Effects of cadmium on the foraging behavior and growth of juvenile bluegill, Lepomis macrochirus

Abstract

Standardized test protocols for assessing chemical hazards to aquatic organisms inadequately consider behavioral effects of toxicants; yet, organisms behaving abnormally in the wild have reduced growth, reduced fitness, and high mortality. We determined the chronic effects of cadmium (0, 30, 60, 120, and 240 μg∙L−1) on juvenile bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) foraging behavior and growth rates in functional response experiments, each using different sized Daphnia as prey. Bluegill consumption rate increased with prey density. Cadmium-exposed fish initially attacked fewer prey per unit of time than unexposed fish, with subsequent recovery to control-level consumption rates determined by cadmium concentration and prey size. The degree of change (over time) in the number of Daphnia attacked per 30 s was the most consistently sensitive behavioral measure of sublethal stress in exposed bluegill; the lowest observed effect concentration (LOEC) was 37.3 μg Cd∙L−1. Effects on prey attack rates (attacks/30 s) were inversely related to prey size; cadmium had the greatest effect on bluegill foraging on the smallest prey. Cadmium had no effect on prey capture efficiency or handling time. Growth in bluegill length and weight was reduced (P ≤ 0.019) by all cadmium concentrations and was a more sensitive end point than were the foraging behaviors.