Photosensitivity of hill stream fishes with retene photosensitizer Chowdhary Naveed, Aara Rifhat, Shukla Varsha, Kumar Sunil* Environmental Toxicology Laboratory, Department of Zoology, D. A. V. (P. G.) College, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India *Corresponding author
Online published on 24 May, 2018. Abstract Increase in UVR as a result of global emissions of ozone depleting substances has caused a devastating effect on the climate change and weather conditions. Solar radiation is essential to life on earth but its UV component may also damage both living organisms and non-living matter. Cold water fishes refer to those members of the family cyprinidae which inhabit streams, rivers, upland lakes and reservoirs having water temperature below 25 ºC. UV radiation is one of the most common environmental health hazards that cause highly toxic effects in most living organism due to destruction of ozone layer which result in UV induced problems. Ultraviolet radiation is the most photochemically reactive wavelength of solar energy reaching the surface of the earth, and has a broad range of effects on aquatic biota, and ecosystems. Natural photosensitizer in environment may get into aquatic ecosystem and the combined effect with UV rays cause deleterious effects. Therefore a study has been designed to see the effect of retene on selected hillstream fishes in presence of solar and artificial UV-B radiation. Biochemical and enzymological parameter were recorded which includes motality, glutathione, catalase, glucose-6-phosphatase and lipid peroxidation. Phototoxicity of retene with ultraviolet is attributed to generation of reactive oxygen species and hydrogen peroxide radicals. Artificial UV-B is more toxic than solar radiation. Tor tor was found more sensitive than Barilius bendelisis followed by Nemacheilus rupicola as indicated by mortality rate, lipidperoxidation and enzymological parameters. Enhanced UV radiation and pollution indirectly affect hill stream fishes, aquatic biodiversity and mountain ecosystem productivity. Top Keywords Phototoxicity, UVR, Retene, Barilius, Nemacheilus, Tor, Aquatic Ecosystem. Top |