Dissimilar behavioral and spatial avoidance responses by shrimps from tropical and temperate environments exposed to copper

Abstract

Behavioral changes associated with exposure to pollutants represent the earliest response for organisms confronted by perceivable chemical signals. This study was carried out with the objective of evaluating behavioral responses associated with different scenarios of exposure to pollutants (non-forced vs forced) in two shrimp species (Penaeus vannamei and Palaemon varians), representative of different latitudes and using copper as a model contaminant. The effects on locomotion were evaluated by exposing the shrimps to a range of copper concentrations (0, 0.5, 5, 50, and 250 µg/L) in the forced scenario. After exposure, the movement patterns for each shrimp were recorded and used to estimate changes in the shrimps' locomotion. For the non-forced scenario, the avoidance response was assessed by placing shrimps in a multi-compartment system where they were able to move freely along a gradient of copper (0, 0.5, 5, 50, and 250 µg/L). In terms of locomotion, an opposite trend was observed between the species: movements were significantly reduced in P. varians with concentrations above 50 µg/L, while hyperactivity was observed for P. vannamei. When exposed to a gradient of copper in the multi-compartment system, both species significantly avoided the highest concentrations of copper, although the repellence of copper was stronger for P. vannamei. In summary, both species of shrimps were able to recognize and avoid copper; however, in terms of locomotion, they showed an opposite behavioral reaction. These results show that a contamination event can have different behavioral outcomes depending on the species and complementing forced and non-forced exposure with species-specific information can be helpful to characterize and predict the effects of contaminants at higher biological levels.