Effects of pH and nitrites on the toxicity of a cypermetrin-based pesticide to shrimps

The Pantanal (Brazil) is a wetland region characterized by seasonal flooding. Hydrological cycles influence the water physicochemical parameters, causing seasonal variations in pH and nitrites. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of varying pH and nitrite concentrations on the toxicity of the cypermethrin-based pesticide Barrage®, considering both lethal (mortality) and sublethal endpoints (growth and development). Larvae of the endemic shrimp Macrobrachium pantanalense and of the estuarine Amazonian congener Macrobrachium amazonicum were exposed to cypermethrin (through Barrage®) under several pH levels (6.5, 7.5 and 8.5) or nitrite concentrations (0.1, 0.2 and 0.4 mg/L). The pH had direct effects on all the tested endpoints for both species. For M. pantanalense, the lethal effects of the cypermethrin formulation were more pronounced at low pH (96-h LC₅₀ = 0.004 μg/L at pH 6.5, and 0.146 μg/L at pH 8.5). For M. amazonicum, an opposite response was observed, with increased toxicity of the formulation at high pH (96-h LC₅₀ = 0.110 μg/L at pH 6.5 and 0.044 μg/L at pH 8.5). Variations in pH also seemed to modify the sublethal effects of the formulation on larval growth and development of M. pantanalense. Nitrite concentrations affected larval growth of both species, modifying also the effects of the cypermethrin formulation on the larval development of M. amazonicum. This work shows the importance of considering abiotic factors for risk assessment either due to possible direct effects on the physiology of organisms and/or due to interactions with other stressors, particularly in fragile biomes such as Pantanal.