Endocrine disruption in male mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) inhabiting wetlands in Western Australia

Abstract

The use of gonopodial indices as potential indicators of endocrine disruption in the mosquitofish Gambusia holbrooki inhabiting south west Australian wetlands was investigated. A minimum of 50 mature males was collected from each of five water-bodies in the Swan Coastal Plain, Western Australia, in order to measure morphological features related to reproduction. A set of morphological measurements were used to derive the following indices: gonopodium length/standard body length, pre-anal length/standard body length, the index of elongation and the percentage of male fish with hooks on the distal end of the gonopodium. Indices of male mosquitofish collected from Jack Finney Lake, located in the Curtin University campus, suggest the presence of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in this water-body, while those from Lake Kulinup suggest this is a site of concern. Indices of male fish from the Wagerup wetland, Lake Monger and Loch McNess indicate that fish inhabiting these wetlands are not affected by EDCs. This preliminary study suggests that EDCs may be present in a number of wetlands of the Swan Coastal Plain. Further study using EDC specific markers such as vitellogenin induction in male mosquitofish is required to confirm whether EDCs are present in these water-bodies.

Apparent Rapid Loss of Endocrine Disruptors from Wetlands Used to Store Either Tertiary Treated Sewage Effluent or Stormwater Runoff

“…Drèze et al (2000) found that exposure of mosquito fish to 4-nonylphenol resulted in a significant reduction in both length and weight. Similar results have also been observed in several other polluted sites (Angus et al 2002;Game et al 2006). This trend was also noted in the presence of 17β-estradiol (up to 500 ng/L) exposure (Doyle and Lim 2002).…”

“…In natural systems that receive treated effluent, mosquito fish have been used as a common test scenario for environmental exposure to such contaminants (Batty and Lim 1999;Toft et al 2003;Leusch et al 2006). They have also been used as a tool in the initial assessment of contaminated lakes (Game et al 2006).…”

The role of ovarian steroids in reproductive plasticity in Hoplias malabaricus (Teleostei: Characiformes: Erythrinidae) in tropical reservoirs with different degrees of pollution

“…1995; Greytak et al, 2005;Game et al, 2006;Jessica et al, 2007). Our data suggest that H. malabaricus is a species with a high allostatic capacity (Wikelski and Cooke, 2006), using different mechanisms and adjustments of the set-point of steroid levels, which allow for survival and reproduction in polluted environments as a classical rheostatic response (Mrosovsky, 1990).…”

Induction of Fish Biomarkers by Synthetic-Based Drilling Muds

“…Biomarkers of exposure (ethoxyresorufin- O -deethylase [EROD] activity and biliary metabolites) and biomarkers of effects (condition factor, liver somatic index, DNA damage and stress proteins) were measured at the end of the exposure period. These biomarkers have shown to be amongst the most relevant to identify impacts of xenobiotics on organisms [8]–[10]. The suite of biomarkers provides an indication of the potential impacts of exposure to drilling fluids on fish health, and assist environmental managers in the selection of environmentally acceptable drilling fluids.…”