Selenium Bioaccumulation and Hazards in a Fish Community Affected by Coal Fly Ash Effluent

Besser, John M.; Giesy, John P.; Brown, Russell W.; Buell, Julie M.; Dawson, Gary A.

doi:10.1006/eesa.1996.0076

Cited by 42 publications

(26 citation statements)

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“…Fish and waterfowl were visibly affected at Belews Lake, NC where a coal fly ash receiving pond was contaminated (Besser et al, 1996;Lemly, 1996).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Developmental Responses of a Terrestrial Insect Detritivore, Megaselia scalaris (Loew) to Four Selenium Species

2005

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Abstract. Megaselia scalaris (Loew) (Diptera: Phoridae) is an important and ubiquitous terrestrial detritivore that consumes both animal and plant material. Because both plants and animals convert selenium pollutants into various forms, the relative toxicities of ecologically relevant concentrations of sodium selenate, sodium selenite, seleno-L-methionine, and Se-(methyl) selenocysteine hydrochloride to larvae were assessed in diet bioassays. In addition, ovipositional preferences of adults and developmental effects on the eggs and larvae were measured. With chronic exposure selenocysteine was the most toxic of the selenium species to the larvae (LC 50 : 83 lg/g wet weight), followed by seleno-L-methionine (LC 50 : 130 lg/g), selenate (LC 50 : 258 lg/g), and selenite (LC 50 : 392 lg/g). Ovipositing females did not discriminate between the highest treatment concentrations of any of the pollutants as compared to the controls, indicating a lack of avoidance behavior. Larval development time was significantly increased with exposure to selenate at 100 lg/g wet weight and above, selenite at 300 lg/g and above, and at 50 lg/g and 25 lg/g and above for seleno-L-methionine and selenocysteine respectively. Pupal development was not affected by any of the selenium treatments. Significant differences between male and female adult eclosion times were observed, with females eclosing later than males as selenium concentrations increased. Significant decreases in larval survival relative to controls occurred at the lowest treatment tested (100 lg/g) for both selenate and selenite and at 100 lg/g for seleno-L-methionine, and 50 lg/g for selenocysteine. The population level implications of lack of avoidance of contaminated food, and the effects of increased development times, reduced survivorship, and non-synchronized male and female emergence are discussed.

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“…Fish and waterfowl were visibly affected at Belews Lake, NC where a coal fly ash receiving pond was contaminated (Besser et al, 1996;Lemly, 1996).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Developmental Responses of a Terrestrial Insect Detritivore, Megaselia scalaris (Loew) to Four Selenium Species

2005

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“…In the experiments conducted by Cleveland et al (1993) to assess the bioaccumulation of selenium during dietary and aqueous exposures, bluegill did not bioaccumulate concentrations higher than those in their test diets. Coyle et al (1993);Cleveland et al (1993) and Besser et al (1993Besser et al ( , 1996 agreed that selenium accumulation is primarily derived from dietary sources rather than aqueous selenium exposure. Thus, toxicity hazards to fish and wildlife are more appropriately expressed as tissue selenium concentrations in the species of interest, or their prey, rather than as aqueous concentrations (Besser et al, 1993;Lemly, 1993a;Besser et al, 1996;Skorupa, 1998).…”

Section: Selenium Effects On Fishmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Internal recycling of selenium among biota, sediments, and water contribute to accumulation above known toxicity thresholds (Lemly, 1985(Lemly, , 1993cBesser et al, 1996). Shortterm selenium inputs can lead to long-term residual exposure of biota (Skorupa, 1998;Lemly, 1999).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Elevated selenium concentrations have been associated with individual and population-level effects in many species of fish, including bluegill sunfish (Cardwell et al, 1976;Finley, 1985;Gillespie and Baumann, 1986;Woock et al, 1987;Hermanutz et al, 1992;Cleveland et al, 1993;Coyle et al, 1993;Lemly, 1993b;Besser et al, 1996;Lemly, 2002;Swift, 2002;McIntyre et al, 2008). Metabolic stress during winter conditions has been shown to increase the toxicity of selenium by significantly increasing mortality rates of bluegill exposed to waterborne and dietary selenium (Lemly, 1993b;McIntyre et al, 2008).…”

Section: Selenium Effects On Fishmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Assessment at the population level has generally been based on these single, individual-level endpoints (Forbes et al, 2000) by implementing a diversity of analysis of variance (ANOVA) models to analyze experimental and observational toxicity data (Cardwell et al, 1976;Gillespie and Baumann, 1986;Woock et al, 1987;Hermanutz et al, 1992;Besser et al, 1993;Cleveland et al, 1993;Coyle et al, 1993;Lemly, 1993b;Besser et al, 1996;Lemly, 1997). However, toxicity impacts at the population level may not correlate with individual toxicity responses.…”

Section: Approaches To Quantifying Toxicity In Aquatic Organismsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Modeling effects of toxin exposure in fish on long-term population size, with an application to selenium toxicity in bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus)

Gledhill

Kirk

2011

Ecological Modelling

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MODELING EFFECTS OF TOXIN EXPOSURE IN FISH ON LONG-TERM POPULATION SIZE, WITH AN APPLICATION TO SELENIUM TOXICITY IN BLUEGILL (LEPOMIS MACROCHIRUS)Michelle Gledhill A primary goal in ecotoxicology is the prediction of population-level effects of contaminant exposure based on individual-level response. Assessment of toxicity at the population level has predominately focused on the population growth rate (PGR), but the PGR may not be a relevant toxicological endpoint for populations at equilibrium. Equilibrium population size may be a more meaningful endpoint than the PGR because a population with smaller equilibrium (i.e., long-term mean) size is more susceptible to the negative effects of environmental variability. I address the ecotoxicology individual-to-population extrapolation problem with modeling. I developed and analyzed a general model applicable to many freshwater fish species that includes density-dependent juvenile survival and additional juvenile mortality due to toxicity exposure, and I quantified its effect on equilibrium population size as a means of assessing toxicity. I then used selenium toxicity in bluegill sunfish as an example to assess the effects of environmental stochasticity on toxicity response with simulation modeling. Individual-level effects are typically greater than population-level effects until the individual effect is large, due to compensatory density-dependent relationships. These effects are sensitive to the recruitment potential of a population, in particular the low-density first-year survival rate S b . Assuming high S b could result in underestimating effects of population-level toxicity. The equilibrium size depends directly on S b , the reproductive potential, the toxin concentration at which mean mortality is 50% (LC 50 ), and iii the rate at which individual mortality increases with increasing toxin concentration. More experimental data are needed to decrease the uncertainty in estimating these parameters.Effects of environmental variability resulted in simulated extinctions at much lower toxin concentrations than predicted deterministically. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

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Bioaccumulation and Biomagnification of Mercury and Selenium in the Sarasota Bay Ecosystem

Hong

Hull

Rifkin

et al. 2013

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

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The bioaccumulation and biomagnification of Hg and Se were investigated in Sarasota Bay, Florida, USA, to characterize the Hg exposure risks to wild bottlenose dolphins in the bay. Concentrations of total mercury (THg), monomethylmercury (MMHg), and total selenium (TSe) were monitored in the bay, the latter of which might reduce Hg toxicity. The food web structure and dolphins' trophic level-specific consumption rates were evaluated using stable isotope ratios of carbon (δ(13) C) and nitrogen (δ(15) N). Regressions developed for Hg biomagnification in the food chain were log10 CTHg (nanograms per gram) =0.27 × δ(15) N (‰) - 0.42, R(2) =0.87, for THg and log10 CMMHg =0.33 × δ(15) N (‰) - 1.0, R(2) =0.93, for MMHg. Unlike Hg, nearly constant TSe concentrations were observed at 248 ± 179 ng g(-1) in the food web, and the TSe-to-THg molar ratio was predicted by log10 (CTSe /CTHg ) = -0.10 × δ(15) N (‰) +2.8, R(2) =0.60. The THg-uptake rates of Sarasota bottlenose dolphins are estimated to vary between 2.1 and 4.9 µg kg(-1) d(-1) ; however, the estimated TSe-uptake rates (15.1 µg kg(-1) d(-1) ) were higher than those for THg, and the Hg-exposure risks of the Sarasota Bay resident bottlenose dolphins are considered to be low. Approaches employed in the present study can be extended to other environments to characterize Hg contamination in aquatic systems and Hg exposure risks in top predators.

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Selenium Bioaccumulation and Hazards in a Fish Community Affected by Coal Fly Ash Effluent

Cited by 42 publications

References 2 publications

Developmental Responses of a Terrestrial Insect Detritivore, Megaselia scalaris (Loew) to Four Selenium Species

Developmental Responses of a Terrestrial Insect Detritivore, Megaselia scalaris (Loew) to Four Selenium Species

Modeling effects of toxin exposure in fish on long-term population size, with an application to selenium toxicity in bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus)

Bioaccumulation and Biomagnification of Mercury and Selenium in the Sarasota Bay Ecosystem

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