The Use of Zebrafish (Danio rerio) Behavioral Responses in Identifying Sublethal Exposures to Deltamethrin

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Yi Huang¹  Jinsong Zhang¹  Xiaobo Han² 

[1] School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi’an 710043, China; E-Mails:;Shenzhen Water (Group) Co., Ltd., Shenzhen 518031, China; E-Mail:

关键词: behavioral response;    bio-monitoring;    zebrafish;    hyperactivity;    surfacing;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijerph110403650

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Alterations of fish behavioral responses are sensitive indicators to identify accidental chemical pollution. In this research, a series of exposure tests were conducted to investigate behavioral changes of adult zebrafish (Danio rerio) exposed to deltamethrin (DM) in six concentrations of 0, 0.15, 1.5, 3.75, 7.5 and 15 μg/L. Swimming changes in zebrafish were detected at a concentration as low as 1% of the LC_50-24h within five hours. Hyperactivity was the first response, followed by a second response of fish surfacing. The change patterns of swimming speed in zebrafish were similar in all exposure groups, but the degree increased with increasing concentrations. Swimming speed and depth were altered within the first two hours after exposure, which was regarded as the most vital phase for water quality monitoring. The duration of hyperactivity and the time of zebrafish surfacing were both logarithmically correlated with exposure concentrations, which was helpful to distinguish the level of pollution.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2014 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.