Effects of glyphosate on ovarian maturation of Neohelice granulata adults females.

AVIGLIANO LUCIANA; RODRÍGUEZ ENRIQUE M

Buenos Aires

Congreso; SETAC Latin America 11th Biennial Meeting; 2015

Setac LA

An in vivo, semistatic bioassay was carried out during the entire pre-reproductive season (92 days) of adult females of the estuarine crab Neohelice granulata (10.42 ± 00.14 g of body weight). Fifteen females were assigned to each of the following glyphosate (acid form) nominal concentrations: 0.1, 1 and 2.5 mg/L. A dilution water control group was also run. Each female was placed in a glass recipient filled with 400 mL of artificial saline water (12 g/L), pH was always set at 7.8 ± 0.1. Continuous water aeration, as well as controlled conditions of temperature (22 ºC) and photoperiod (14:10 L:D) were maintained throughout. During the assay, animals were fed two times a week with food pellets and fresh leaves of Elodea sp ad libitum. Replacement of test solutions was made twice a week. At the end of the assay, ovaries from all females were dissected, weighed and fixed for histological analysis, in order to quantify the proportion of each oocyte type in the ovary (pre-vitellogenic, intermediate or vitellogenic), as well as the proportion of reabsorbed oocytes. The gonadosomatic index (ovarian weight/ body weight x 100) of females exposed to any glyphosate concentration was lower than that of control, although significant (p< 0.05) differences were found only at the highest glyphosate concentration.Correspondingly, at this concentration a significantly (p< 0.05) lower proportion of vitellogenic oocyte was observed, compared to control, together with a significantly (p< 0.05) higher increase in the proportion of reabsorbed oocytes. These results stress the risk of glyphosate (as active principle of any commercial formulation) to the reproductive potential of the wild crustacean species studied.