Intra- and interpopulation variability in maternal transfer of mercury to eggs of walleye (Stizostedion vitreum)

Johnston, Thomas A.; Bodaly, R. A.; Latif, Muhammad; Fudge, R. J. P.; Strange, Niels

doi:10.1016/s0166-445x(00)00129-6

Cited by 54 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…The percentage of Hg represented by MeHg in the burbot from this study varied between the two lakes, and this same type of phenomenon has also been described by Johnston et al (2001) for walleyes from various lakes. We found that all of the Hg in Lake Erie burbot was MeHg, whereas 91 % of the Hg in Great Slave Lake burbot was MeHg.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 83%

Females Exceed Males in Mercury Concentrations of Burbot Lota lota

Madenjian

Stapanian

Cott

et al. 2015

Arch Environ Contam Toxicol

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Examination of differences in contaminant concentrations between the sexes of fish, across several fish species, may show clues for important behavioral and physiological differences between the sexes. We determined whole-fish total mercury (Hg) concentrations of 25 male and 25 female adult burbot Lota lota captured in Lake Erie during summer 2011 and of 14 male and 18 female adult burbot captured in Great Slave Lake (Northwest Territories, Canada) during winter 2013. On average, females had 22 % greater Hg concentrations than males. This difference was probably not due to a greater feeding rate by females because results from previous studies based on polychlorinated biphenyl determinations of these same burbot indicated that males fed at a substantially greater rate than females. Based on our determinations of Hg concentrations in the gonads and somatic tissue of 5 ripe females and 5 ripe males, this difference was not attributable to changes in Hg concentration immediately after spawning due to the release of gametes. Furthermore, bioenergetics modeling results from previous studies indicated that growth dilution would not explain any portion of this observed difference in Hg concentrations between the sexes. We therefore conclude that this difference was most likely due to a substantially faster rate of Hg elimination by males compared with females. Male burbot exhibit among the greatest gonadosomatic indices (GSIs) of all male fishes, with their testes accounting for between 10 and 15 % of their body weight when the fish are in ripe condition. Androgens have been linked to enhanced Hg-elimination rates in other vertebrates. If androgen production is positively related to GSI, then male burbot would be expected to have among the greatest androgen levels of all fishes. Thus, we hypothesize that male burbot eliminate Hg from their bodies faster than most other male fishes and that this explains the greater Hg concentration in females compared with males.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 83%

Females Exceed Males in Mercury Concentrations of Burbot Lota lota

Madenjian

Stapanian

Cott

et al. 2015

Arch Environ Contam Toxicol

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“…5). This is consistent with studies involving several fish species [32,37,45,46,49] where generally a small percentage (<10%) of female Hg body burdens is transferred to the eggs. In contrast, females transferred considerably more of their body burden of Se (28 to 44%) than Hg to their eggs (Fig.…”

Section: Maternal Transfer Of Mercury and Selenium In Bufo Americanussupporting

confidence: 90%

“…The present study is the first to describe a correlative relationship between female and egg Hg concentrations. Similar to the functional relationships observed for several fish species [32,37,45,48], concentrations of THg and MMHg in eggs were positively correlated with the concentrations in the maternal carcass in B. americanus (Fig. 3A), clearly indicating that Hg transfer to the eggs is related to Hg exposure of the female.…”

Section: Maternal Transfer Of Mercury and Selenium In Bufo Americanussupporting

confidence: 81%

“…While the transfer of Hg from a female to her offspring has been confirmed in several fish and bird species [37,38,[45][46][47], it has only been examined in one other species of amphibian [19][20][21]. The present study is the first to describe a correlative relationship between female and egg Hg concentrations.…”

Section: Maternal Transfer Of Mercury and Selenium In Bufo Americanusmentioning

confidence: 68%

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Bioaccumulation and maternal transfer of mercury and selenium in amphibians

Bergeron

Bodinof

Unrine

et al. 2010

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

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Amphibian population declines have been documented worldwide and environmental contaminants are believed to contribute to some declines. Maternal transfer of bioaccumulated contaminants to offspring may be an important and overlooked mechanism of impaired reproductive success that affects amphibian populations. Mercury (Hg) is of particular concern due to its ubiquity in the environment, known toxicity to other wildlife, and complex relationships with other elements, such as selenium (Se). The objectives of the present study were to describe the relationships between total Hg (THg), methlymercury (MMHg), and Se in three amphibian species (Plethodon cinereus, Eurycea bislineata cirrigera, and Bufo americanus) along a Hg-polluted river and floodplain, and to determine if B. americanus maternally transfers Hg and Se to its eggs in a tissue residue-dependent manner. Total Hg and MMHg concentrations in all species spanned two orders of magnitude between the reference and contaminated areas, while Se concentrations were generally low in all species at both sites. Strong positive relationships between THg and MMHg in tissues of all species were observed throughout. Both Hg and Se were maternally transferred from females to eggs in B. americanus, but the percentage of the females' Hg body burden transferred to eggs was low compared with Se. In addition, Hg concentrations appeared to positively influence the amount of Se transferred from female to eggs. The present study is the first to confirm a correlation between Hg concentrations in female carcass and eggs in amphibians and among the first to describe co-transference of Se and Hg in an anamniotic vertebrate. The results suggest future work is needed to determine whether maternal transfer of Hg has transgenerational implications for amphibian progeny.

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“…At the top of the curve, four observations exhibiting 100% injury had a median tissue concentration of 1.55 mg/kg. Similar mercury concentrations were reported in walleye eggs from ripe females collected near a chloralkali plant [18,19]. The remaining five observations had intermediate levels of injury and Hg concentrations ranging from 0.036 mg/kg to 3.67 mg/kg.…”

Section: Els Fish Dose-response Analysessupporting

confidence: 73%

Residue‐based mercury dose–response in fish: An analysis using lethality‐equivalent test endpoints

Dillon

Beckvar

Kern

2010

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

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Dose-response relationships for aquatic organisms have been developed for numerous contaminants using external media exposures (water and sediment). Dose-response relationships based on internal concentrations (tissue residues) are limited. The present study reports Hg dose-response curves for early life stage and juvenile or adult fish based on published tissue-residue toxicity studies. These curves rely primarily on endpoints that can be directly related to mortality, such as survival, reproductive success, and lethal developmental abnormalities. These lethality-equivalent endpoints were linked using the common metric of injury. Uncertainties and potential applications of this mercury dose-response curve are discussed. Major uncertainties include lab to field extrapolations, biological endpoints selected by investigators, interspecific extrapolations, and the paucity of published early life stage residue (dose)-response information. To the extent this curve is based exclusively on laboratory toxicity tests and does not consider other potentially sensitive and ecologically important biological endpoints (e.g., growth and behavior), the magnitude of the adverse effects predicted by the curve may be underestimated.

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Intra- and interpopulation variability in maternal transfer of mercury to eggs of walleye (Stizostedion vitreum)

Cited by 54 publications

References 37 publications

Females Exceed Males in Mercury Concentrations of Burbot Lota lota

Females Exceed Males in Mercury Concentrations of Burbot Lota lota

Bioaccumulation and maternal transfer of mercury and selenium in amphibians

Residue‐based mercury dose–response in fish: An analysis using lethality‐equivalent test endpoints

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