Effect of sub-acute exposure of copper sulphate on oxygen consumption and scaphognathite oscillations of fresh water prawn Macrobrachium lamarrei (Crustacea-Decapoda)

Heavy metal pollution is the out come of population explosion, unplanned industrialization and various natural processes like soil erosion, weathering of rocks and volcanic erruption across the globe. Heavy metals after entering into environment ultimately finds their way into aquatic ecosystem and affects aquatic flora and fauna as well as human beings. Copper, though an essential micronutrient, when present in excess causes various deleterious effects on aqatic flora and fauna by altering their behaviour, physiology and histoarchitecture. Smaller fresh water prawns are important members of aquatic food chain and having economical as well as medicinal value. Noninvasive parameters like behavioural patterns, scaphognathite oscillations, haemocytie profile , heart beat rate and oxygen consumption rate etc. can be used to assess environmental impact without sacrificing the animal. Present study deals with the effect of copper sulphate (0.075 mg/L , 25% of 96 h LC 50) on oxygen consumption rate and scaphognathite oscillations of fresh water prawn, Macrobrachium lamarrei (Crustacea-Decapoda) for 10, 20 and 30 day exposure. oxygen consumption was found continous decreasing upto 30 days ( F = 35.35,p? 0.01 ) than controls whereas scaphognathite oscillations were decreased after 10 days, thereafter further increased after 20 days and finally tend to decrease after 30 days ( F= 0.74, p ? 0.05 ) than controls. Mechanism of copper toxicity in reference to respiration ; role of both noninvasive parameters as biomarkers and role of M. lamarrei as bioindicator in relation to heavy metal copper has also been discussed.