Abstract
The emergent contaminant family, per- and poly-fluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) has gained research attention due to their widespread detection and stability within the environment. Despite the growing amount of research on perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluoro-n-octanoic acid (PFOA) in aquatic organisms, investigations detailing behavioral and physiological effects of aquatic organisms exposed to a mixture of PFAS analytes in the wild have been limited. The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential behavioral and histological effects of environmental exposure to PFAS compounds within multiple trophic levels of aquatic ecosystems. The current study investigates effects of environmentally relevant PFAS concentration exposures in crayfish (Faxonius immunis, F. rusticus, F. virilis) and bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) sourced from four water bodies in Northern Michigan. Antipredator response and foraging behavioral assays were used to investigate potential effects on crayfish; a swimming speed behavioral assay and liver and gill histology analysis were used to investigate potential effects on fish. Linear mixed model and multiple regression analyses resulted in significant relationships between tissue accumulation levels of long chain PFAS compounds and crayfish foraging and fish critical swimming speed responses. Crayfish foraging decreased and fish critical swim speeds increased with PFAS exposure which may lead to energetic and population concerns. Antipredator response in crayfish and liver and gill histology in fish were not significantly related to PFAS tissue or water concentrations. The sensitivity of crayfish and bluegill behavior contributes to the growing body of research regarding the differential toxicity of short-chain and long-chain PFAS compounds. The sensitivity of some aquatic organism behaviors to PFAS accumulated in tissue may have implications for PFAS transfer and alterations to ecosystem functioning; based on the results of this field study, further laboratory research is recommended to further evaluate these relationships.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 114212 |
Journal | Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety |
Volume | 247 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Dec 1 2022 |
Funding
This manuscript has been authored by UT-Battelle, LLC under Contract No. DE-AC05–00OR22725 with the U.S. Department of Energy. The United States Government retains and the publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the United States Government retains a non-exclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, worldwide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this manuscript, or allow others to do so, for United States Government purposes. The Department of Energy will provide public access to these results of federally sponsored research in accordance with the DOE Public Access Plan (http://energy.gov/downloads/doe-public-access-plan). This work was supported by the Marian P. and David M. Gates Graduate Student Endowment Fund [University of Michigan Biological Station]; J.B. & Marilyn McKenzie Graduate Endowment Fund Fellowship [University of Michigan Biological Station]; research funding for L.M.S. lab start-up [Bowling Green State University]; general funds [Michigan Department of Natural Resources]; publication page charges [Exponent]; and Larry and Linda Oman Research Award [Bowling Green State University]. The authors would like to thank the University of Michigan Biological Station for funding through the Marian P. and David M. Gates Graduate Student Endowment Fund to A.N.S. and J.B. & Marilyn McKenzie Graduate Endowment Fund Fellowship to C.O.C., in addition to the use of facilities. Thanks to the Larry and Linda Oman Research Award through BGSU for funding to C.O.C. Thanks to Tammy Newcomb via the Michigan Department of Natural Resources for funding to C.O.C. and A.N.S. Thanks to Exponent for covering the publishing fees. Thanks goes to Jeffrey Wolf for his help with the histological analysis, Marilyn Cayer for use of lab space and staining supplies, and the BGSU Forensics Lab for use of their microscope, microtome, and lab space. Thanks goes to Laurie Coy and William Oeming for their help with fieldwork. Thank you to Exponent staff who contributed to the review of this manuscript. Thanks also goes to the members of the Laboratory for Sensory Ecology for their continued support throughout this project.
Funders | Funder number |
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Larry and Linda Oman Research Award | |
Marian P. and David M. Gates Graduate Student Endowment Fund | |
Marilyn McKenzie | |
U.S. Department of Energy | |
Bowling Green State University | |
University of Michigan | |
Michigan Department of Natural Resources |
Keywords
- Behavior
- Field study
- Histology
- Mixtures
- Per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances