Abstract
The objective of this study was to analyze the sublethal effects of propiconazole on Deuterodon iguape, a native fish common in Brazil, which has potential for aquaculture and use as a bioindicator. The hypothesis was to test whether D. iguape has a metabolism similar to Danio rerio so that its use in bioassays may be validated. Lethal concentration (LC50) and metabolic rates were studied in fish exposed to propiconazole. Specific oxygen consumption and ammonia excretion for D. iguape and D. rerio increased by 0.01µg L-1 and then decreased as the propiconazole concentration increased. The decrease in the averages of specific oxygen consumption at the concentration of 0.1µg L-1 represented a reduction in the metabolic rate compared to the control of 71% for D. iguape and 40% D. rerio. For the ammonia excretion, at the same concentration, there was a reduction of 68.7% and 45.4% for D. iguape and D. rerio, respectively. When comparing ammonia excretion of the two species for each concentration of propiconazole, there was a significant difference (p < 0.05) in relation to the control and for the highest concentration (0.1µg L-1). As for specific oxygen consumption, there was a statistically significant difference only for the concentration of 0.1µg L-1. D. iguape proved to be a good and useful bioindicator for ichthyologists or ecologists in studies of moderate pesticide contamination in freshwater aquatic environments, as its metabolic response was similar to D. rerio.
Highlights
Most water bodies in Brazil, and in the world, are contaminated by some type of chemical pollutant (Lopes et al 2017)
The fish were fed with extruded commercial feed, 2.0 mm with 36% crude protein (CP), 7% ether extract (EE) and 4% crude fiber (CF), placed in the tanks, in the proportion of 2% of the live weight
These results showed that propiconazole produced higher toxicities in both species of fish
Summary
Most water bodies in Brazil, and in the world, are contaminated by some type of chemical pollutant (Lopes et al 2017). About 90% of what is applied is lost in the environment and the biological response in terms of pest control is not reached (Barrera-Méndez et al 2019). These losses occur due to factors such as application techniques, physical and chemical properties of pesticides and environmental conditions (Ghormade et al 2011). Less than 0.1% of the amount of pesticides applied to crops reaches the target organisms, while the other 99.9% has the potential to move to other environmental compartments, such as the surface and groundwater (Sabik et al 2000)
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