SFS Annual Meeting

5/23/2019  |   11:00 - 11:15   |  253 AB

SPATIOTEMPORAL ENDOCRINE DISRUPTION ACTIVITY IN AN EFFLUENT-IMPACTED RIVER UNDER LOW INSTREAM FLOW: INTEGRATING FIELD AND LABORATORY ASSESSMENTS Effluent-impacted waters represent a threat to aquatic organisms due to their potential to cause adverse biological effects, such as endocrine disruption. In the present study, field and laboratory experiments are integrated to evaluate estrogenicity of wastewater effluent to fish, during summer and fall seasons. Juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were individually placed in cages and exposed for 1, 3 and 7 days, at three different locations downstream and one location upstream of a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in East Canyon Creek, Utah, a river influenced by seasonal snowmelt. In the summer, concentrations of plasma vitellogenin (VTG) were high in the upstream and furthest downstream sites on day 7. Estradiol (E2) concentrations were high on day 7, across all sites. In the fall, slight increases of VTG were observed at the site closest to the WWTP, whereas high levels of E2 were observed on day 7 at the two downstream sites near the WWTP, though E2 concentrations were lower compared to the summer. On-going assessments aim to estimate endocrine disruption in vitro by exposing primary hepatocytes to water extracts from samples collected at the same locations where the fish were deployed.

Marco Franco (Primary Presenter/Author), Baylor University, marco_franco1@baylor.edu;


S. Rebekah Burket (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Baylor University, bekah_burket@baylor.edu;


Jaylen Sims (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Baylor University, jaylen_sims1@baylor.edu;


Lea Lovin (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Baylor University, Lea_Lovin1@baylor.edu;


Craig Ashcroft (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Carollo Engineers, cashcroft@carollo.com;


Michael Luers (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Snyderville Basin Water Reclamation District, mluers@sbwrd.org;


Bryan Brooks (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Baylor University, bryan_brooks@baylor.edu;


Ramon Lavado (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Baylor University, ramon_lavado@baylor.edu;


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5/23/2019  |   11:30 - 11:45   |  253 AB

TADPOLE SHRIMP IN AN ANTIBIOTIC SOUP: ARE WE CREATING MONSTERS? To keep up with a growing human population, U.S. farmers have turned to using antibiotic growth promoters to increase the size of livestock raised and decrease microbial growth amongst populations. The current literature states that 70-90% of these antibiotics are unmetabolized and excreted into the environments surrounding farms, including surface waters. It is understood that antibiotics are prevalent in surface waters, however, it is unknown how it affects the aquatic organisms that inhabit them. To investigate the effects of the antibiotics on aquatic invertebrates, generations of tadpole shrimp (Crustacea: Notostraca: Triops), were exposed to varying concentrations of the antibiotic chlortetracycline in 1L microscosms to determine if it affects the shrimp’s survival, size, and lifespan. We have found that chlortetracycline has not affected shrimp size, survival, and lifespan at ecologically relevant concentrations. Factors such as competition have also been taken into account in order to asses the antibiotic’s ecological impact. A concentration in which no shrimp are able to survive is currently being investigated. We hope this information will contribute to the body of knowledge that guides the regulation of antibiotics in livestock.

McKayla Streit (Primary Presenter/Author), University of Wisconsin - Whitewater, streitmr07@uww.edu;


Brian O'Neill (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, oneillb@uww.edu;


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5/23/2019  |   12:15 - 12:30   |  253 AB

THE INFLUENCE OF LIFE STAGE ON THE SENSITIVITY OF AQUATIC INSECTS TO METALS IN STREAMS Evaluations of aquatic insect responses to contaminants typically use larval life stages to characterize taxa sensitivity, but the effects of contaminants on the morphological transition of larvae to emerged terrestrial adults has received less attention. We compare the lethal and sublethal effects of metals to larval and emerging adult aquatic insects using stream mesocosms and field biomonitoring at an acid mine drainage (AMD) remediation site. Mesocosm results showed differences in metal tolerance among dominant taxa and life stages. In addition, the timing of adult emergence was highly altered in all dominant taxa, and sex ratios were changed in mayflies. Field results showed differences in the recovery propensity of larvae compared to adults at sites downstream of the AMD inputs. Our results demonstrate that metal tolerance in aquatic insects is life-stage dependent and that taxa sensitivity is influenced by a combination of physiology and phylogeny. Failure to quantify emergence can mischaracterize contaminant effects on aquatic insect population dynamics and aquatic subsidies to terrestrial ecosystems. Regulatory frameworks would benefit by including test results that account for the effects of contaminants on metamorphosis and adult insect emergence.

Christopher Kotalik (Primary Presenter/Author), United States Geological Survey, ckotalik@usgs.gov;


William Clements (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Colorado State University, William.Clements@colostate.edu ;


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