Gintaras Svecevičius
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Nijolė Kazlauskienė
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Edvinas Taujanskis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gintaras Svecevičius.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Svecevičius, G., Kazlauskienė, N. & Taujanskis, E. The Acute and Behavioral Effects of a Copper-Nickel Mixture on Roach Rutilus rutilus . Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 89, 147–151 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-012-0636-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-012-0636-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation