Post-exposure Period as a key Factor to Assess Cadmium Toxicity: Lethal vs. Behavioral Responses

• Published in: Bulletin of environmental contamination and toxicology 2023-02, Vol.110 (2), p.41, Article 41
• Main Author: Alonso, Álvaro
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Aquatic ecosystems; Aquatic Pollution; Bioassays; Cadmium; Cadmium - toxicity; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecosystem; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Exposure; Lethal Dose 50; Mollusks; Mortality; Pollution; Recovery; Shellfish; Snails - physiology; Soil Science & Conservation; Toxicants; Toxicity; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollutants, Chemical - toxicity; Water Pollution Control
• ISSN: 0007-4861; 1432-0800
• DOI: 10.1007/s00128-022-03651-y

The exposure of animals to pollution in ecosystems is not always chronic. Toxicants can remain in aquatic ecosystems for a short-term. To improve the extrapolation of laboratory results to natural scenarios the inclusion of post-exposure periods is a relevant issue. The present study focuses on the assessment of cadmium toxicity on survival and behavior of the aquatic snail Potamopyrgus antipodarum (Tateidae, Mollusca) during exposure and post-exposure. Animals were exposed for 48 h to cadmium (0.05, 0.14, 0.44 and 1.34 mg Cd/L) and 168 h of post-exposure. During the post-exposure period an increase in mortality in all concentrations was observed. The effects observed during the post-exposure period on the LC50 and EC50 were significant. During the post-exposure, behavior showed a clear recovery in surviving animals exposed to 0.44 mg Cd/L. Animals exposed to 0.05 mg Cd/L did not show differences with control. Therefore, mortality after exposure should be included in the ecotoxicological bioassays for a more realistic estimation of the cadmium effects. To assess the degree of animal recovery after cadmium exposure, behaviour has been shown as an adequate parameter.