Journal of Environmental Biology

Assessing the health condition profile in the freshwater fish

Astyanax aeneus in Champoton river, Mexico

Patricia Trujillo-Jim?nez¹, Jacinto El?as Sede?o-D?az² and Eugenia L?pez-L?pez³*

¹Centro de Investigaciones Biol?gicas, Universidad Aut?noma del Estado de Morelos, Av. Universidad 1001, Col.

Chamilpa, C.P. 62209, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico

²Coordinaci?n Polit?cnica para la Sustentabilidad, IPN, Av. Instituto Polit?cnico Nacional s/n, esq. Wilfrido Massieu,

Col. Zacatenco, Mexico, D.F., 07738, Mexico

³Laboratorio de Ictiolog?a y Limnolog?a, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biol?gicas, IPN, Prol. de Carpio y

Plan de Ayala s/n, Col. Sto. Tom?s, Mexico, D.F., 11340 Mexico

*Corresponding Author E-mail: eulopez@ipn.mx

 Publication Data

Paper received:

14 April 2013

Revised received:

29 May 2013

Accepted:

05 September 2013

Abstract

The use of biomarkers for monitoring aquatic environmental quality has gained considerable interest worldwide. The effects of the environmental conditions of R?o Champot?n, M?xico, in the hotspot of Mesoamerica, were assessed in Astyanax aeneus, a native fish of the tropics of southwestern M?xico. Pollution from agrochemical residues is a major problem in R?o Champot?n. Three study sites along the freshwater portion of the river were monitored in April, July, and November 2007 and February 2008. This study includes a water quality index, a set of biomarkers (hepatic glycogen levels and lipid peroxidation in liver, gills, and muscle) to assess the integrated biomarker response, and population bioindicators (gonadosomatic and hepatosomatic indices and Fulton's condition factor). Although the water quality index suggested low level of contamination in the R?o Champot?n, biomarkers indicated that A. aeneus is exposed to stressors that impair biological responses. The integrated biomarker response showed stress periods with higher biomarker response and recovery periods with decreasing biomarker values. The somatic indices did not indicate severe effects at the population level. This study illustrates the usefulness of lipid peroxidation evaluation in the assessment of aquatic health conditions and corroborates the suitability of A. aeneus as a sentinel species.

Key words

Astyanax, Early warning biomarkers, Health condition assessment, Native fish, Rio Champoton

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