Effect of Copper Sulphate (CuSO4) on Freshwater Snail, Physa acuta Draparnaud, 1805: A Histopathological Evaluation

In this study, freshwater snail (Physa acuta) was investigated to determine histopathological effects of CuSO4 on digestive gland, foot, mantle and ovotestis under laboratory conditions. The snails were exposed to different sublethal concentrations of CuSO4 (0.05 mg/L, 0.1 mg/L and 0.2 mg/L) periods of 10, 20 and 30 days. The relationship between CuSO4 concentration and mortality rate in snails was calculated as Y = 8.8 + 125.14X, R-2 = 0.9444. The histopathological examinations revealed that CuSO4 caused significant histopathological changes in all the tissues of the snail. The severity of these lesions in tissues increased with increasing CuSO4 concentration and duration of exposure. The results showed that freshwater snail, Physa acuta can be considered to be a suitable bioindicator to demonstrate the toxic effect of copper in aquatic environments.