Ecotoxicology: Behavior, exposure, and effects

Conference · Sat Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1988

OSTI ID:6703725

Gray, R H

Understanding the behavioral responses of aquatic organisms to toxicants is essential to predicting organism exposure and subsequent effects on survival and ecological success. Behavioral responses of aquatic organisms to environmental change can mitigate or exacerbate exposures. Often, however, predictions are based on bioassay-tolerance data on the effects of various contaminant increments above ambient and unsubstantiated assumptions of organism exposure. Studies at the Pacific Northwest Laboratory, USA, have evaluated fish response to thermal discharge, gas supersaturated water, water-soluble fractions of coal liquids, and other stresses. Approaches have included biotelemetry in the field, and avoidance/attraction and predator/prey studies in the laboratory. In most cases, fish avoided acutely lethal conditions, although they did not necessarily avoid conditions causing chronic effects (effects on growth, reproduction, etc.). Behavioral responses of fish to toxicants varied with species, natural schooling instincts and matrix of the contaminant. Results of these studies led to the conceptualization of a model that links toxicological and behavioral data and considers the influence of environmental and other variables (feeding, schooling, spawning, etc.) on fish response. Further development of this model will allow more realistic assessments than can presently be attempted using acute and chronic toxicity data alone. 63 refs., 6 figs., 1 tab.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC06-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 6703725
• Report Number(s): PNL-SA-15914; CONF-8810217-1; ON: DE89001995
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

550100* -- Behavioral Biology
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
ANIMALS
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
BEHAVIOR
BIOASSAY
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
BIOLOGICAL STRESS
COAL LIQUIDS
EVALUATION
FIELD TESTS
FISHES
FLUIDS
LIQUIDS
MATERIALS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MODIFICATIONS
SATURATION
SUPERSATURATION
TESTING
THERMAL EFFLUENTS
TOXIC MATERIALS
VERTEBRATES