Quantitative behavioral parameters as toxicity biomarkers: fish responses to waterborne cadmium

The disruptive sublethal effects of heavy metals on behavioral parameters of fish as biomarkers of aquatic toxicity have been scarcely studied. We investigated the impact of exposure to sublethal waterborne cadmium on locomotory parameters of three freshwater teleosts: Cyprinus carpio as reference species, and Australoheros facetum (sin. Cichlasoma facetum) and Astyanax fasciatus, native to Pampean ecosystems in Argentina, using a noninvasive bioassay under laboratory conditions. Fish were successively transferred to media containing freshwater (control period), Cd(2+) solutions (exposure period), and freshwater (recovery period). The behavioral biomarkers evaluated were swimming activity and swimming speed of fish. The metal provoked different responses of both parameters after 4-7 days of exposure; the reversibility of changes was also assessed. It was concluded that: (a) locomotion parameters are sensitive endpoints and useful biomarkers in behavioral studies of freshwater toxicity, (b) the applied bioassay could be a valuable tool in water quality monitoring, and (c) the studied species differed in their susceptibility to the toxicant as well as in their capacity to return to basal values.