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Sublethal effects of atrazine on embryo-larval development of Rhinella arenarum (Anura: Bufonidae)

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Abstract

Atrazine (ATR), one of the most widely used herbicides in the world, affects not only target organisms but also the biota in general. Here, the teratogenic and neurotoxic effects of ATR on Rhinella arenarum (South American toad) embryos, and larvae were evaluated by means of standardized bioassays during acute and chronic exposures. The herbicide had a significant incidence of malformations, with a Teratogenic Index (TI) of 3.28. The main effects were delayed development, reduced body size, microcephaly, axial flexures, wavy tail and edema. In addition, delayed development, reduced development of forelimbs, and edema were recorded at metamorphosis stages. Scanning electron microscopy allowed observing different degrees of cellular dissociation and persistent cilliar cells in specific regions like the adhesive structure and tail fin. Results obtained by ATR 24 h pulse exposures at six developmental stages pointed out blastula as the most susceptible developmental stage both for immediate and delayed adverse effects. A noteworthy recovery capacity from acute toxic effects was recorded from the neural plate stage onwards. Regarding neurotoxic effects, abnormal, and erratic swimming and spasmodic contractions were recorded. Both the teratogenic and neurotoxic effects reported in this study demonstrate the importance of evaluating sublethal effects in non-target organisms as they could imply reduced fitness of individuals and eventually a population decline. The Hazard Quotients (HQ) for ATR ranged from 0.14 to 10.80, and the fact that some of these values are above USEPA’s level of concern indicate that ATR is likely a risk to R. arenarum.

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Acknowledgments

JH and CPC are scientists of the National Council of Science and Technology of Argentina (CONICET); GVS has a fellowship from CONICET. We thank Dr. Damian Marino for his help with the determinations of ATR in water and Dr. Julie Brodeur for technical assistance. We thank Fabian Tricarico for skilful technical assistance for SEM studies and the reviewers of the MS for very meaningful suggestions. This work was supported by PIP CONICET 5324, UNSAM SA project 08-02 and the ECOTOX grant from Fundación PROSAMA.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Salud. Fundación PROSAMA, 752 (1405), Paysandú, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Gabriela V. Svartz & Jorge Herkovits

  2. Instituto de Investigación e Ingeniería Ambiental-3iA (UNSAM), Belgrano, 3563 (1650), San Martín, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Cristina S. Pérez-Coll

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  1. Gabriela V. Svartz
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  2. Jorge Herkovits
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  3. Cristina S. Pérez-Coll
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Correspondence to Jorge Herkovits.

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Svartz, G.V., Herkovits, J. & Pérez-Coll, C.S. Sublethal effects of atrazine on embryo-larval development of Rhinella arenarum (Anura: Bufonidae). Ecotoxicology 21, 1251–1259 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10646-012-0880-9

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