Spring water quality monitoring using multiple bioindicators from multiple collection sites

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to examine the water quality of the Extrema River spring in a Brazilian Cerrado area. Three collection sites (P1 − P3) were sampled in the dry and rainy seasons, which are close to industries from different sectors. In the physicochemical analysis, a decrease in dissolved oxygen levels (<5 mg/L) and pH (< 6) at P3 was detected. An increase in heterotrophic bacteria count was recorded at all sites (> 500 colonies/ml). In ecotoxicological analyses, P2 and P3 exhibited toxicity using Vibrio fischeri (> 20%). In evaluating toxicity, the reduction in seed germination was significant utilizing Lactuca sativa at all locations and with Allium cepa only at P2; rootlet length was decreased at P3 on L. sativa and at all sites with A. cepa. In contrast, loss of membrane integrity and mitochondrial function of meristems was adversely affected at all locations using both L. sativa and A. cepa assays. Principal components analysis (PCA) approach indicated that seasonality apparently did not markedly interfere with the obtained data, but it is important to include more collection locations to be evaluated with multiple bioindicators in the spring region. Our data indicate the urgent need for more rigorous programs to monitor the discharge of effluents into water springs.

KEYWORDS:

• Allium cepa
• Cerrado
• industrial effluents
• Lactuca sativa
• Vibrio fischeri

Acknowledgments

We thank Fabrício Barreto Teresa and Jordana Borges Campos for their technical support and the company JKlab Produtos Laboratoriais for donating the Aquacult kit. This research was funded by Programa Pesquisa para o SUS: gestão compartilhada em saúde – PPSUS (grant number PPSUS proc. 202110267000295), namely Ministério da Saúde (MS), Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Goiás (FAPEG), and Secretaria de Estado da Saúde (SES-GO); and by Universidade Estadual de Goiás (UEG; Pró-Projetos, grant number 202100020012836). IRS (edital UEG n. 02/2021) and INMS were supported by a scholarship from UEG. CFCC was supported by Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) student fellowship (88887.483362/2020-00).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Data availability statement

The authors confirm that the data supporting the findings of this study are available within the article and/or its supplementary materials.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/15287394.2023.2246507

Additional information

Funding

The work was supported by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior [88887.483362/2020-00]; Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Goiás [PPSUS proc. 202110267000295]; Universidade Estadual de Goiás [Pró-Projetos 202100020012836].