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Effects of the Fungicide Carbendazim on the Behaviour of the Zebrafish Danio Rerio (Cypriniformes, Cyprinidae)

2022; RELX Group (Netherlands); Linguagem: Inglês

10.2139/ssrn.4068342

1556-5068

Marcos Roberto Beiral de Oliveira, Isabela Vieira Profeta, João Victor Saraiva Raimondi Lopes, Raissa Miranda Costa, Victória Rambaldi Matos e Chaib, Marina do Vale Beirão, Karina Taciana Santos Rubio, Maria Elvira Poleti Martucci, Eneida Maria Eskinazi-Sant’Anna, Cristiano Schetini de Azevedo,

Parasite Biology and Host Interactions

One of the commonest pesticides used in Brazil is the fungicide carbendazim. Carbendazim can cause deleterious effects of the physiology and behaviour of acutely and chronically exposed animals and humans. However, few studies evaluated the effects of carbendazim on fish behaviour. Thus, the main objective of the present study was to evaluate behavioural changes in adult zebrafish exposed to carbendazim. We studied 177 adult zebrafishes ( Danio rerio ), divided into control groups (not exposed to carbendazim) and treatment groups, exposed to a concentration of 120 μg/L of carbendazim for 7, 14, 28 and 35 days. Behavioural data were collected using the scan method, with instantaneous recording every 30 seconds. Data were analyzed using Generalized Linear Mixed Models (GLMMs), where the behaviours exhibited by the zebrafishes were the response variables and the condition (treatment or control), the exposure time (7, 14, 28 and 35 days) and their interaction were the explanatory variables. GLMMs were also used to assess whether the condition (treatment or control; explanatory variable) influenced the number of fish occupying the bottom, middle or surface of the aquarium (response variable). The results indicated that carbendazim initially elicited slow swimming and later fast swimming, decreased aggressive behaviour, and increased the display of abnormal behaviours by zebrafishes. In addition, it also modified the area of the water column most used by individuals (from the bottom to the surface). The results showed that exposure to carbendazim, especially in the long-term, caused behavioural problems and possibly distressed the fishes. In the wild, this behavioural change can result in an increased predation risk and consequent decrease or extinction of populations, revealing important ecological issues for animal communities living in contamined water bodies.