Protective Effect of High Alkalinity Against the Deleterious Effects of Chronic Waterborne Cadmium Exposure on the Detection of Alarm Cues by Juvenile Silver Catfish (Rhamdia quelen)

• Published in: Archives of environmental contamination and toxicology 2009-05, Vol.56 (4), p.770-775
• Main Authors: Kochhann, Daiani, Benaduce, Ana Paula S, Copatti, Carlos E, Lorenzatto, Karina R, Mesko, Márcia F, Flores, Érico M. M, Dressler, Valderi L, Baldisserotto, Bernardo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agnatha. Pisces; Alkalinity; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Applied ecology; Aquatic ecology; Avoidance Learning - drug effects; Avoidance Learning - physiology; Behavior; Biological and medical sciences; Cadmium; Cadmium - toxicity; Carbonates - toxicity; Catfishes - growth & development; Catfishes - physiology; Cues; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Eggs; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Environmental monitoring; Escape Reaction - drug effects; Escape Reaction - physiology; Experiments; Fear - drug effects; Fish; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; Humans; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Larvae; Life Cycle Stages - drug effects; Life Cycle Stages - physiology; Male; Monitoring/Environmental Analysis; Odorants - prevention & control; Odors; Pollutants; Pollution; Polyethylene; Predation; Rhamdia quelen; Skin - chemistry; Skin - metabolism; Soil Science & Conservation; Studies; Toxicity; Trout; Vertebrates: general zoology, morphology, phylogeny, systematics, cytogenetics, geographical distribution; Water; Water Pollutants, Chemical - toxicity; Water pollution
• ISSN: 0090-4341; 1432-0703
• DOI: 10.1007/s00244-009-9291-1

The objective of the present study was to analyze the effect of chronic cadmium (Cd) exposure at two alkalinity levels (63 and 92 mg l⁻¹ CaCO₃) on the antipredatory behavior of juvenile silver catfish (Rhamdia quelen) exposed to conspecific skin extract and predator odor. At an alkalinity of 63 mg l⁻¹ CaCO₃, 30 days of exposure to either 4.5 or 8.0 μg l⁻¹ Cd impaired the catfish's antipredatory response to alarm cues. However, silver catfish exposed to 4.5 μg l⁻¹ Cd at an alkalinity of 92 mg l⁻¹ CaCO₃ responded to skin extract and predator odor. In catfish exposed to 8.0 μg l⁻¹ Cd at the same alkalinity, only the number of feeding bites decreased, and this occurred only for specimens exposed to predator odor. Our results show that higher alkalinity protected against the deleterious effects of Cd on alarm cue detection but only in the larvae exposed to the lowest waterborne Cd level.