Growth inhibition in Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) fish exposed to tetrachloroethylene

A recent study in our laboratory has demonstrated that tetrachloroethylene (TCE) is acutely toxic to Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) larvae with a 96 hr-LC50 of 18 (17-19) mg/mL (Spencer et al., 2002). In the present study we hypothesize that TCE exposure induces a developmental effect in Japanese medaka. Growth and age specific sensitivity of Japanese medaka larvae were studied with four age groups (7, 14, 21 and 28 days old) to determine tetrachloroethylene effects on these parameters. The medaka larvae were exposed for 96 hours in a single concentration (10 mg/mL) of TCE. The toxic endpoints evaluated were larvae weight, length, water content and protein concentration. The study revealed that exposure of medaka larvae to this sub-acute concentration of TCE significantly reduced length and weight in the treated group. The difference in growth between control and treated groups was more obvious in age versus length, than in age versus weight. The dry weight-fresh weight ratio (dw/fw) was shown to be higher in the control group. Water content in TCE-treated medaka was higher than in the control group, and younger fry had more water content than older ones. A higher protein concentration was also observed in TCE-treated medaka compared to the control group. These results indicate that TCE has a profound effect on the growth and development of Japanese medaka larvae.     

Developmental arrest in Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) embryos exposed to sublethal concentrations of atrazine and arsenic trioxide

Embryos of the Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) were exposed to serial concentrations of atrazine (0, 25, 50, and 100 ppm) and arsenic trioxide (0, 0.025, 0.05, 0.1 ppm) until hatching. Stasis of circulation, blood islands, titanic convulsions, tube heart and mortality were observed in atrazine-treated embryos. Each endpoint exhibited a concentration-response relationship. Only 4% of the embryos hatched in the 25 ppm, and none in the 50 and 100 ppm, probably due to cell death attributed to the embryos' inability to break from the chorion. With arsenic exposure, hatching was inversely correlated to chemical concentration: 86%, 75% and 54% for 0.025, 0.05 and 0.1 ppm, respectively. Hatching periods were also reduced from 7-13 days in controls to 7-11 days in arsenic-treated embryos. This observation was more pronounced with the 0.05 ppm concentration, showing a reduction of about 4 days. Despite this shortage in hatching time, there were no observable morphological abnormalities, as seen with atrazine. The ecological significance of these findings and implications for the development of sublethal toxicity tests using Japanese medaka embryos are important.     

Effects of chronic bisphenol A exposure on hepatic antioxidant parameters in medaka (Oryzias latipes)

Bisphenol A (BPA), the plastic monomer and plasticizer with well-known endocrine-disrupting chemical properties, is widely present in the aquatic environment, but little is known regarding hepatic toxicity in fish. This study assessed the effects of chronic exposure to BPA on the antioxidant defense system of Japanese medaka liver. Fish were exposed to sub-lethal concentrations of BPA (0.1, 1, 10, 100, or 1000?µg?L^?1) for 60 days. Antioxidant parameters were determined and compared with controls. The results showed that the activities of catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione S-transferase, and the content of reduced glutathione were all induced at 10?µg?L^?1 BPA after 60 days. Further, hepatic CAT was sensitive to BPA at 1?µg?L^?1 concentration. In conclusion, CAT may serve as a potential early biomarker of BPA exposure in aquatic environment.     

氯化镉、灭多威和硝基苯对日本青鳉(Oryzias latipes) 行为抑制的生物应急监测

研究了氯化镉、灭多威和硝基苯对孵化以后7d左右日本青鳉(Oryzias latipes)行为毒性。结果表明,在不同污染物中,随暴露浓度的增加,第1尾日本青鳉产生行为抑制的时间逐渐缩短,并且半数行为抑制时间(time ofhalf behavior inhibition,THBI,Y)随暴露浓度(X)呈现幂指数关系Y=aXb,其中20相似文献   

氰戊菊酯和氯化镉暴露下日本青鳉的行为反应差异

以天然河流中的日本青鳉(Oryzias latipes)行为变化规律为基础,采用水质安全在线生物预警系统(BEWs-1.1)对氰戊菊酯和氯化镉暴露下日本青鳉的行为反应进行了探讨.结果表明:1)在源水中,日本青鳉行为反应具有明显规律性,并表现出生物钟现象;2)氰戊菊酯和氯化镉连续暴露和间断暴露中,日本青鳉行为反应与污染物浓度和暴露时间均直接相关,并表现出相似的行为变化规律性,行为变化均符合生物行为的环境胁迫阈模型;3)高浓度(10mg·L-1)氯化镉间断暴露下的日本青鳉行为强度变化与低浓度(2mg·L-1)连续暴露下的行为强度变化差别不明显,而高浓度(10mg·L-1)氰戊菊酯间断暴露下的日本青鳉行为强度变化与低浓度(2mg·L-1)连续暴露时具有明显差异,高浓度暴露时产生了明显的行为毒性效应;4)器官损伤性污染物(如镉)引起的行为毒性效应在重新加入源水后可以得到部分恢复,而神经损伤性污染物(如氰戊菊酯)不可恢复,污染物不同的作用机理会影响水生生物的行为反应.     

高锰酸钾及氯化锰对日本青鳉的急、慢性毒性(Toxic Effects of Potassium Permanganate and Manganese Chloride on the Early Life Stage of Japanese Medaka（Oryzias latipes）)

饮用水生产中投加高锰酸钾可能引起高锰酸钾及其副产物二价锰的毒性效应.利用日本青鳉的胚胎-幼鱼发育阶段评价了以高锰酸钾为预氧化剂的饮用水生产工艺安全性.结果表明,高锰酸钾对日本青鳉的LC50-96h为1.48mg·L-1.慢性暴露中,对孵化时间影响的最低可观察效应浓度(LOEC30d)为0.1mg·L-1;暴露于0.4mg·L-1的高锰酸钾对30d后日本青鳉的体长、体重、累计死亡率均有显著影响,但对孵化率率无显著影响.氯化锰(Mn2+)对日本青鳉的LC50-96h为550mg·L-1,对体重影响的LOEC30d为3.2mg·L-1.当高锰酸钾的使用浓度在0.5～1.5mg·L-1之间,其在滤后水中的高锰酸钾残余浓度低于检出限,而降解中间体产物Mn2+浓度小于0.5mg·L-1,均低于本文报道的LOECs数值.     

铜在日本青鳉体内的累积特征及其对肝脏组织结构的影响

为了解水体铜(Cu(Ⅱ))在日本青鳉(Oryzias latipes)脑、鳃、肝脏、性腺和肌肉组织中的累积特征,以及Cu(Ⅱ)对肝脏组织结构的影响,本文采用生态学单因子梯度实验,进行20 d的日本青鳉毒性暴露试验。结果显示,日本青鳉各个组织对Cu(Ⅱ)的累积量随着浓度的升高而增多,但不同组织对Cu(Ⅱ)的累积量有较大的差异,铜累积量由大到小依次为:肝脏脑鳃性腺肌肉。铜暴露后的日本青鳉肝细胞出现肿大、大小不一、排列混乱,静脉扩张淤血,部分肝细胞固缩和坏疽等现象。肝脏是日本青鳉蓄积铜的主要器官之一,实验发现高浓度的Cu(Ⅱ)对肝脏组织结构造成了明显的损伤,进而严重影响日本青鳉的存活率。     

Medaka (Oryzias latipes) for use in evaluating developmental effects of endocrine active chemicals with special reference to gonadal intersex (testis-ova).

Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) has been widely used for the evaluation of the toxicity of endocrine active chemicals (EACs) and other chemicals as well as for monitoring the adverse effects of effluent discharges in relation to sexual development and function. It is useful for these evaluations for many reasons including the following: 1) it has a short life cycle facilitating studies extending over long phases of development and over multigenerations, 2) it is easy to rear, 3) male and female phenotypes can easily be distinguished on the basis of secondary sex characteristics, and 4) a genetic marker (DMY) is available for identifying the true genotypic sex. Several biomarkers have been found to be useful for identifying the effects of exposure to estrogenic and androgenic chemicals in medaka and they include increased levels of hepatic vitellogenin (VTG) and testis-ova induction in males for exposure to estrogenic chemicals, and decreased levels of hepatic VTG in females and an altered morphology of dorsal and anal fins and formation of papillae for androgenic chemicals. In this paper, we present a critical analysis of the use of medaka as a test species for studies of endocrine disruption and report on the use of sex-related genetic markers and alterations in gonadal development, including the induction of testis-ova formation, for assessing the disruptive effects of EACs. In this paper, we focus on some of the more recent studies and findings.     

皮质醇影响青鳉鳃内钠钾ATP酶基因表达的研究

目前河流中存在较高浓度的天然和人造糖皮质激素(如皮质醇等)污染,其可能对鱼类的渗透压调节和海河洄游产生影响.鱼类鳃内钠钾ATP酶对调节渗透压平衡、适应海河洄游等起关键性作用,有研究表明鱼类鳃内钠钾ATP酶基因表达受皮质醇调控.为此,论文克隆了青鳉钠钾ATP酶α和钠钾ATP酶β基因的序列片段,建立了实时定量RT-PCR测定方法,研究了盐度的增加对其基因表达的影响,并重点探讨了皮质醇对鱼类适应盐度时鳃内钠钾ATP酶基因表达变化的影响.结果表明,适应15‰盐水的青鳉鳃内钠钾ATP酶α和钠钾ATP酶β基因表达显著升高;在转入淡水48h后,钠钾ATP酶α和钠钾ATP酶β基因表达基本恢复到正常水平,但是转入含有100ng·L-1皮质醇暴露水平的淡水中,48h后钠钾ATP酶α基因表达仍处于较高水平,表明100ng·L-1浓度的皮质醇能够显著诱导鳃内钠钾ATP酶α的基因表达,可能干扰渗透压调节,对一些洄游鱼类的溯河过程可能构成潜在影响.     

Association patterns among male and female spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) reflect male mate choice

Although female animals tend to be choosier than males in selecting mates, sexual selection theory predicts that males should also be choosy when female fecundity varies. Reproductive success among female spotted hyenas varies greatly with social rank. Our goals were therefore to determine whether male hyenas preferentially associate with high-ranking females, and whether male preferences are affected by female reproductive state. Interactions between adult males and females were observed intensively, and association indices calculated for all male-female pairs, over a 7-year period in one population of free-living hyenas. Males initiated most affiliative interactions with females, and males associated most closely with females that were likeliest to be fertile. High- and middle-ranking males associated most closely with high-ranking females, but low-ranking males associated equally closely with females in all rank categories. We used molecular markers to determine the paternity of cubs born during the study period, and found that sires associated more closely with the mothers of those cubs than did non-sires, particularly during the last months before conception. These association data indicate that male spotted hyenas do indeed exhibit selective mate choice, and that they prefer females likeliest to maximize male reproductive success.     

Catch rate and emergence of male and female spanner crabs (Ranina ranina) in Australia

Catches of the spanner crab, Ranina ranina (Linnaeus, 1788), in southern Queensland, Australia in 1982 and 1983 showed a seasonal cycle, with peak catches from August to September. In most catches, males outnumbered females. Catches of both male and female spanner crabs declined in November and December, when a high proportion of females caught were ovigerous. Fish, echinoderms and polychaetes were the main food items. Closed-circuit time-lapse video recording was used to study the emergence behaviour of R. ranina in a 6 m-diameter tank. Spanner crabs in this tank were buried most of the time, emerging on average for only 1.7 h d^-1. They emerged mainly between 16.00 and 24.00 hrs and, less often, between 01.00 and 15.00 hrs. Males remained emerged significantly longer than females. The duration of emergence of the females peaked before the spawning season, becoming shorter during the period when they were ovigerous. Temperature and emergence were negatively correlated. It is concluded that reproductive behaviour has a strong influence on catch composition of spanner crabs.     

Infanticide by resident males and female counter-strategies in wild Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata)

Infanticide was observed for the first time in a wild, non-provisioned troop of Japanese macaques on Yakushima Island, Japan. Eight adult resident males attacked unweaned infants in the pre- and early mating season, and one infanticide was observed directly. These attacks were not consistent with the social pathology, side effect of male aggression, cannibalism, or the resource defense hypothesis, but were generally consistent with the sexual-selection hypothesis. First, most male attackers had risen in dominance rank because several high-ranking males had left the troop. Second, in 78% of cases, male attackers had not previously been observed to mate with the mothers of victims. Moreover, analysis of subject animal DNA showed that males did not attack their own offspring. The two mothers who lost their unweaned infants, however, were not subsequently observed to mate. In fact, almost no mating behavior was observed in the troop. This was most likely due to a poor fruiting year. Resumption of mating by females who lost their infants may have been inhibited by an intervening environmental variable which suppressed female reproductive function. These observations contribute to a growing body of evidence which suggests that sexually selected infanticide can occur in seasonally breeding, multi-male, multi-female primate groups. Female Japanese macaques are known to mate with multiple males. We found evidence that female mating with multiple males inhibits contact aggression towards their infants. Adult males attacked infants eight times more often when they had not previously mated with the mother. Received: 2 September 1999 / Received in revised form: 27 April 2000 / Accepted: 3 May 2000     

Altered responses to female odors in parasitized male mice: neuromodulatory mechanisms and relations to female choice

There is accumulating evidence that females may preferentially select parasite-free or -resistant males. Minimal attention has, however, been paid to the mate preferences and responses of the parasitized male hosts themselves. Here, we considered the effects of parasitic infection on male host mate responses, the neuromodulatory correlates of these responses, and the relations of these responses to female mate choice. Using an odor “preference” test, we examined the effects of different stages of an acute, sub-clinical infection with the naturally occurring, enteric, single host, protozoan parasite, Eimeria vermiformis, on the responses of male mice, Mus musculus domesticus, to the odors of estrous females along with the responses of uninfected females to the parasitized males. At 4 days post-infection (non-infective, pre-patent stage) E. vermiformis-infected male mice showed a significantly decreased preference for the odors of estrous females, whereas at 10 days post-infection (infective, patent stage) infected males showed a significantly increased preference for the odors of estrous females. Parasitized males displayed no significant changes in their responses to the odors of non-estrous females, supporting effects on the reproductively related responses of the host. In parallel, estrous females displayed a reduced interest in the odors of infected males. Least interest was expressed in the odors of the patent, infective males, consistent with the avoidance of contagion. Using selective opioid peptide receptor agonists and antagonists we found evidence that enhanced kappa opioid peptide (e.g., dynorphin) activity was related to the decreased sexual interest of the pre-infective males, while augmented delta opioid peptide (e.g., enkephalin) activity was associated with the enhanced responses of the infective males to females. We further showed that acute kappa opiate administration reduced the responses of uninfected males to females and that uninfected females displayed modified responses to the odors of uninfected males subject to acute modifications of opioid activity. We suggest that these differential shifts in endogenous opioid activity in the parasitized males are associated with and, or related to alterations in neuro-immune and endocrine functions. These findings show that parasitic infection can have, depending on the stage of infection and associated neuromodulatory changes, either significant facilitatory or inhibitory effects on male host preferences for and responses to females. Received: 22 April 1996 / Accepted after revision: 15 March 1997     

Phenotypic differentiation in female preference related to geographic variation in male predation risk in the Trinidad guppy (Poecilia reticulata)

Summary Populations of the Trinidad guppy range from areas with high levels of predation by other species of fish to areas with little or no piscine predation. Previous studies have shown that variation among populations in male coloration can be explained by a balance between female preference for brighter males and natural selection against bright males. High levels of male courtship activity may also increase both predation risk and mating success. Therefore, in high-predation areas, females that mate with males that court frequently as well as those that choose bright males would presumably produce male offspring with low survivorship. Consistent with this variation in natural selection, we observed that females from high-predation populations were less likely to choose bright and frequently courting males than females from low-predation populations. This result supports the hypothesis that female preference is evolving as a character genetically correlated with the preferred male character, in which case higher levels of natural selection acting against the male character should be related to lower levels of female preference.     

Spacing of leks in relation to female home ranges,habitat requirements and male attractiveness in the great snipe (Gallinago media)

Summary In an attempt to examine three main hypotheses on the evolution of leks, data on female home ranges, distance between leks and male site fidelity in the great snipe (Gallinago media) were obtained. In a 30 × 40 km area in central Sweden, the locations of 12 leks were identified. Six were within the study area (7 × 11 km) in which probably all leks were known. In the study area, nearest neighbor distances between leks were longer than the predicted drawing area (diameter of female home ranges plus the detection range of leks). Furthermore, in only 1 of 13 radio-tracked females did the estimated home range enclose many leks. These data do not fit the prediction from the hotspot hypothesis on the dispersion of leks, namely, that the distance between leks should be less than the drawing area and hence an average female home range should enclose more than one lek. The observed distance between leks was about the same as predicted by the female preference hypothesis. This hypothesis also predicts females visit mainly one lek; however, we found they sometimes visit two and nest close to a third. We propose that males may first settle according to hotspot rules, but females will resettle according to preferences for certain males and/or larger leks. In this way some hotspot leks are abandoned, and the distance between leks is increased as males become more tightly clumped. However, when all males and females have settled, the leks still existing would be on hotspots. In the female preference hypothesis, males are assumed to aggregate on leks because females prefer clustered males as they can be more easily compared than if they are dispersed. Alternatively, in the attractiveness hypothesis, it is suggested that females prefer certain males, and hence unattractive males surround the attractive are forced to join leks in order to come close to females. Our data on male site fidelity support the attractiveness hypothesis because successful and dominant males return to the same lek and territory, both within and between years, whereas unsuccessful males move to other leks. Attractiveness of certain males may explain why according to hotspot rules in this species males are more clumped than expected. Offprint requests to: J. Höglund     

Developmental stress affects the attractiveness of male song and female choice in the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata)

Developmental stress has recently been shown to have adverse effects upon adult male song structure in birds, which may well act as an honest signal of male quality to discriminating females. However, it still remains to be shown if females can discriminate between the songs of stressed and non-stressed males. Here we use a novel experimental design using an active choice paradigm to investigate preferences in captive female zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata). Nine females were exposed to ten pairs of songs by previously stressed and non-stressed birds that had learned their song from the same tutor. Song pairs differed significantly in terms of song complexity, with songs of stressed males exhibiting lower numbers of syllables and fewer different syllables in a phrase. Song rate and peak frequency did not differ between stressed and non-stressed males. Females showed a significant preference for non-stressed songs in terms of directed perching activity and time spent on perches. Our results therefore indicate that developmental stress affects not only the structure of male song, but that such structural differences are biologically relevant to female mate choice decisions.     

The effects of parasites on male ornaments and female choice in the lek-breeding black grouse (Tetrao tetrix)

Summary We describe the results of two studies of parasitic infection in the black grouse (Tetrao tetrix). The first deals with our own observations of lekking black grouse in which the parasite levels of two blood parasites, the protozoan Leucocytozoon lovati and microfilaria, probably produced by a nematode worm Splendidofilaria tuvensis, were scored. We also obtained measures of age, survival, number of copulations, body mass and length of the ornamental tail feathers (the lyre) of the lekking males. The second study analysed the data from Lund (1954) which involved eight gut parasites obtained from birds which were killed. In the first study we found higher levels of infection of Leucocytozoon in adults relative to young birds. Parasites had no effect on male survival and there was no correlation in infection between the two types of parasites. Birds infected with microfilaria had shorter tail ornaments. There was no relationship between parasitic infection and mating success. However, the data indicated that such a trend indeed may exist for Leucocytozoon and the most successful males on the leks were less often infected by Leucocytozoon than other males. Results of the second study showed a negative relationship between parasite load (a combined measure of all parasites) and both ornamental tail feather length and body mass. These observations are compatible with, but not conclusive evidence for, the hypothesis of Hamilton and Zuk (1982) on the evolution of secondary sexual characters, where females choose to mate with genetically resistant males which show their resistance by expressing larger and more showy secondary sexual characters. Alternative explanations for the observed patterns are: females avoid infected males for some immediate benefit; and/or parasite loads are indicators of general stress rather than genetical resistance. Under the latter hypothesis females could mate with more vigorous males for reasons unrelated to parasite resistance.