Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Assessment of the genotoxicity of sediment elutriates from an aquatic ecosystem on Allium cepa: Limache stream in central Chile

  • Published:
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the genotoxic effects of sediment elutriates of an aquatic ecosystem. Sediment samples were taken from Limache stream, located in central Chile. The tests were carried out on sediment elutriates. Genotoxicity was determined by bioassay with Allium cepa. The percentage of germination, root growth, mitotic index, and frequency of chromosome aberrations were determined. The results show a significant increase in chromosome aberrations and decrease of the mitotic index in Allium cepa in all the sediment elutriates compared to the control. No significant differences were observed in the percentages of germination or root growth among the sediment elutriates. A negative correlation was found between the mitotic index and chromosomal aberrations. In conclusion, genotoxic variables are more sensitive than growth variables. The sediments contain chemical agents in bioavailable concentrations that produce genotoxic effects. Allium cepa test proved to be a sensitive indicator of genotoxic contaminants in sediment elutriates of the Limache stream in central Chile.

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

Access this article

Log in via an institution

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

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

Data availability

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

References

  • Barbosa, J., Cabral, T., Ferreira, D., Agnez-Lima, L., & Batistuzzo de Medeiros, S. (2010). Genotoxicityassessment in aquatic environment impacted by the presence of heavy metals. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 73, 320–325.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Batista, N., Cavalcante, A., Oliveira, M., Medeiros, E., Machado, J., Evangelista, S., Dias, J., Santos, C., Duarte, A., Silva, F., & Silva, J. (2016). Genotoxic and mutagenic evaluation of water samples from a river under the influence of different anthropogenic activities. Chemosphere, 164, 134–141.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bianchi, J., Espindola, E. L. G., & Marin-Morales, M. A. (2011). Genotoxicity and mutagenicity of water samples from the Monjolinho River (Brazil) after receiving untreated effluents. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 74(4), 826–833.

  • Bianchi, J., Fernandes, T., & Marin-Morales, M. (2016). Induction of mitotic and chromosomal abnormalities on Allium cepa cells by pesticides imidacloprid and sulfentrazone and the mixture of them. Chemosphere, 144, 475–483.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Biruk, L., Moretton, J., Iorio, A., Weigandt, C., Etcheverry, J., Filippetto, J., & Magdaleno, A. (2017). Toxicity and genotoxicity assessment in sediments from the Matanza-Riachuelo river basin (Argentina) under the influence of heavy metals and organic contaminants. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 135, 302–311.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Carreño, C., Zarazúa, G., Fall, C., Ávila-Pérez, P., & Tejeda, S. (2018). Evaluación de la toxicidad de los sedimentos del curso alto del río Lerma, México. Revista Internacional de Contaminación Ambiental, 34, 117–126.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Castillo, G. (2004). Ensayos toxicológicos y métodos de evaluación de calidad de aguas. Estandarización, intercalibración, resultados y aplicaciones. Centro Internacional de Investigaciones para el Desarrollo. Instituto Mexicano de Tecnología del Agua, Primera edición: p. 189.

  • Cogua, P., Campos-Campos, N., & Duque, G. (2012). Concentración de mercurio total y metilmercurio en sedimento y seston de la Bahía de Cartagena, Caribe Colombiano. Boletín de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras, 41, 267–285.

    Google Scholar 

  • CONAMA & PNUD. (2005). Estrategia y Plan de Acción para la Conservación de la Diversidad de la Región de Valparaíso, Chile. https://biodiversidad.mma.gob.cl/avance-actualizacion-erb-valparaiso/

  • Córdova, S., Gaete, H., Aránguiz, F., & Figueroa, R. (2009). Evaluación de la calidad de las aguas del estero Limache (Chile central), mediante bioindicadores y bioensayos. Latin American Journal of Aquatic Research, 37, 199–209.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fuente, J., Valencia, J., & Gaete, H. (2014). Valoración del ecosistema estero Limache, Región de Valparaíso (Chile central), mediante la aplicación del índice de funcionalidad fluvial. Anales Museo de Historia Natural de Valparaíso, 27, 7–14.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gaete, H., Álvarez, M., Lobos, M., Soto, E., & Jara-Gutiérrez, C. (2017). Assessment of oxidative stress and bioaccumulation of the metals Cu, Fe, Zn, Pb, Cd in the polychaete Perinereis gualpensis from estuaries of central Chile. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 145, 653–658.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gaete, H., & Chávez, C. (2008). Evaluación de la toxicidad de mezclas binarias de cobre, cinc y arsénico sobre Daphnia obtusa (Kurtz, 1874) (Cladocera, Crustacea). Limnetica, 27(1), 1–10.

    Google Scholar 

  • García-Alonso J.. Gómez J,, Barboza F,, & Oliva-Paterna J. (2015). Pollution-toxicity relationships in sediments of the Segura River Basin. Limnetica,34(1):135–146). https://doi.org/10.23818/limn.34.11

  • Garmendia, J., Menchaca, I., Belzunce, M., & Revilla, M. (2009). Protocolo del test de toxicidad de sedimentos marinos con larvas del erizo de mar Paracentrotus lividus (Lamarck, 1816). Revista de Investigación Marina, 11, 25.

    Google Scholar 

  • Geffard, A., Geffard, O., Amiard, J., His, E., & Amiard Triquet, C. (2007). Bioaccumulation of metals in sediment elutriates and their effects on growth, condition index, and metallothionein contents in oyster larvae. Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, Springer Verlag, 53, 57–65.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Guimarães, R., Corbi, J., & Jacobucci, G. (2019). Aquatic insects as bioindicators of heavy metals in sediments in Cerrado streams. Limnetica, 38, 575–586.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haring, H., Smith, M., Lazorchak, J., Crocker, P., Euresti, A., Wratschko, M., & Schaub, M. (2010). Comparison of bulk sediment and sediment elutriate toxicity testing methods. Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 58, 676–683.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hassan, S., Van Ginkel, S., Hussein, M., Abskharon, R., & Oh, S. (2016). Toxicity assessment using different bioassays and microbial biosensors. Environmental International, 92–93, 106–118.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hernándes-Antonio, A., & Hansen, A. (2011). Uso de plaguicidas en dos zonas agrícolas del México y evaluación de la contaminación de agua y sedimentos. Revista Internacional de Contaminación Ambiental, 27(2), 115–127.

    Google Scholar 

  • Iannacone, J., & Alvariño, L. (2005). Efecto ecotoxicológico de tres metales pesados sobre el crecimiento radicular de cuatro plantas vasculares. Agricultura Técnica, 65, 198–203.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Iannacone, J., & Salazar, N. (2007). Efecto de mezclas binarias de tres metales pesados sobre larvas de Chironomus calligraphus. Journal of the Brazilian Society of Ecotoxicology, 2, 211–217.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ibeh, O., & Umeham, N. (2018). Genotoxicity assessment of three industrial effluents using the Allium cepa bioassay. African Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, 12, 115–122.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jardim, G., Armas, E., & Monteiro, R. (2008). Ecotoxicological assessment of water and sediment of the Corumbataí River, SP, Brazil. Brazilian Journal of Biology, 68, 51–59.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Míguez, D., Seoane, I., Carrara, M., Carnikián, A., Keel, K., Aizpún, A., Bouvier, M., & Cartmell, E. (2010). Evaluación ecotoxicológica de sedimentos en una zona del Río Uruguay, con puntos finales indicadores de toxicidad aguda, sub-letal, crónica, reproductiva y teratogénica. Revista del Laboratorio Tecnológico del Uruguay, 5, 3–10.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morais, L., Perina, F., Davanso, M., Buruaem, L., Rodrigues, V., Sígolo, J., & Abessa, D. (2013). Water and sediment quality assessment in a river affected by former mining activities. Pan-American Journal of Aquatic Sciences, 8, 327–338.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mondal, P., Reichelt-Brushett, A., Jonathan, M. P., & Babu, S. (2017). Pollution evaluation of total and acid-leachable trace elements in surface sediments of Hooghly River Estuary and Sundarban Mangrove Wetland (India). Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 25, 5681–5699.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Njoku, K., Akinola, M., & Oboh, B. (2008). Germination, survival and growth accessions of Glycine max L. (merril) (soybean) and Lycopersicon esculentum L. (tomato) in crude oil polluted soil. Research Journal of Environmental Toxicology, 2, 77–84.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ortíz-Ordoñez, E., López-López, E., Sedeño-Díaz, J., Uría, E., Morales, I., Pérez, M., & Shibayama, M. (2016). Liver histological changes and lipid peroxidation in the amphibian Ambystoma mexicanum induced by sediment elutriates from the Lake Xochimilco. Journal of Environmental Sciences, 46, 156–164.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rainho, C., Kaezer, A., Aiub, C., & Felzenszwalb, I. (2010). Ability of Allium cepa L. root tips and Tradescantia pallida var. purpurea in N-nitrosodiethylamine genotoxicity and mutagenicity evaluation. Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências, 82, 925–932.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ramírez, P., & Mendoza, A. (2008). Ensayos toxicológicos para la evaluación de sustancias químicas en agua y suelo. La experiencia en México. Primera ed. Secretaria de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales. Instituto Nacional de Ecología: pp. 428

  • Silveira, G., Lima, M., Reis, G., Palmieri, M., & Andrade-Vieria, L. (2017). Toxic effects of environmental pollutants: comparative investigation using Allium cepa L. and Lactuca sativa L. Chemosphere, 178, 359–367.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Silveira, M., Ribeiro, D., Vieira, G., Demarco, N., & Grédio d’Arce, L. (2018). Direct and indirect anthropogenic contamination in water sources: evaluation of chromosomal stability and cytotoxicity using the Allium cepa test. Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 100, 216–220.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tedesco, M., Kuhn, A., Frescura, V., Boligon, A., Athayde, M., Tedesco, S., & Silva, A. (2017). Assessment of the antiproliferative and antigenotoxic activity and phytochemical screening of aqueous extracts of Sambucus australis Cham. & Schltdl. (ADOXACEAE). Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências, 89, 2141–2154.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Villalobos, L., Parra, O., Grandjean, M., Jaque, E., Woelfl, S., & Campos, H. (2003). A study of the river basins and limnology of five humic lakes on Chiloé Island. Revista Chilena de Historia Natural, 73, 563–590.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wijeyaratne, D., & Wadasinghe, J. (2019). Allium cepa bioassay to assess the water and sediment cytogenotoxicity in a tropical stream subjected to multiple point and nonpoint source of pollutants. Journal of Toxicology, 2019, 1–10.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xiao, H., Shahab A., Li, J., Xi, B., Sun X., He, H., & Yu, G. (2019). Distribution, ecological risk assessment and source identification of heavy metals in surface sediments of Huixian karst wetland, China. Ecotoxicologyl and Environmental Safety, 185, 1–10

  • Zhang, Z., Juying, L., Mamat, Z., & QingFu, Y. (2016). Sources identification and pollution evaluation of heavy metals in the surface sediments of Bortala River, Northwest China. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 126, 94–101.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Escuela de Ingeniería en Medioambiente, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de Valparaíso Av, Brasil, 2140, Valparaíso, Chile

    Alejandra Dieterich & Hernán Gaete

  2. Centro de Investigación y Gestión de Recursos Naturales (CIGREN), Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Valparaíso Av. Gran Bretaña, 1111, Playa Ancha, Valparaíso, Chile

    Hernán Gaete

Authors
  1. Alejandra Dieterich
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Hernán Gaete
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hernán Gaete.

Ethics declarations

Ethical approval

This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Dieterich, A., Gaete, H. Assessment of the genotoxicity of sediment elutriates from an aquatic ecosystem on Allium cepa: Limache stream in central Chile. Environ Monit Assess 193, 243 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-021-09029-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-021-09029-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation