Abstract
The Cd toxicity, its accumulation and effects on the development and the tissue water and cation contents of tilapia larvae (Oreochromis mossambicus) were studied. Both 96-h LC50 and the accumulation rate have dramatic changes following larval development and reveal an inverse relation: LC50 of 0-(newly hatched), 1-, 2-, 3- and 7-day-old larvae were 205, 83, 33, 22 and 29 μg/L, respectively, while their accumulation rates were 1.06, 2.64, 2.94, 4.94 and 2.70 ng/larva/day, respectively. Different accumulation rates explain the dramatic changes in LC50 during the early larval stages of tilapia. Exposure to 200 μg/L Cd for 4 days caused a significant decrease in both total length and yolk absorption of tilapia larvae, while the effect of 50 μg/L Cd was not significant, i.e., a high dose of Cd inhibited the development of tilapia larvae. At the end of four days, 0-day-old larvae exposed to 200 μg/L Cd accumulated less than those exposed to 50–100 μg/L, possibly due to the inhibition of larval development caused by a higher Cd level. Exposure to 100 or 200 μg/L Cd for 4 days induced a significant decrease in the contents of water, Ca2+, and K+ in larvae. However, there was no change in the concentrations of Na+ and Mg2+. The impact of a higher level of Cd on the ion and water balance in larvae may be one of the lethal effects of Cd to tilapia larvae.
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Hwang, P.P., Lin, S.W. & Lin, H.C. Different sensitivities to cadmium in tilapia larvae (Oreochromis mossambicus; teleostei). Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 29, 1–7 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00213078
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00213078