Behavioral teratology of methylmercury in fish
- Rutgers Univ., Newark, NJ (United States)
Embryos of the mummichog, Fundulus heteroclitus, were exposed to 2, 5, or 10 ug/l methylmercury throughout development. These are concentrations below those that can cause teratological effects. After hatching, larvae were maintained in clean sea water and tested for prey capture ability, using Artemia nauplii as prey. Individual fish larvae were provided with five brine shrimp and their capture times recorded. In all experiments, larvae that had been exposed to 10 ug/l methylmercury initially exhibited slower prey capture ability than the other groups. This is an indication of a subtle functional impairment due to the toxicant (``behavioral teratology``). However, the effect was transitory, and by about one week after hatching the prey capture of these larvae equaled that of the controls and the other treated groups. Growth of these larvae also equaled that of controls and the other groups. The embryonic exposure may have caused retardation of neurological development, which was subsequently compensated for, and therefore no permanent effects were produced. In the field, however, embryos exposed to such toxicants would probably continue to be exposed as larvae, and would not have the opportunity to recover from the effects, but rather might have them reinforced.
- OSTI ID:
- 37440
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9410273--
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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