Effects of Water Acidity on Swimbladder Function and Swimming in the Fathead Minnow, Pimephales promelas

1988 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wolfgang A. Jansen ◽  
John H. Gee

Swimbladder function, buoyancy-related behavior, and swimming performance were examined in fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) following chronic (>4 d) exposure to acid-treated water (pH 5.3). When denied surface access in still water, treated fish, unlike controls (pH 7.7), failed to increase buoyancy and standard volume over "access to air" levels and had significantly higher proportions of swimbladder CO2 and O2. In current, treated fish reduced buoyancy over 48 h to a lesser extent than controls and were severely limited in their ability to increase internal pressure of swimbladder gases. pH significantly affected the maintenance of a minimum buoyancy over 32 d. Upon transfer from current to still water without access to air, the rate of buoyancy adjustment over 48 h was significantly slower in treated fish. With surface access, fish of both groups filled swimbladders within 6–12 h following removal from current; however, treated fish displayed significantly lower proportions of swimbladder CO2 and O2 at 12 and 24 h. Both groups of fish compensated hydrodynamically for insufficient static lift with higher frequencies of pectoral fin beats, treated fish having generally higher frequencies. Swimming performance was unaffected by water pH, but treated fish lost more weight than controls. We propose that impaired swimbladder function contributes to the elimination of fathead minnows from acidified environments.

1983 ◽  
Vol 61 (10) ◽  
pp. 2213-2218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alyre G. Chiasson ◽  
John H. Gee

In normoxic water, swim bladder gases of the fathead minnow consisted of 1.5% CO2, 10.2% O2, and 89.2% N2, and remained unchanged over 24 h. Fathead minnows were exposed to hypoxic water with and without access to the surface and changes in swim bladder lift and gas composition were recorded. After 12 h of hypoxia with surface access, mean swim bladder lift (buoyancy) increased from slightly negative to strongly positive with extreme variation between individuals. Lift declined slightly between 36 and 60 h in hypoxia. O2 and CO2 proportions were maintained at levels similar to those found in normoxic waters for 12–36 h but then these declined such that N2 was 96% of the swim bladder volume after 60 h of hypoxia. Without surface access, swim bladder lift and gas composition remained unchanged. Changes in swim bladder lift were due to addition and (or) losses of gases and were not due to changes in internal pressure of swim bladder gas. Mechanisms of controlling swim bladder volume (lift) in hypoxic water and the significance of changes in swim bladder gas composition are discussed.


Author(s):  
Richard L. Leino ◽  
Jon G. Anderson ◽  
J. Howard McCormick

Groups of 12 fathead minnows were exposed for 129 days to Lake Superior water acidified (pH 5.0, 5.5, 6.0 or 6.5) with reagent grade H2SO4 by means of a multichannel toxicant system for flow-through bioassays. Untreated water (pH 7.5) had the following properties: hardness 45.3 ± 0.3 (95% confidence interval) mg/1 as CaCO3; alkalinity 42.6 ± 0.2 mg/1; Cl- 0.03 meq/1; Na+ 0.05 meq/1; K+ 0.01 meq/1; Ca2+ 0.68 meq/1; Mg2+ 0.26 meq/1; dissolved O2 5.8 ± 0.3 mg/1; free CO2 3.2 ± 0.4 mg/1; T= 24.3 ± 0.1°C. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd gills were subsequently processed for LM (methacrylate), TEM and SEM respectively.Three changes involving chloride cells were correlated with increasing acidity: 1) the appearance of apical pits (figs. 2,5 as compared to figs. 1, 3,4) in chloride cells (about 22% of the chloride cells had pits at pH 5.0); 2) increases in their numbers and 3) increases in the % of these cells in the epithelium of the secondary lamellae.


1972 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 583-587 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. R. Carlson

When fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) were exposed to five concentrations (0.008–0.68 mg/liter) of the insecticide carbaryl for 9 months and throughout a life cycle, the highest concentration prevented reproduction and decreased survival. At the high concentration, testes contained motile sperm and ovaries were in a flaccid condition and appeared to be in a resorptive state. At the 0.68 mg/liter concentration, carbaryl appeared to contribute to mortality of larvae (produced by unexposed parents) within 30 days of hatching. Survival of young grown in the 0.008 mg/liter concentration was reduced. Since no demonstrable effects were noted for survival, growth, or reproduction at the 0.017, 0.062, and 0.21 mg/liter concentrations, this low survival value is considered not due to carbaryl. The 96-hr median tolerance concentration (TL 50) and the lethal threshold concentration (LTC) for 2-month-old fathead minnows were 9.0 mg/liter. The maximum acceptable toxicant concentration (MATC) for fathead minnows exposed to carbaryl in water with a hardness of 45.2 mg/liter and a pH of 7.5 lies between 0.21 and 0.68 mg/liter. The application factors (MATC/96-hr TL50 and MATC/LTC) both lie between 0.023 and 0.075.


1971 ◽  
Vol 28 (8) ◽  
pp. 1107-1112 ◽  
Author(s):  
William T. Waller ◽  
Richard E. Sparks ◽  
John Cairns Jr. ◽  
M. L. Dahlberg

This computer simulation study tested the effects of 99 levels of proportional mortality on fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) populations, assuming that the parent–progeny relationship is of the form proposed by Ricker. Limited data from two studies on three lakes were available to fit the model and obtain estimates of parameters for fathead minnow populations. Based on these estimates, 25 replications of a 50-generation cycle were simulated under two levels of environmental variability. Arbitrary extinction levels of 5, 100, and 500 females had little effect on the results. Increasing environmental variation lowered the percentage mortality at which population extinctions occurred. In general, the results are compatible with the recommendation of the U.S. Committee on Water Quality Criteria, that the maximum concentration of zinc to which fish could be continuously exposed should not exceed [Formula: see text] the 96-hr TLm (median tolerance limit) — a concentration that caused a 50% reduction in the mean number of eggs laid per female by fathead minnows in a laboratory study.


1995 ◽  
Vol 73 (11) ◽  
pp. 2165-2167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan S. Kolok ◽  
James T. Oris

The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that the specific growth rate of male fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) was positively correlated with swimming performance. Subadult fish were allowed to grow into adults over a period of 31 – 55 days, after which the critical swimming speed of each fish was determined. Variation in critical swimming speed was substantial (greater than 50%), and a significant positive correlation was found between number of growing days and critical swimming speed, whereas a significant negative correlation was found between specific growth rate and critical swimming speed. A multiple regression using specific growth rate and number of growing days explained over 47% of the variation in swimming performance. Fathead minnows that grow fast are poor swimmers, suggesting a trade-off between swimming performance and specific growth rate in this species.


1973 ◽  
Vol 30 (8) ◽  
pp. 1147-1153 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. J. Smith ◽  
J. L. Sykora ◽  
M. A. Shapiro

The long-term effect of lime neutralized suspended iron on fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) survival, growth, and reproduction was assessed in a flow-through environment with a modified proportional diluter. Results of 12 months of testing reveal lower survival and declining growth of fathead minnows with an increase in lime neutralized suspended iron concentration. Hatchability and growth of fathead minnows were appreciably reduced in the lowest insoluble iron concentration tested, 1.5 mg Fe/liter. Reduced hatchability was attributed to the higher percentage of smaller particles in low lime neutralized iron concentrations. A comparison of data on survival, growth, and hatchability indicates that the safe level of suspended iron for fathead minnows presumably lies between the control and 1.5 mg Fe/liter.


1990 ◽  
Vol 47 (6) ◽  
pp. 1157-1165 ◽  
Author(s):  
John C. Brazner ◽  
Edward R. Kline

A series of 12 littoral enclosures constructed within a 2 ha, mesotrophic pond near Duluth, Minnesota were used to determine if sublethal concentrations of the insecticide chlorpyrifos [0,0,-diethyl 0-(3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridyl) phosphorothioate] could lead to changes in the diet and growth of fathead minnow larvae. Chlorpyrifos was added to the enclosures at nominal concentrations of 0.0, 0.5, 5.0, and 20.0 μg/L in a single application on June 16, 1986. Growth rates of larvae were significantly reduced in the treated enclosures during the 32-d study period. The most dramatic differences in the mean size of larvae from the four treatment groups were observed 15 d posttreatment. These differences corresponded to the most significant reductions in cladoceran, copepod, rotifer, and chironomid populations in the treated enclosures. These results indicate that toxicity to chlorpyrifos-sensitive invertebrate forage species forced dietary changes that led to reduced growth of native fathead minnow larvae in the treated enclosures.


1982 ◽  
Vol 60 (5) ◽  
pp. 764-775 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Brockley Paterson ◽  
Sherwin S. Desser

Eimeria degiustii and E. iroquoina were studied in natural infections of their mutual cyprinid hosts the common shiner, Notropis cornutus, and the fathead minnow, Pimephales promelas. Experimental infections involved lab-reared fathead minnows. Oocysts were acclimated to different temperatures to investigate the effects upon the parasites' development and infectivity.Eimeria degiustii occurred at 21% prevalence in common shiners 2 years of age or older. Development was parenteral. Gametogony was recorded during the winter in the spleen and oocysts were found primarily in this site.Viurtally all Notropis cornutus 4 to 5 weeks of age were infected with E. iroquoina. Fish 1 year old or older act as reservoirs of infections with about 30% prevalence. Eimeria iroquoina develops in the intestinal epithelium, primarily immediately posterior to the bile duct. During the winter autoinfection of the posterior intestine possibly occurs. Transmission of E. iroquoina from N. cornutus to P. promelas demonstrates this parasite's lack of rigid host specificity.Eimeria degiustii and E. iroquoina appear to minimize competition in mutual hosts by infecting different age-classes in different sites and by forming oocysts primarily at different times of year. Eimeria iroquoina is transmitted directly. Eimeria degiustii probably requires an invertebrate intermediate host.


2012 ◽  
Vol 93 (6) ◽  
pp. 1247-1252 ◽  
Author(s):  
William N. Batts ◽  
Andrew E. Goodwin ◽  
James R. Winton

A bacilliform virus was isolated from diseased fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas). Analysis of the complete genome coding for the polyprotein (pp1ab), spike (S), membrane (M) and nucleocapsid (N) proteins revealed that the virus was most like white bream virus (WBV), another bacilliform virus isolated from white bream (Blicca bjoerkna L.) and the type species of the genus Bafinivirus within the order Nidovirales. In addition to similar gene order and size, alignment of deduced amino acid sequences of the pp1ab, M, N and S proteins of the fathead minnow nidovirus (FHMNV) with those of WBV showed 46, 44, 39 and 15 % identities, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis using the conserved helicase domain of the replicase showed FHMNV was distinct from WBV, yet the closest relative identified to date. Thus, FHMNV appears to represent a second species in the genus Bafinivirus. A PCR assay was developed for the identification of future FHMNV-like isolates.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document