BEHAVIOURAL CHANGES IN FISH DUE TO PESTICIDE TOXICITY

AIM: To study the behavioural changes in the fish due to pesticide toxicity.

Method: Srivastava, P . Singh, A and Pandey, A.K.2016. Pesticides Toxicity in Fishes:

biochemical, physiological and genotoxic aspects. 199-218.

Introduction:

Various pesticides such as insecticides, herbicides, fungicides etc. are being used
intensively in agriculture leading to numerous health-related problems due to indiscriminate
applications of the same. These chemicals affect almost every system of environment especially
aquatic ecosystems. Pesticides residues reach into the aquatic environment by surface run-off
causing risk hazards for aquatic flora and fauna, fishes being one of the most affected organism.
These residues enter in non-targeted animals via food chain threatening the ecological balance
and biodiversity of the nature. Long-term exposure of pesticides induces physiological
disturbances, behavioural dysfunctions, histopathological damages, haematological alterations,
biochemical changes, immune-suppression, hormone disruption, diminished intelligence,
reproductive abnormalities and cancer. Fishes serve as important bio-indicators for aquatic
contamination to access the changes caused by human activities effectively and reliable monitoring
bio-system to recognize and predict hazardous effects of pollutants. Since fish are rich sources of
proteins and lipids, their health is very important for human. Dominant species in an area are
most important indicators as they receive the full impact of the habitat for over longer periods.

Procedure:

Twenty fishes were taken and they are devided in to two groups. The first group (10
fish ) was considered as control. The second group is called as experimenrtal group. Theses
animals were exposed to a pesticide at 1 ppm. After treatments behavioural changes will be
recorded by using the following check list.

1. Coughing—flaring of the operculum followed by rapid closure in an attempt to

dislodge an irritant from the gills, which is suggestive of gill disease.
2. Flashing—rubbing against objects, which is suggestive of an ectoparasitic infestation.
3. Piping—gulping air at the surface, indicating hypoxia due to oxygen-poor water, gill disease, or
anemia.
4. Circling (controlled) or whirling (uncontrolled)—suggestive of blindness and neurologic
disease, respectively.
5. Drifting—aimless, unpropelled motion indicative of weakness and imminent death.
6. Abnormal posture—floating at the surface, which may suggest disorders such as
swim bladder or neurologic disease. Or in the case of goldfish, a lack of fiber in flake food diets
often results in poor intestinal motility, resulting in air accumulating in the intestines. This air
causes the fish to float abnormally at the surface.
Results

S.No. Parameter Observed Not observed

1 Caughing
2 Flashing
3 Piping
4 Circling
5 Drifting
6 Abnormal posture
7 Eye irritation
8 Itching
9 Feeding
10 Reduced activity

Discussion:

Fish is directly affected by different pesticides. Pesticides induce different types of toxicity
in fish, lead changes in fish behaviour such as rendering fish sluggish and alter their
swimming ability making them more susceptible to be preyed, reduce their ability to feed,
maintain their position and defend their territories. Behaviour provides a unique perspective
linking between physiology and ecology of an organism to its environment. Behaviour
allows an organism to adjust to external and internal stimuli in order to adapt environmental
variables. Selective evolutionary processes have conserved stable behavioural patterns in
concert with morphological and physiological adaptations. Since behaviour is not a random
process, but instead of it, is a highly structural and predictable sequence of activities design
to ensure maximal fitness and survival of the individual. Fish are able to uptake and retain
different toxicants dissolve in water via active or passive processes. Sub-lethal
concentrations of pesticides in aquatic environments cause structural and functional changes
in aquatic organisms and this is more common than mortality.

Behavioural modification is one of the most sensitive indicators of environmental

stress and may affect survival . Alterations in fish behaviour, particularly in non-migratory
species, can also provide important indices for ecosystem assessment. The use of
behavioural and morphological changes in fish is a diagnostic end-point for screening and
differentiating chemicals according to their mode of action. Behavioural changes have been
observed due to bioaccumulation of xenobiotics in aquatic species cause major threat to
aquatic life. Many fish species show uptake and accumulation of many contaminants such as
pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heavy metals..
Aquatic contaminations of pesticides cause acute and chronic poisoning of fish and other
organisms. Pesticides damage vital organs and skeletal system and also cause behavioural
changes of the exposed fish. It has been observed that hindrance in acetylcholineterase
activity during pesticides exposure cause disruption in the learned behaviour in fish that
affect the survival and ultimately lead mortality. It indicates that the compounds, which
inhibit cholinesterase activity, are also disrupting the performance of learned behaviour.
Interruption in the schooling behaviour of fish such as dangling, erratic and irregular
movements and disturbed swimming have been observed due to inhibition in activity of
acetylcholinesterase in Clarias batrachus under exposure of propiconazole and mancozeb.
This phenomenon makes fishes more susceptible, vulnerable to diseases, secondary
infections and pathogens and easily preyed. Catla catla shows in increased movements of
opercula, rapid jerk movement, equilibrium loss, body colour alterations, frequent surfacing
and elevated mucus secretion under the effect of methyl parathion. Cypermethrin cause
darting, erratic and irregular swimming movements, equilibrium loss, hyperexcitability and
sinking to bottom in Labeo rohita). Certain behavioural changes such as hypoexcitability,
darting and erratic movements and imbalance swimming in have been observed due to the
exposure of sodium cyanide . There are many other studies which confirm behavioural
changes in fish due to pesticides accumulation in tissues and blood.