Ecotoxicology of Potamotrygoninae freshwater stingrays: bioaccumulation, toxicological risks, and conservation implications

Obligate freshwater stingrays of the Potamotrygoninae subfamily are endemic to South America and confined to freshwater systems heavily impacted by anthropogenic activities. These pressures often lead to habitat degradation, with unknown impacts on these species’ physiology, behavior, ecology, and s...

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Main Authors: Neuciane Dias Barbosa, Natascha Wosnick, Ana Paula Chaves, Eloísa Pinheiro Giareta, Renata Daldin Leite, Patricia Charvet, Rachel Ann Hauser-Davis
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-06-01
Series:Frontiers in Marine Science
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2025.1582093/full
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author Neuciane Dias Barbosa
Neuciane Dias Barbosa
Natascha Wosnick
Natascha Wosnick
Natascha Wosnick
Ana Paula Chaves
Eloísa Pinheiro Giareta
Renata Daldin Leite
Patricia Charvet
Rachel Ann Hauser-Davis
author_facet Neuciane Dias Barbosa
Neuciane Dias Barbosa
Natascha Wosnick
Natascha Wosnick
Natascha Wosnick
Ana Paula Chaves
Eloísa Pinheiro Giareta
Renata Daldin Leite
Patricia Charvet
Rachel Ann Hauser-Davis
author_sort Neuciane Dias Barbosa
collection DOAJ
description Obligate freshwater stingrays of the Potamotrygoninae subfamily are endemic to South America and confined to freshwater systems heavily impacted by anthropogenic activities. These pressures often lead to habitat degradation, with unknown impacts on these species’ physiology, behavior, ecology, and survival. Given the increasing pollution of aquatic environments and potential lethal and sublethal effects on exposed biota, this study aimed to review the state of knowledge on the ecotoxicology of species within the Potamotrygoninae subfamily, which includes four genera, namely Heliotrygon, Paratrygon, Plesiotrygon, and Potamotrygon. A systematic review of peer-reviewed articles published in English retrieved seven studies, all focused on Potamotrygon genus stingrays. To date, no investigations have been conducted on species from the other three genera. Five of the reviewed studies focused on the evaluation of metals and metalloids, predominantly assessing mercury in muscle tissue. Additionally, two manually included studies addressed other contaminants, one examined plastic contamination in the intestinal tract of Potamotrygon leopoldi, and the other analyzed morphological deformities in Potamotrygon marquesi, potentially linked to chemical contamination. Some studies focused on human health risk assessments, as freshwater stingrays are routinely consumed by humans in several of their distribution areas. No biomarker assessments have been conducted to date, further restricting evaluations of the species’ health and resilience to environmental stressors. The recovered studies were conducted in four South American countries, with most carried out in Brazil. Knowledge gaps and future research directions are discussed, alongside details of the studies conducted to date.
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spelling doaj-art-dbbebba3cbf048de9e584743cfe004952025-08-20T02:05:21ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Marine Science2296-77452025-06-011210.3389/fmars.2025.15820931582093Ecotoxicology of Potamotrygoninae freshwater stingrays: bioaccumulation, toxicological risks, and conservation implicationsNeuciane Dias Barbosa0Neuciane Dias Barbosa1Natascha Wosnick2Natascha Wosnick3Natascha Wosnick4Ana Paula Chaves5Eloísa Pinheiro Giareta6Renata Daldin Leite7Patricia Charvet8Rachel Ann Hauser-Davis9Programa de Pós-graduação em Biodiversidade e Saúde, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, BrazilLaboratório de Avaliação e Promoção da Saúde Ambiental, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, BrazilAssociação MarBrasil, Pontal do Paraná, BrazilPrograma de Pós-graduação em Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, BrazilThe Cape Eleuthera Institute, Eleuthera, BahamasPrograma de Pós Graduação em Toxicologia, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo (FCFRP/USP), São Paulo, BrazilAssociação MarBrasil, Pontal do Paraná, BrazilAssociação MarBrasil, Pontal do Paraná, BrazilPrograma de Pós-Graduação em Sistemática, Uso e Conservação da Biodiversidade, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, BrazilLaboratório de Avaliação e Promoção da Saúde Ambiental, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, BrazilObligate freshwater stingrays of the Potamotrygoninae subfamily are endemic to South America and confined to freshwater systems heavily impacted by anthropogenic activities. These pressures often lead to habitat degradation, with unknown impacts on these species’ physiology, behavior, ecology, and survival. Given the increasing pollution of aquatic environments and potential lethal and sublethal effects on exposed biota, this study aimed to review the state of knowledge on the ecotoxicology of species within the Potamotrygoninae subfamily, which includes four genera, namely Heliotrygon, Paratrygon, Plesiotrygon, and Potamotrygon. A systematic review of peer-reviewed articles published in English retrieved seven studies, all focused on Potamotrygon genus stingrays. To date, no investigations have been conducted on species from the other three genera. Five of the reviewed studies focused on the evaluation of metals and metalloids, predominantly assessing mercury in muscle tissue. Additionally, two manually included studies addressed other contaminants, one examined plastic contamination in the intestinal tract of Potamotrygon leopoldi, and the other analyzed morphological deformities in Potamotrygon marquesi, potentially linked to chemical contamination. Some studies focused on human health risk assessments, as freshwater stingrays are routinely consumed by humans in several of their distribution areas. No biomarker assessments have been conducted to date, further restricting evaluations of the species’ health and resilience to environmental stressors. The recovered studies were conducted in four South American countries, with most carried out in Brazil. Knowledge gaps and future research directions are discussed, alongside details of the studies conducted to date.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2025.1582093/fullcontaminationecotoxicologyfreshwater batoidshuman health risksmetals and metalloidspotamotrygonins
spellingShingle Neuciane Dias Barbosa
Neuciane Dias Barbosa
Natascha Wosnick
Natascha Wosnick
Natascha Wosnick
Ana Paula Chaves
Eloísa Pinheiro Giareta
Renata Daldin Leite
Patricia Charvet
Rachel Ann Hauser-Davis
Ecotoxicology of Potamotrygoninae freshwater stingrays: bioaccumulation, toxicological risks, and conservation implications
Frontiers in Marine Science
contamination
ecotoxicology
freshwater batoids
human health risks
metals and metalloids
potamotrygonins
title Ecotoxicology of Potamotrygoninae freshwater stingrays: bioaccumulation, toxicological risks, and conservation implications
title_full Ecotoxicology of Potamotrygoninae freshwater stingrays: bioaccumulation, toxicological risks, and conservation implications
title_fullStr Ecotoxicology of Potamotrygoninae freshwater stingrays: bioaccumulation, toxicological risks, and conservation implications
title_full_unstemmed Ecotoxicology of Potamotrygoninae freshwater stingrays: bioaccumulation, toxicological risks, and conservation implications
title_short Ecotoxicology of Potamotrygoninae freshwater stingrays: bioaccumulation, toxicological risks, and conservation implications
title_sort ecotoxicology of potamotrygoninae freshwater stingrays bioaccumulation toxicological risks and conservation implications
topic contamination
ecotoxicology
freshwater batoids
human health risks
metals and metalloids
potamotrygonins
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2025.1582093/full
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