Effects of embryonic methylmercury exposure on larval behavior of mummichogs
- Rutgers Univ., Newark, NJ (United States). Dept. of Biological Sciences
- New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ (United States). Dept. of Anatomy, Cell Biology, and Injury Science
Fundulus heteroclitus embryos were exposed to 5 and 10 ug/l meHg throughout development. Larvae were maintained in clean seawater and tested regularly for prey capture and predator avoidance. Experimentals captured significantly fewer prey (Artemia nauplii) than controls, although differences disappeared after about one week. However, 2-wk posthatch larvae showed significantly more miscues than controls. Differences were seen between controls from different populations. Fish from Hg-polluted Piles Creek (Linden NJ) which have impaired predation as adults, showed higher prey capture rate as larvae, although they exhibited more miscues than the reference population (from East Hampton, NY). Differences were also seen in the response to meHg: Piles Creek fish, which were previously found to be more resistant to teratogenic effects of higher concentrations of meHg, appeared to be more resistant than the reference population to these behavioral effects as well. In other studies, meHg-exposed larvae (from the reference population) swam greater distances than controls in a test of swimming performance. This difference also disappeared over time. Despite their increased swimming performance, exposed larvae were more vulnerable to predation by the grass shrimp, Palaemonetes pugio, due perhaps to their higher overall level of activity.
- OSTI ID:
- 242380
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9511137--; ISBN 1-880611-03-1
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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