Skip to main content
Log in

Influence of Hardness and Dissolved Organic Carbon on the Acute Toxicity of Copper to Zebrafish (Danio rerio) at Different Life Stages

  • Published:
Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Copper (Cu) bioavailability varies under water conditions. In the present study, the whole life of zebrafish was divided into three different life stages (larvae, juvenile and adult) based on the growth curve, then the influences of water hardness and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration on the acute toxicity of zebrafish were respectively investigated. The results indicated that the life stages had significant effects on Cu toxicity. The larvae stage was less sensitive to Cu than both the juvenile and adult stages. With the increase of water hardness, the toxicity of Cu on zebrafish was decreased, a linear relationship was observed between water hardness and Cu toxicity, and the same was true for DOC concentration. The results showed that taking the 24 days juvenile zebrafish to study the water quality criteria of Cu was stable, sensitive and economical.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Chen WY, Lin CJ, Ju YR, Tsai JW, Liao CM (2012) Assessing the effects of pulsed waterborne copper toxicity on life-stage tilapia populations. Sci Total Environ 417–418(4):129–137

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Del Signore A, Hendriks AJ, Lenders HJR, Leuven RSEW, Breure AM (2016) Development and application of the SSD approach in scientific case studies for ecological risk assessment. Environ Toxicol Chem 35(9):2149–2161

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Schamphelaere KAC, Janssen CR (2002) A biotic ligand model predicting acute copper toxicity for Daphnia magna: the effects of calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, and pH. Environ Sci Technol 36(1):48–54

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Schamphelaere KAC, Janssen CR (2006) Bioavailability models for predicting copper toxicity to freshwater green microalgae as a function of water chemistry. Environ Sci Technol 40(14):4514–4522

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Donnachie RL, Johnson AC, Moeckel C, Pereira MG, Sumpter JP (2014) Using risk-ranking of metals to identify which poses the greatest threat to freshwater organisms in the UK. Environ Pollut 194(7):17–23

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Erickson RJ (2013) The biotic ligand model approach for addressing effects of exposure water chemistry on aquatic toxicity of metals: genesis and challenges. Environ Toxicol Chem 32(6):1212–1214

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Erickson RJ, Benoit DA, Mattson VR, Leonard EN Jr HPN (2010) The effects of water chemistry on the toxicity of copper to fathead minnows. Environ Toxicol Chem 15(2):181–193

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Feng CL, Wang H, Wang Y, Wu FC (2015) Predicted no effect concentration of Bisphenol A (BPA) based on different toxicological endpoints. Asian J Ecotoxicol 10(1):119–129 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Festa RA, Thiele DJ (2011) Copper: an essential metal in biology. Curr Biol 21(21):R877–R883

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fu ZY, Wu FC, Chen LL, Xu BS, Feng CL, Bai YC, Liao HQ, Sun SY, Giesy JP, Guo WJ (2016) Copper and zinc, but not other priority toxic metals, pose risks to native aquatic species in a large urban lake in Eastern China. Environ Pollut 219:1069–1076

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Grosell M, Gerdes R, Brix KV (2006) Influence of Ca, humic acid and pH on lead accumulation and toxicity in the fathead minnow during prolonged water-borne lead exposure. Comp Biochem Physiol C 143(4):473–483

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jiang JH, Wu SG, Chen JB, Wu CX, Cai LM, Zhao XP (2015) Acute toxicity effects of triadimefon on different life stages of zebrafish (Danio rerio) and Chinese rare minnow (Gobiocypris rarus). Asian J Ecotoxicol 10(05):150–156 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Jin XW, Wang YY, Jin W, Rao KF, Giesy JP, Hollert H, Richardson KL, Wang ZJ (2014) Ecological risk of nonylphenol in China surface waters based on reproductive fitness. Environ Sci Technol 48(2):1256–1262

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kimmel CB, Ballard WW, Kimmel SR, Ullmann B, Schilling TF (1995) Stages of embrypnic-development of the zebrafish. Dev Dynam 203(3):253–310

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Li XF, Wang PF, Feng CL, Liu DQ, Chen JK, Wu FC (2018) Acute toxicity and hazardous concentrations of Zinc to native freshwater organisms under different pH values in China. Bull Environ Contam Tox 103(1):120–126

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Madhav MR, David SEM, Kumar RSS, Swathy JS, Bhuvaneshwari M, Mukherjee A, Chandrasekaran N (2017) Toxicity and accumulation of copper oxide (CuO) nanoparticles in different life stages of Artemia salina. Environ Toxicol Pharm 52:227–238

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mckim JM (1977) Evaluation of tests with early life stages of fish for predicting long-term toxicity. J Fish Res Board Can 34(8):1148–1154

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McNulty HR, Anderson BS, Hunt JW, Turpen SL, Singer MM (1994) Age-specific toxicity of copper to larval topsmelt atherinops-affinis. Environ Toxicol Chem 13(3):487–492

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • OECD (1992) Guidelines for the testing of chemicals, sect. 2: effects on biotic systems, test no. 203: fish, acute toxicity test. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Paris

    Google Scholar 

  • Paquin PR, Gorsuch JW, Apte SC, Batley GE, Bowles KC, Campbell PGC, Delos CG, Toro DMD, Dwyer RL, Galvez F (2002) The biotic ligand model: a historical overview. Comp Biochem Physiol C 133(1):3–35

    Google Scholar 

  • Peters A, Wilson I, Merrington G, Heijerick D, Baken S (2019) Assessing compliance of european fresh waters for copper: accounting for bioavailability. Bull Environ Contam Tox 102(2):153–159

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Playle RC, Gensemer RW, Dixon DG (2010) Copper accumulation on gills of fathead minnows: influence of water hardness, complexation and pH of the gill micro-environment. Environ Toxicol Chem 11(3):381–391

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rüdel H, Díaz MC, Garelick H, Kandile NG, Miller BW, Pantoja ML, Purchase D, Shevah Y, Van SP (2015) Consideration of the bioavailability of metal/metalloid species in freshwaters: experiences regarding the implementation of biotic ligand model-based approaches in risk assessment frameworks. Environ Sci Pollut Res 22(10):7405–7421

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sciera KL, Isely JJ, Tomasso JR, Klaine SJ (2004) Influence of multiple water-quality characteristics on copper toxicity to fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas). Environ Toxicol Chem 23(12):2900–2905

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shi H, Feng CL, Huang H, Wu FC (2016) The correlation discussion between aluminum toxicity to aquatic organisms and water hardness. Asian J Ecotoxicol 11(1):141–152 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Shi QP, Wang M, Shi FQ, Yang LH, Guo YY, Feng CL, Liu JF, Zhou BS (2018) Developmental neurotoxicity of triphenyl phosphate in zebrafish larvae. Aquat Toxicol 203:80–87

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tan QG, Wang WX (2011) Acute toxicity of cadmium in Daphnia magna under different calcium and pH conditions: importance of influx rate. Environ Sci Technol 45(5):1970–1976

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tang S, Doering JA, Sun JX, Beitel SC, Shekh K, Patterson S, Crawford S, Giesy JP, Wiseman SB, Hecker M (2016) Linking oidative sress and mgnitude of cmpensatory rsponses with life-stage specific differences in sensitivity of white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) to copper or cadmium. Environ Sci Technol 50(17):9717–9726

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Toro DMD, Allen HE, Bergman HL, Meyer JS, Paquin PR, Santore RC (2001) Biotic ligand model of the acute toxicity of metals. 1. Technical basis. Environ Toxicol Chem 20(10):2383–2396

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • USEPA (2007a) Aquatic life ambient freshwater quality criteria-copper. US EPA Office of Water, Washington DC, pp 2–4

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Genderen EJ, Ryan AC, Tomasso JR, Klaine SJ (2005) Evaluation of acute copper toxicity to larval fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) in soft surface waters. Environ Toxicol Chem 24(2):408–414

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Verriopoulos G, Moraïtou-Apostolopoulou M (1982) Differentiation of the sensitivity to copper and cadmium in different life stages of a copepod. Mar Pollut Bull 13(4):123–125

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang CY, Chen H, Wu KB, An LH, Zheng BH (2011) Application of the biotic ligand model to predict copper acute toxicity to Medaka fish in typical Chinese rivers. Water Sci Technol 64(6):1277–1283

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang Z, Meador JP, Leung KMY (2016) Metal toxicity to freshwater organisms as a function of pH: a meta-analysis. Chemosphere 144:1544–1552

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wu FC, Feng CL, Cao YJ, Zhang RQ (2011) Aquatic life ambient freshwater quality criteria for copper in China. Asian J Ecotoxicol 6(6):617–628 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Yang Y, Qi SZ, Wang DH, Wang K, Zhu LZ, Chai TT, Wang CJ (2016) Toxic effects of thifluzamide on zebrafish (Danio rerio). J Hazard Mater 307:127–136

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang YH, Zang WC, Qin LM, Zheng L, Cao Y, Yan ZZ, Yi XL, Zeng HH, Liu ZT (2017) Water quality criteria for copper based on the BLM approach in the freshwater in China. PLoS ONE 12(2):e0170105

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This study is supported by the National Natural Scientific Foundation of China (41773085) and the China National Project of Water Pollution Control and Treatment (Project No. 2017ZX07301005-001).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Chenglian Feng.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Electronic supplementary material 1 (DOCX 26 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Liao, W., Feng, C., Liu, N. et al. Influence of Hardness and Dissolved Organic Carbon on the Acute Toxicity of Copper to Zebrafish (Danio rerio) at Different Life Stages. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 103, 789–795 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-019-02721-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-019-02721-y

Keywords

Navigation