Disruption of the stress response in wastewater treatment works effluent-exposed three-spined sticklebacks persists after translocation to an unpolluted environment
Pottinger, Tom G.; Matthiessen, Peter. 2016 Disruption of the stress response in wastewater treatment works effluent-exposed three-spined sticklebacks persists after translocation to an unpolluted environment. Ecotoxicology, 25 (3). 538-547. 10.1007/s10646-016-1612-3
Before downloading, please read NORA policies.Preview |
Text
N511265PP.pdf - Accepted Version Download (635kB) | Preview |
Abstract/Summary
The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal/interrenal (HPA/I) axis plays a key role in responding to biotic and abiotic challenges in all vertebrates. Recent studies have shown that the apical response of the HPI axis to stressors in three-spined sticklebacks varies in proportion to the concentration of wastewater treatment works (WWTW) effluent to which the fish are exposed. This study was conducted to determine whether between-site variation in stress responsiveness among WWTW effluent-exposed sticklebacks is persistent or reversible. Sticklebacks from eight sites in north-west England affected by WWTW effluent and exhibiting between-population variation in HPI axis reactivity, were moved to a clean-water aquarium environment. After five months in the contaminant-free environment the responsiveness of these fish to a standardised stressor was determined, by measuring the rate of stress-induced cortisol release across the gills, and compared with the responses of fish newly sampled from the eight original capture sites. Inter-site differences in the reactivity of the HPI axis, proportional to the effluent concentration at each site, persisted among the translocated female sticklebacks for at least 5 months. In male fish however, the direct relationship between stress responsiveness and site-specific effluent was not evident 5 months post-translocation. These results support previous observations that the HPA/I axis, a non-reproductive endocrine system, is vulnerable to modulation by anthropogenic factors in fish and show for the first time that, in female fish at least, this modulation is not transient. The mechanisms underlying these observations, and the implications for the fitness and resilience of affected populations, requires investigation.
Item Type: | Publication - Article |
---|---|
Digital Object Identifier (DOI): | 10.1007/s10646-016-1612-3 |
UKCEH and CEH Sections/Science Areas: | UKCEH Fellows Parr |
ISSN: | 0963-9292 |
Additional Keywords: | sewage, municipal wastewater, STP, hypothalamic-pituitary-interrenal axis, endocrine disruption, adrenal toxicity, cortisol |
NORA Subject Terms: | Zoology Biology and Microbiology |
Date made live: | 01 Feb 2016 16:21 +0 (UTC) |
URI: | https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/511265 |
Actions (login required)
View Item |
Document Downloads
Downloads for past 30 days
Downloads per month over past year