Mercury biomagnification in the food chain of a piscivorous turtle species (Testudines: Chelidae: Chelus fimbriata) in the Central Amazon, Brazil.

Due to their natural history and ecological attributes, turtles are excellent organisms for studies of heavy metal contamination. Turtles have a large geographical distribution, occupy different aquatic habitats, and occupy various trophic levels. The present study investigated mercury bioaccumulation in the carnivorous chelonian Chelus fimbriata (Matamata turtle) and Hg biomagnification in relation to its aquatic food chain in the middle Rio Negro, AM-Brazil.

Potential of the Biotic Ligand Model (BLM) to Predict Copper Toxicity in the White-Water of the Solimões-Amazon River.

In this study, we evaluated the capacity of the Biotic Ligand Model (BLM) to predict copper toxicity in white-waters of the Solimões-Amazon River. LC tests using the species Otocinclus vittatus (Regan, 1904) were performed with Solimões-Amazon river water (100%) at 20%, 40%, 60%, and 80% dilutions. A sevenfold decrease in both dissolved and total Cu toxicity was observed in the experiment conducted with 100% when compared to 20% white-water, indicating that physicochemical characteristics of white-water attenuate Cu toxicity.

Linking hematological, biochemical, genotoxic, and behavioral responses to crude oil in the Amazon fish Colossoma macropomum (Cuvier, 1816).

Despite safety protocols, crude oil extraction and transportation in the Amazon basin has a potential for inadvertent oil spills, which can impact aquatic organisms in local rivers. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of crude oil on juvenile Amazonian fish tambaqui, Colossoma macropomum, at various biological levels. Furthermore, the effect of crude oil on response to alarm substance, an important communication system in fish, was reported for the first time.