Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Acute and Sublethal Toxicities of Rotenone in Juvenile Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss): Swimming Performance and Oxygen Consumption

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

Abstract

Rotenone, a natural insecticide and piscicide, was shown to have an extremely small margin between no lethality (5.0 μg/L) and 100% mortality (6.6 μg/L) for static-renewal 96-hour toxicity tests with juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) at concentrations of 3.0 and 4.0 mg/L significantly increased the rotenone 96-hour LC50 (median lethal concentration) from 5.80 μg/L (confidence interval (CI) 5.51 to 6.10) to 6.55 μg/L (CI 6.28 to 6.83) and 7.75 μg/L (CI 7.29 to 8.24), respectively, probably as a result of rotenone adsorption onto DOC, which decreased its bioavailability. Using concentrations of 0, 3.0, 4.0, and 5.0 μg/L rotenone and exposure periods of 2, 4, 6, 12, 16, 24, and 48 hours, the threshold concentration of rotenone for impairment of critical swimming performance (Ucrit) was 3.0 μg/L (P = 0.029), with no further impairment at higher concentrations and no time-dependent effect on Ucrit. Using continuous measures of oxygen uptake for 48 hours before and 48 hours during rotenone exposure (0, 1.5, 2.5, 3.0, and 3.5 μg/L), rotenone significantly decreased peak active oxygen uptake at all rotenone concentrations tested without affecting routine oxygen uptake. Fish were individually chased and then placed in rotenone concentrations of 0, 1.0, 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, and 6.0 μg/L to monitor initial postexercise oxygen uptake (Mo2Max) and excess postexercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) during a 40-minute recovery period. Rotenone significantly decreased Mo2Max (P = 0.002) after exposures to 4.0 and 5.0 μg/L, but not 6.0 μg/L, without affecting EPOC.

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.
Fig. 3.
Fig. 4.
Fig. 5.
Fig. 6.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • American Fisheries Society (2000) Fish Management Chemicals Subcommittee Task Force on Fishery Chemicals. Am Fish Soc 25:22–23

    Google Scholar 

  • American Public Health Association, American Water Works Association, and Water Pollution Control Federation (1976 and 1989). Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater, 4th and 17th eds. American Public Health Association, Washington, DC

  • Weber LJ (ed) 1982 Aquatic toxicology. Vol. 2. Raven, New York, NY

    Google Scholar 

  • Beamish FWH (1978) Swimming capacity. In: Hoar WS, Randall DJ, Brett JR (eds) Fish Physiology. Academic Press, New York, pp101–118

    Google Scholar 

  • Bradbury A (1986) Rotenone and trout stocking. Department of Game, Fisheries Management Division, Washington, DC, Report No. 86–2

  • Brauner CJ, Val AL, Randall DJ (1993) The effect of graded methaemoglobin levels on the swimming performance of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). J Exp Biol 185:121–135

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Brett JR (1964) The respiratory metabolism and swimming performance of young sockeye salmon. J Fish Res Board Can 21:1183–1226

    Google Scholar 

  • Brett JR (1967) Swimming performance of sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) in relation to fatigue time and temperature. J Fish Res Board Can 24:1731–1741

    Google Scholar 

  • Brooks GA, Gaesser GA (1980) End points of lactate and glucose metabolism after exhausting exercise. J Appl Physiol 49:1057–1069

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cairns J (1966) Don’t be half-safe—The current revolution in bioassay techniques. English Extension Series Volume 1221. Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, pp 559–567

    Google Scholar 

  • Dawson VK, Gingerich WH, Davis RA, Gilderhus PA (1991) Rotenone persistence in freshwater ponds: Effects of temperature and sediment adsorption. North Am J Fish Manage 11226–11231

    Google Scholar 

  • Durham WF (1987) Toxicology of insecticides, rodenticides, herbicides, and fungicides. In: Haley TJ, Bernde WO (eds) Handbook of toxicology. Hemisphere, New York, NY, p 374

    Google Scholar 

  • Engstrom-Heg R (1972) Kinetics of rotenone-potassium permanganate reactions as applied to the protection of trout streams. N Y Fish Game J 19:47–58

    Google Scholar 

  • Engstrom-Heg R, Colesante RT (1979) Predicting rotenone degradation in lakes and ponds. N Y Fish Game J 26:22–36

    Google Scholar 

  • Extension Toxicology Network (Extoxnet) of Oregon State University (1996) Pesticide information profiles: Rotenone. Available at: http://www.ace.ace.orst.edu/info/extoxnet/pips/rotenone.htm. Accessed June 20, 2003

  • Fajt JR, Grizzle JM (1993) Oral toxicity of rotenone for common carp. Trans Am Fish Soc 122:302–304

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fajt JR, Grizzle JM (1998) Blood respiratory changes in common carp exposed to a lethal concentration of rotenone. Trans Am Fish So. 127:512–516

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Farrell AP, Gamperl AK, Birtwell IK (1998) Prolonged swimming, recovery and repeat swimming performance of mature sockeye salmon Oncorhynchus nerka exposed to moderate hypoxia and pentachlorophenol. J Exp Biol 201:2183–2193

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Finlayson BJ, Schnick RA, Cailteux RL, DeMong L, Horton WD, McClay W, et al. (2000) Rotenone use in fisheries management: Administrative and technical guidelines manual. American Fisheries Society, Bethesda, MD

    Google Scholar 

  • Fukami JI, Shishido T, Fukunaga K, Casida JE (1969) Oxidative metabolism of rotenone in mammals, fish, and insects. J Agric Food Chem 17:1217–1226

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fukami J, Yamamoto I, Casida JE (1967) Metabolism of rotenone in vitro by tissue homogenates from mammals and insects. Science 155:713–716

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Garrett RH, Grisham CM (1999) Biochemistry, 2nd ed. Harcourt Brace College Publishers, Fort Worth, TX, pp 681–685

    Google Scholar 

  • Gilderhus PA, Dawson VK, Allen JL (1988) Deposition and persistence of rotenone in shallow ponds during cold and warm seasons. United States Fish and Wildlife Service Investigations in Fish Control 95:1–7

    Google Scholar 

  • Gingerich WH, Rach JJ (1985) Uptake, biotransformation, and elimination of rotenone by bluegills. Aquat Toxicol 6:179–196

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Goolish EM (1989) The scaling aerobic and anaerobic muscle power in rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri). J Exp Biol 147:493–505

    Google Scholar 

  • Graham MS, Wood CM, Turner JD (1982) The physiologic responses of the rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) to strenuous exercise: Interactions of water hardness and environmental acidity. Can J Zool 60:3153–3164

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gundel M, Leisner H, Penzlin H (1992) Inhibitory effects of insecticides on the oxygen uptake of isolated cockroach ganglia. In: Otto D, Webber B (eds) Insecticides: Mechanism of action and resistance. Athenaeum Press, Andover, England, pp 257–262

    Google Scholar 

  • Haley TJ (1978) A review of the literature of rotenone 1,2,12,12a-tetrahydro-8,9-dimethoxy-2-(1-methylethenyl)-1-benzopyrano[3,5-b]furo[2,3-h][1]benzopyran-6(6h)-one. J Environ Pathol Toxicol 1:315–337

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hayes WJ, Laws ER (eds) (1991) Rotenone and related materials. In: Handbook of pesticide toxicology. Academic, New York, NY, pp 599–603

  • Heath AG (1995) Water pollution and fish physiology. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, pp 359

    Google Scholar 

  • Holcombe GW, Phipps GL, Sulaiman AH, Hoffman AD (1987) Simultaneous multiple species testing: Acute toxicity of 13 chemicals to 12 diverse freshwater amphibian, fish, and invertebrate families. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 16:697–710

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jain KE, Hamilton JC, Farrell AP (1997) Use of a ramp velocity test to measure critical swimming speed in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Comp Biochem Physiol A 117:441–444

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jain KE, Birtwell IK, Farrell AP (1998) Repeat swimming performance of mature sockeye salmon following a brief recovery period: A proposed measure of fish health and water quality. Can J Zool 76:1488–1496

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Janz DM, Farrell AP, Morgan JD, Vigers GA (1991) Acute physiologic stress responses of juvenile Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) to sublethal concentrations of Garlon 4, Garlon 3A, and Vision herbicides. J Environ Toxicol Chem 10:81–90

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jones DR, Kiceniuk JW, Bamford OS (1974) Evaluation of the swimming performance of several fish species from the Mackenzie River. J Fish Res Board Can 31:1641–1647

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee CG, Farrell AP, Lotto A, MacNutt MJ, Hinch SG, Healey MC (2003) The effect of temperature on swimming performance and oxygen consumption in adult sockeye (Oncorhynchus nerka) and coho (O. kisutch) salmon stocks. J Exp Biol 206:3239–3251

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ling N (2003) Rotenone—A review of its toxicity and use for fisheries management. Sci Conserv 211:1–40

    Google Scholar 

  • Mackay DM (1991) Multimedia environmental models: The fugacity approach. Lewis, Chelsea, MI

    Google Scholar 

  • MacKinnon DL, Farrell AP (1992) The effect of 2-(thiocyanomethylthio) benzothiazole on juvenile coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch): Sublethal toxicity testing. Environ Toxicol Chem 11:1541–1548

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Marking LL (1992) Evaluation of toxicants for the control of carp and other nuisance fishes. Fisheries 17:6–12

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McClay W (2000) Rotenone use in North America (1988–1997). Fisheries 25:15–21

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mehrle PM, Mayer FL (1984) Biochemistry/physiology. In: Rand GM, Petrocelli SR (eds) Fundamentals of aquatic toxicology: Methods and application. Washington, NY: Hemisphere, 264–274

    Google Scholar 

  • Milligan CL, McDonald DG (1988) In vivo lactate kinetics at rest and during recovery from exhaustive exercise in Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) and starry flounder (Platichthys stellatus). J Exp Biol 135:119–131

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • National Research Council (1983) Drinking water and health. Volume 5. National Academy Press, Washington, DC, pp 2–54

    Google Scholar 

  • Niemi GJ, Bradbury SP, McKim JM (1991) The use of fish physiology literature for predicting fish acute toxicity syndromes. In: Mayes MA, Barron MG (eds) Aquatic Toxicology and Risk Assessment. Special Technical Publication 1124, Vol.14. ASTM, Philadelphia, PA, pp 245–260

  • Nikl D, Farrell AP (1993) Decreased swimming performance and gill structural changes in juvenile salmonids exposed to 2-(thiocyanomethylthio)benzothiazole. Aquat Toxicol 27:245–264

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Perry JW, Conway MW (1977) Rotenone induced blood respiratory changes in the green sunfish, Lepomis cyanellus. Comp Biochem Physiol C 56:123–126

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pest Management Regulatory Agency Re-evaluation Program: April 2005 to June 2009. Available at: http://www.pmra-arla.gc.ca/english/pdf/rev/rev2005-04-e.pdf. Accessed: November 3, 2005

  • Phipps GL, Holcombe GW (1985) A method for aquatic multiple species toxicant testing: Acute toxicity of 10 chemicals to 5 vertebrates and 2 invertebrates. USEPA Environ Pollut Ser A 38:141–157

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ray DE (1991) Pesticides derived from plants and other organisms. In: Hayes WJ Jr, Laws ER Jr (eds) Handbook of pesticide toxicology. Academic, New York, NY, pp 2–3

    Google Scholar 

  • Sariaslani FS, Beale JM Jr, Rosazza JP (1984) Oxidation of rotenone by Polyporus anceps laccase. J Nat Prod 47:692–697

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sariaslani FS, Rosazza JP (1985) Biotransformations of 1′,2′-dihydrorotenone by Streptomyces griseus. Appl Environ Microbiol 49:451–452

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Scheiner SM, Gurevitch J (1993) Design and analysis of ecologic experiments. Section 3.3.5. Chapman and Hall, London

  • Schnick RA (1974) A review of the literature on use of rotenone in fisheries. United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Literature Review. 74-15 NTIS (National Technical Information Service) PB-235 454/AS, Springfield, VA

  • Singer TP, Ramsay RR (1994) The reaction sites of rotenone and ubiquinone with mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase. Biochim Biophys Acta 1187:198–202

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Skadsen JM, Webb PW, Kostecki PT (1980) Measurement of sublethal metabolic stress in rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) using automated respirometry. J Environ Sci Health B 15:193–206

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sprague JB (1971) Measurement of pollutant toxicity to fish: III. Sublethal effects and “safe” concentrations. Water Res 5:245–266

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Turner JD, Wood CM, Clark D (1983) Lactate and protein dynamics in the rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri). J Exp Biol 104:247–268

    Google Scholar 

  • United States Environmental Protection Agency Pesticides Reregistration. Schedule for reregistration and tolerance reassessment. Available at: http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/reregistration/decision_schedule.htm. Accessed: November 3, 2005

  • United States Environmental Protection Agency (1996) Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances (7101) EPA 712-C-96-118 April 1996, Ecologic Effects Test: Freshwater and Marine, 850.1075 (Public Draft)

  • United States National Library of Medicine (1995) Hazardous substances databank. Bethesda, MD, pp 2–24

    Google Scholar 

  • Webb PW (1975) Hydrodynamics and energetics of fish propulsion. Bull Fish Res Board Can 190:1–158

    Google Scholar 

  • Wendt C (1965) Liver and muscle glycogen and blood lactate in hatchery-reared Salmo salar L. following exercise in winter and summer. Institute of Freshwater Research, Drottningholm, Report 46, pp 167–184

  • Willis K, Ling N (2000) Sensitivities of mosquitofish and black mudfish to a piscicide: Could rotenone be used to control mosquitofish in New Zealand wetlands? NZ J Zool 27:85–91

    Google Scholar 

  • Yamamoto I (1970) Mode of ACTION of pyrethroids, nicotinoids, and rotenoids. Ann Rev Entomol 15:257–272

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yamamoto I, Unai T, Ohkawa H, Casida JE (1971) Stereochemical considerations in the formation and biologic activity of rotenone metabolites. Pestic Biochem Physiol 1:143–150

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. We thank Dr. Kurt Gamperl for the loan of the swim tunnel respirometer.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Plant Product Division, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, 2 Constellation Crescent, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0Y9, Canada

    W. W. Cheng

  2. Department of Zoology and Faculty of Land and Food Systems, University of British Columbia, 2357 Main Mall, UBC, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada

    A. P. Farrell

Authors
  1. W. W. Cheng
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. A. P. Farrell
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to A. P. Farrell.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Cheng, W.W., Farrell, A.P. Acute and Sublethal Toxicities of Rotenone in Juvenile Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss): Swimming Performance and Oxygen Consumption. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 52, 388–396 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-006-0051-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-006-0051-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation