Glutathione S-transferase activity in Mnesarete aenea (Odonata), Campylocia anceps (Ephemeroptera), and Cylindrostethus palmaris (Hemiptera) from forest and oil palm plantation areas in the Eastern Amazon

Abstract

The use of aquatic insects in ecological studies of oil palm plantations provides an effective evaluation of biodiversity loss caused by changes in habitat. Approaches at the population or community level associated with biomarker analyses might help in the management and conservation of impacted habitats. Our aim was to assess detoxification responses (Glutathione S-transferase activity) of three aquatic invertebrates (Mnesarete aenea, Cylindrostethus palmaris, and Campylocia anceps) in oil palm plantations and forested areas in the Eastern Brazilian Amazon. A total of 20 streams were sampled during the dry season of 2017, in the municipality of Tailândia, Pará – Brazil. The response of this exposure biomarker was related with water temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, canopy cover and habitat integrity index. The species M. aenea and C. palmaris showed differences in detoxification response induction, with higher specific activity in oil palm areas than in forest areas. The conversion of natural landscape and use of agrochemicals in oil palm plantations might affect the dynamics of organisms that are sensitive to changes in habitat quality. We suggest that differences in Habitat Integrity Index between oil palm and Amazon forest areas is a determining factor in increased GST induction in M. aenea. This result indicates that this organism might act as a sentinel for biomarker evaluations, providing an early warning signal via its biochemical responses that could help to prevent changes at the population and community levels.