Midwest Fish & Wildlife Conference 2018

AUTHORS. Samuel Guffey, Gary Hoover, Sarah Abercrombie, Jason Hoverman, Linda Lee, Marisol Sepulveda - Purdue University

ABSTRACT. Chemicals of Emerging Concern (CECs) are becoming prominent because various studies suggest that current levels of pollution may already be detrimental to fish, wildlife, and human health. One class of CECs, the poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), are present in surface and groundwater because of societal uses. They are also very stable, widely distributed, and potentially toxic. They may also be endocrine-disrupting chemicals, particularly for the thyroid system. Because amphibian metamorphosis is controlled by the thyroid, they may be especially sensitive to PFAS contamination. However, effects on amphibians, which might encounter PFASs in water, soil, and prey, have not been examined in detail. Using controlled laboratory experiments, we examined the bioconcentration and sublethal effects of four PFASs in larval American Toads, Anaxyrus americanus, larval Eastern Tiger Salamanders, Ambystoma tigrinum, and larval Northern Leopard Frogs, Rana pipiens. Each species was subjected to constant aqueous exposure to perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS), or 6:2 fluorotelomer sulfonate (6:2FTS) at 10 ppb, 100 ppb, or 1000 ppb. Estimated bioconcentration factor (BCF) varied depending on exposure concentration, duration, chemical, and species. Generally, PFOS was most bioaccumulative. In all three species, many of the BCFs decreased from initially higher values to

AUTHORS. Bethany Hoster, Anabela Maia, Eric Bollinger, Robert Colombo - Eastern Illinois University

ABSTRACT. Anthropogenic activities lead to the contamination of rivers through the discharge of treated wastewater and nonpoint source pollution. Throughout the Midwest United States, estrogenic compounds, heavy metals, and agricultural runoff enter rivers and can have mutagenic effects on riverine fishes. Due to this occurrence of contaminants, we assessed male fishes for reproductive disruption and morphological abnormalities in two Central Illinois rivers. Both the Sangamon and Embarras Rivers receive nonpoint source pollution, including agricultural runoff. Additionally, treated wastewater is discharged into the Sangamon River within the study area. River Carpsucker (Carpiodes carpio), Shorthead Redhorse (Moxostoma macrolepidotum), and Smallmouth Buffalo (Ictiobus bubalus) were sampled in 2016 to determine if sex ratios, plasma vitellogenin concentrations, and morphology varied between rivers due to the presence of contaminants.  All mature males had photographs taken for morphometric analyses and blood drawn for ELISA analysis to determine vitellogenin concentrations. Vitellogenin was detected in all species in both rivers in low concentrations. Embarras River Shorthead Redhorse had significantly higher vitellogenin concentrations than fish from the Sangamon River. In both rivers, vitellogenin was detected in more than 90% of Shorthead Redhorse and 50% of Smallmouth Buffalo. Due to high percentages of males exhibiting vitellogenin, sex ratios tended towards female and intersex biased for all species and rivers. Morphometric analyses found significant morphological differences in River Carpsucker and Smallmouth Buffalo between rivers. Fishes from the Sangamon River have abnormally elongated fins. Caudal fin elongation caused lower calculated relative weight, a commonly used fish management metric to estimate condition. High percentages of individuals in both rivers exhibiting low concentrations of vitellogenin, as well as abnormal fin morphologies in the Sangamon River, indicate exposure to contaminants may be leading to mutations. Further assessment and quantification of contaminants is needed to better understand chemical dynamics and aid management decisions in these rivers.

AUTHORS. Nicholas Cipoletti, Heiko L. Schoenfuss - St. Cloud State University

ABSTRACT. Agricultural pollutants are an environmental health concern as precipitation can lead to runoff into aquatic ecosystems, resulting in stress for fish. The biological impacts of mixtures of agricultural pollutants, such as pesticides, herbicides, growth hormones, and livestock pharmaceuticals have yet to be studied. The objective of this field-based study was to assess the impact of agricultural pollutants on the physiology, reproduction, and population health of two fish species. The health of caged and resident sunfish was assessed in the Maumee River (Toledo, OH) as part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Laboratory cultured larval and adult fathead minnows were exposed for 21-days. Sunfish were analyzed for histology and hematological characteristics (VTG, glucose). Minnows were analyzed for alterations in hematological characteristics (VTG, glucose, 11-KT, E2) and reproduction. VTG concentrations in male caged sunfish were significantly higher than in resident sunfish, likely due to greater energy stores in hatchery reared sunfish. Glucose concentrations between treatments varied significantly from upstream to downstream, possibly as the result of pollutant exposure. Biological indices including body condition factor, gonadosomatic index, and hepatosomatic index of resident sunfish also differed significantly across field sites. Fathead minnow fecundity was reduced in fish exposed to environmental samples from downstream, more urbanized sites. The results indicate that agricultural pollutants entering aquatic ecosystem have an impact on fish physiology and reproduction. Further research is underway to determine whether the observed physiological impacts have any effect at the population level.

AUTHORS. Jessica Ward, Ball State University; Victoria Korn, St Cloud State University; Heiko Schoenfuss, St Cloud State University

ABSTRACT. Understanding the population-level effects of chemical stressors on aquatic biota requires knowledge of the direct adverse effects of aquatic pollutants on individuals and species interactions that relate to survival and reproduction. At present, we have only a limited understanding of how the initial behavioral responses of individual organisms to aquatic contaminants translate into effects at higher levels of biological organization. This deficit in knowledge is important because species rarely exist in isolation and the structure and function of an aquatic community is dependent upon complex interactions that occur both within and among species. Consequently, more and better studies incorporating species interactions into projections of biological change are a high research priority. To that end, we quantified the effects of short-term exposure to a common environmental estrogen, estrone (E1), on antipredator escape performance of larval fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) and the probability of predation by a natural predator, the bluegill sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus) across a range of spring and summer temperatures (15-18°C). Compared with nonexposed fish, minnows exposed to two environmentally relevant concentrations of E1 (125 and 625 ng/L) were more susceptible to predation by sunfish. However, exposure also decreased the prey-capture success of predators, potentially mitigating the increased vulnerability of prey. These results exemplify the complex effects of exposure on predator-prey interactions, and suggest that even subtle, contaminant-induced shifts in behavior can alter the structure and function of aquatic communities. Similar studies may assist in identifying vulnerable populations and more accurately predicting community dynamics under changing real-world scenarios.

AUTHORS. Maxime Vaugeois, University of Minnesota; Valery Forbes, University of Minnesota; Paul Venturelli, Ball State University

ABSTRACT. Nowadays, environmental stressors, such as invasive species, climate change and chemical pollution threaten ecosystems and their services. CECs are increasingly being detected in surface water and they impact aquatic life. For instance, wastewater treatment plants discharge effluent containing estrogens, which have caused dramatic ecological effects such as fish feminization and fish population collapses. In addition, different types of chemical mixtures of CECs are detected in urban and agricultural areas, with significant impacts on fish populations.The effects of many CECs in organisms have been assessed via laboratory and field experiments that provide essential information about hazardousness of CEC and biological mechanisms involved in the effects of exposed organisms. However, these experiments tend to focus on a single chemical at the sub-population scale, which limits their applicability in wild setting because (i) fishes actually experience  mixtures of CECs and (ii) these mixtures have unknown population-level consequences. Moreover, there is a need of scaling-up because ecological management and protection generally occur at population, community and ecosystem levels. Nevertheless, the linkages between the responses to chemicals at different scales are difficult to predict.Here we present two research projects that both incorporate data on individual and sub-individual effects of contaminants into population models to infer the population-level effects. The first one is focused on the impacts of estrogens on abundances of fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) and bluegill sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus) in a Minnesota pristine river. Its main goal is to identify the best wastewater treatment strategy for the protection of Minnesota’s natural resources. The second project investigates the effects of two types of CECs mixtures on multiple fish species populations within the Great Lakes Basin. The goal is to evaluate the extent to which CECs threaten fish population in the U.S. Great Lakes Basin by developing species-specific population models using experimental data and observations.

AUTHORS. Utku Hasbay, Heiko L. Schoenfuss - Aquatic Toxicology Laboratory, St. Cloud State University

ABSTRACT. Contaminants of emerging concern (CEC), including pharmaceuticals, personal care products and industrial agents may impact aquatic life. Previous studies have documented reduced escape performance in fathead minnow larvae exposed to diverse CECs. However, these studies did not consider the complex mixtures of CEC present in the environment. The current study tested the hypothesis that CECs in mixture change fathead minnow behavior differently than the mixtures’ individual constituent. We assessed the potential of 20 commonly detected CECs to alter both juvenile (escape performance, feeding efficiency) and adult (nest defense, courtship, boldness) behaviors central to survival and reproduction after 96-hour flow-through exposures. In addition, we began the process of building increasingly complex mixtures of CEC using the same compounds. Compound concentrations and mixture composition were based on an analysis of nearly 500 water samples collected as part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Results to date suggest changes in survival, escape performance and feeding efficiency. The survival was significantly reduced (p

AUTHORS. Lina C. Wang, Uktu Hasaby, Josh T. Robinson, Jessica L. Ward, Heiko L. Schoenfuss

ABSTRACT. Contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) are well documented in anthropogenically altered environments and adversely affect fish exposed in laboratory studies.  However, little is known about the effects of complex mixtures of CECs, representing common environmental conditions, on organisms exposed across their entire life cycle. Using an existing data matrix of over 500 water samples analyzed for over 200 CECs, we explored whether complex CEC mixtures adversely affect fish when exposed across multiple generations, whether these effects are dose-dependent and whether effects are modified beyond the F1 generation. Twenty replicate breeding pairs in each of the three mixture concentrations, ethanol carrier control (ETOH) or blank control were examined for a range of physiological, anatomical, behavioral and reproductive endpoints across their ontogeny. Low treatment F1 males were more dominant than EtOH, Medium, and High treatment F2 males (p=0.01, 0.006, 0.0007, Least Squares Model). F1 and F2 breeding pairs had significantly higher fecundity rates at the Low and Medium treatments than High and EtOH control treatments (p

AUTHORS. Les D. Warren, St. Cloud State University; Meaghan Guyader, Colorado School of Mines; Christopher Higgins, Colorado School of Mines; Heiko Schoenfuss, St. Cloud State University

ABSTRACT. The potential for on-site wastewater treatment systems (“septic systems”) to represent non-point source of contaminants into lakes is a growing concern. Many lakes are down-gradient from septic systems, and their seepage may infiltrate shallow groundwater and enters the shallows of adjacent lakes though hydrological processes. Five study lakes were established, each with septic-influenced and reference sites. Water sampling throughout the early spring and summer established the presence and absence of contaminants at each site. Adult male sunfish were collected off of their spawning beds between May and July to assess contaminant related endpoints included histopathology of gonad, liver, and gill tissues, and analysis of vitellogenin, estradiol, and 11-keto testosterone in plasma samples. Elevated vitellogenin levels (p = 0.01, t-test) and a reduction in liver size (p = 0.01, t-test) were observed in resident males from septic-influenced sites. Our results provide a direct link between septic system seepage and biological effects. The assessment of biological endpoints in sunfish and laboratory exposed fathead minnows provides a rich data matrix to support that contaminants from septic seepage cause adverse health effects in resident fish populations in northern lakes.