Aluminum and Acid Toxicity to Two Strains of Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis)

1990 ◽  
Vol 47 (8) ◽  
pp. 1641-1648 ◽  
Author(s):  
C G. Ingersoll ◽  
D. D. Gulley ◽  
D. R. Mount ◽  
M. E. Mueller ◽  
J. D. Fernandez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Brook Trout ◽  
Salvelinus Fontinalis ◽  
Low Ph ◽  
Chloride Cells ◽  
Free Swimming ◽  
Field Exposure ◽  
Fish Weight ◽  
Gill Histology ◽  
Acid Toxicity

Two strains of 1 yr-old brook trout were exposed to 14 combinations of pH, aluminum, and calcium during a 28-d experiment. Survival, weight, and gill histology of both strains were affected similarly by pH, aluminum, and calcium exposure. Survival was reduced at inorganic monomeric aluminum concentrations (IA1) of 29 μg/L at pH 5.2 and [Formula: see text] at pH 4.4 and 4.8. Fish weight was reduced with exposure to pH below 4.8 or aluminum concentrations [Formula: see text]. The gills sampled from fish exposed to low pH exhibited lifting of the outer epithelium and hypertrophy (increase in size) of chloride and epithelial cells. The response of gills sampled from fish exposed to low pH and elevated aluminum was more pronounced relative to the low pH exposure alone. In addition to the effects observed in the low pH exposed fish, the gills from fish exposed to both acid and aluminum exhibited vacuolation and degeneration of epithelial and chloride cells and the presence of dense cells. Finally, fish confined in PVC tubes designed to mimic in situ field exposure procedures were more sensitive to the toxic effects of acid and aluminum compared to free-swimming fish. Caution must be taken when extrapolating safe field levels from in situ exposures of caged fish.

Histopathological and electron microscopic studies of gills of brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis, from acidified lakes

1985 ◽  
Vol 63 (9) ◽  
pp. 2062-2070 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gaston Chevalier ◽  
Laurent Gauthier ◽  
Guy Moreau
Keyword(s):  
Brook Trout ◽  
Salvelinus Fontinalis ◽  
Gill Tissue ◽  
Low Ph ◽  
Chloride Cells ◽  
Electron Microscopic ◽  
Secondary Lamellae ◽  
Microscopic Studies ◽  
Acidified Lakes ◽  
High Level

Histopathological and electron microscopic studies of gill tissue were carried out in brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis, from wild populations inhabiting three acidified lakes and in others from three nonacidified lakes located in the Canadian Shield (Québec). The acidified lakes were characterized by low pH (5.5), poor buffering capacity, and low conductivity. By comparison with trout from nonacidified lakes, gills of trout from acidified lakes showed extensive epithelial damage, mainly separation of the epithelial layer from underlying tissue, deformation of secondary lamellae, and degeneration of chloride cells, which was accompanied by pronounced hyperplasia of undifferentiated epithelial cells in the primary lamellae. Histopathological changes were quantified by morphometry. Most damaged gills were also shown to contain a higher concentration of aluminum. The observed changes in gill cells and tissues are interpreted as reactions to sublethal environmental conditions adverse to the osmoregulatory balance of the fish, specifically chronic exposure to low pH and low calcium concentrations, possibly combined with a high level of aluminum.

Morphometric Changes in Gill Secondary Lamellae of Brook Trou (Salvelinus fontinalis) After Long-Term Exposure to Acid and Aluminum

1988 ◽  
Vol 45 (9) ◽  
pp. 1643-1648 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. E. Tietge ◽  
R. D. Johnson ◽  
H. L Bergman
Keyword(s):  
Brook Trout ◽  
Salvelinus Fontinalis ◽  
Gill Tissue ◽  
Volume Density ◽  
Low Ph ◽  
Chloride Cells ◽  
Physiological Data ◽  
Secondary Lamellae ◽  
Respiratory Efficiency

Adult brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) were exposed for 147 d to three different combinations of acid and Al in soft water (2 mg Ca/L). Samples of gill tissue from each of the three exposure conditions (pH 6.64 + 0 μg Al/L, pH 4.91 + 4.3 μg Al/L, and pH 4.45 + 393 μg Al/L) were examined by light microscopy using high-resolution techniques and morphometric analysis. As compared with fish in control conditions (pH 6.64 + 0 μg Al/L), exposure to pH 4.91 without Al significantly increased volume density of lamellar chloride cells. Low pH and elevated Al (pH 4.45 + 393 μg Al/L) resulted in increased diffusion distance, white blood cell infiltration of the lymphatic space of the gill tissue (an indicator of tissue damage), and a dramatic increase in lamellar dense cells. These results are consistent with the physiological data that show ionoregulatory stress and decreased respiratory efficiency as typical responses of brook trout exposed to low pH and combinations of low pH and elevated Al.

Retardation and Recovery of Growth in Brook Trout Fry (Salvelinus fontinalis) Exposed for Various Durations to Acidified Water

1986 ◽  
Vol 43 (10) ◽  
pp. 2048-2050 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. H. Tam ◽  
P. D. Payson ◽  
R. J. J. Roy
Keyword(s):  
Growth Inhibition ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
Brook Trout ◽  
Salvelinus Fontinalis ◽  
Low Ph ◽  
Fish Growth ◽  
Control Fish ◽  
Treated Fish ◽  
Test Fish ◽  
Neutral Water

Brook trout fry (Salvelinus fontinalis) were exposed to pH 4.66 for various durations up to 141 d and then returned to neutral water. Growth of test fish was in general significantly lower than that of control fish for exposures up to days 45–78. In four of six groups of acid-treated fish, growth eventually recovered and the growth rates were not different from that of control fish. The results suggested that growth inhibition was induced early in the exposure to sublethally low pH and that recovery in the latter phase of the experiment occurred whether pH remained acidic or was readjusted to neutral.

Electroretinographic Determination of Spectral Sensitivity in Albino and Pigmented Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis, Mitchill)

1971 ◽  
Vol 49 (12) ◽  
pp. 1030-1037 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Kobayashi ◽  
M. A. Ali
Keyword(s):  
Absorption Spectrum ◽  
Spectral Sensitivity ◽  
Brook Trout ◽  
Salvelinus Fontinalis ◽  
Narrow Band ◽  
Visible Spectrum ◽  
The Difference

A technique for recording electroretinograms from the unpunctured eyes in situ of living, anesthetized fish is described. This technique permits the use of the same fish in a number of experiments over a period of weeks, months, or years. Using this technique the spectral sensitivity of dark-adapted (scotopic) and light-adapted (photopic) fish was measured at 13 bands of the visible spectrum. The scotopic curves of albino and pigmented trout thus obtained in the winter have their maxima around 525 nm which differ from that of the absorption spectrum of the scotopic pigment in situ and in vitro of older fish obtained in the summer. The photopic curve of the pigmented fish is a broad one with humps around 425 nm, 545 nm, and 595 nm. The albino's curve has a relatively narrow band with a peak around 630 nm and a shoulder at about 550 nm. The difference between the shapes of the two curves may be ascribed to the increase in the intensity of light of longer wavelengths within the eyeball of the albino, due to reflection from blood vessels and sclera caused by the absence of pigmentation.

Influence of body weight, swimming characteristics, and water temperature on the cost of swimming in brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis)

2000 ◽  
Vol 57 (7) ◽  
pp. 1482-1488 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ming Tang ◽  
Daniel Boisclair ◽  
Chantal Ménard ◽  
John A Downing
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
Water Temperature ◽  
Brook Trout ◽  
Salvelinus Fontinalis ◽  
Significant Proportion ◽  
Average Difference ◽  
Fish Swimming ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Fish Weight ◽  
The Cost

We performed respirometry experiments to estimate the spontaneous swimming costs of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) for 24 combinations of fish weight (3.5, 17, and 32 g), water temperature (4, 12, and 18°C), and respirometer size (27, 54, and 108 L). Fish swimming characteristics were estimated for each experiment using videocamera recordings and image analysis. Under our experimental conditions, average swimming characteristics of fish, such as swimming speed and turning and acceleration rates, varied from 2.5- to 29-fold. Our data, alone or combined with similar published results on brook trout weighing 1 g, indicated that fish weight was the only variable that could explain a statistically significant proportion of the variations of spontaneous swimming costs for that species (r2 = 0.91). Our work confirms, with a wider range of experimental data, that spontaneous swimming costs of fish are 3- to 22-fold (8-fold average difference) more energy demanding than predicted by forced swimming models developed using fish swimming at constant speeds and directions in flumes.

In situ Bioassays of Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) and Blacknose Dace (Rhinichthys atratulus) in Adirondack Streams Affected by Episodic Acidification

1993 ◽  
Vol 50 (5) ◽  
pp. 902-912 ◽  
Author(s):  
Howard A. Simonin ◽  
Walter A. Kretser ◽  
Dale W. Bath ◽  
Mark Olson ◽  
James Gallagher
Keyword(s):  
Brook Trout ◽  
Salvelinus Fontinalis ◽  
Fish Mortality ◽  
Variable Model ◽  
Poor Water Quality ◽  
Rhinichthys Atratulus ◽  
Blacknose Dace ◽  
In Situ Bioassays ◽  
Precipitation Events

In situ bioassays were conducted using native Adirondack brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) and blacknose dace (Rhinichthys atratulus) in four headwater streams. Conductivity, pH, temperature, and stage height were monitored continuously, and water samples for laboratory analysis were collected during hydrologic episodes. Fish survived well during baseflow conditions, but during periods of spring snowmelt or large precipitation events, survival was poor. Blacknose dace were more sensitive than brook trout, and mortality was best correlated with the log of median inorganic monomeric aluminum (Alim) concentration. Brook trout mortality was best correlated with a two-variable model that included dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and a concentration–duration variable (median Alim during the episode times the duration of the episode). Brook trout mortality was inversely correlated with DOC. Bioassay fish that had been in the streams 15–24 d survived episodes better than fish that had either not become acclimatized or recovered from handling. Duration of exposure to acidic episodes was critical. Extended periods of poor water quality resulted in fish mortality and may be more important to native populations than short acidic episodes.

Effects of pH, Aluminum, and Calcium on Survival and Growth of Eggs and Fry of Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis)

1990 ◽  
Vol 47 (8) ◽  
pp. 1580-1592 ◽  
Author(s):  
C G. Ingersoll ◽  
D. R. Mount ◽  
D. D. Gulley ◽  
T. W. La Point ◽  
H. L. Bergman
Keyword(s):  
Brook Trout ◽  
Salvelinus Fontinalis ◽  
Aluminum Toxicity ◽  
Life Stage ◽  
Recovery Period ◽  
Yolk Sac ◽  
Aluminum Concentration ◽  
Effects Of Ph ◽  
Life Stage Sensitivity ◽  
Acid Toxicity

Freshly fertilized eggs, eyed eggs, yolk-sac fry, and swim-up fry of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) were exposed to a matrix of 84 combinations of pH (4.0–6.5), aluminum (0–1000 μg/L), and calcium (0.5–8.0 mg/L) in 21–91-d experiments. The response to pH, aluminum, and calcium exposure was dependent on life stage. Sensitivity to acid toxicity generally decreased with age (freshly fertilized eggs>eyed eggs>yolk-sac fry = swim-up fry). Survival or hatching of freshly fertilized and eyed eggs decreased at pH 5.2 and below, whereas survival of yolk-sac and swim-up fry was reduced at pH 4.4–4.0. Sensitivity to aluminum toxicity generally increased with age (freshly fertilized eggs = eyed eggs<yolk-sac fry<swim-up fry). At low pH, survival of freshly fertilized and eyed eggs increased with exposure to increasing aluminum concentrations, in contrast, elevated aluminum [Formula: see text] was often toxic to fry. Increasing calcium was beneficial to all life stages, although the magnitude of this benefit depended on life stage and on the specific pH and aluminum concentration. Survival after previous exposure to toxic combinations of pH, aluminum, and calcium generally improved during a post-exposure recovery period at pH 6.5. However, increased mortality in many exposure combinations did not begin until this recovery period.

Ambient pH and Calcium Concentration as Modifiers of Growth and Calcium Dynamics of Brook Trout, Salvelinus fontinalis

1984 ◽  
Vol 41 (12) ◽  
pp. 1774-1780 ◽  
Author(s):  
David W. Rodgers
Keyword(s):  
Brook Trout ◽  
Calcium Concentration ◽  
Salvelinus Fontinalis ◽  
Axial Skeleton ◽  
Low Ph ◽  
Fish Growth ◽  
Calcium Dynamics ◽  
Experimental Fish ◽  
Low Calcium ◽  
High Calcium

Juvenile brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis, were maintained in water of pH 5.3 or 6.5 and calcium concentrations of 5 or 40 mg/L to determine the effects of these factors on fish growth and calcium dynamics. Growth rates varied more than twofold and were significantly reduced by both low ambient calcium concentration and low pH. In contrast, calcium dynamics of the fish were significantly affected by calcium concentration but not pH. Brook trout in low-calcium water retained less labeled dietary calcium and deposited less labeled calcium in axial skeleton and visceral tissues than fish in high-calcium water. Calcium concentrations of the skin and fins were slightly but significantly reduced among fish in low-calcium water, but neither pH nor ambient calcium concentration significantly affected ash content or calcium concentration of axial skeleton and visceral tissues of experimental fish.

Effects of Aluminum and Low pH on Net Ion Fluxes and Ion Balance in the Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis)

1988 ◽  
Vol 45 (9) ◽  
pp. 1563-1574 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. E. Booth ◽  
D. G. McDonald ◽  
B. P. Simons ◽  
C. M. Wood
Keyword(s):  
Brook Trout ◽  
Salvelinus Fontinalis ◽  
Inhibitory Effect ◽  
Low Ph ◽  
Exposed Fish ◽  
Water Ph ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Ph Dependent ◽  
Total Body ◽  
Stimulation Of

Adult brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) were exposed for up to 11 d to one of a matrix of 18 Al, low pH, and Ca2+ combinations, chosen as representive of acidified softwater environments in the wild. Reduction in water pH led to pH-dependent net losses of Na+ and Cl− exacerbated by the presence of Al in the water and reduced by elevating Ca2+. Any animal losing more than 4% of its total body Na+ over the first 24 h of Al exposure had a greater than 90% likelihood of eventual mortality. Na+ losses arose from inhibition of influx and stimulation of efflux. The inhibition was persistent and pH dependent. Addition of Al to acidified water had a slight further inhibitory effect on Na+ influx and a large stimulatory effect on efflux. The latter was dependent on Al concentration, was the main cause of initial ion losses and mortality, and declined with time in surviving animals. All Al-exposed fish accumulated Al on their gills, but this was apparently mainly surface or subsurface bound, since no internal Al (plasma or liver) could be detected. Nonsurviving fish had substantially higher gill Al levels than survivors.

Elevated Levels of Arginine Vasotocin in the Brain of Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) from Acid Lakes: A Field Test of a Potential Biomarker for Acid Stress

1993 ◽  
Vol 50 (8) ◽  
pp. 1717-1727 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Hontela ◽  
J. B. Rasmussen ◽  
K. Lederis ◽  
H. V. Tra ◽  
G. Chevalier
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Field Test ◽  
Brook Trout ◽  
Salvelinus Fontinalis ◽  
Acid Stress ◽  
Low Ph ◽  
Arginine Vasotocin ◽  
Potential Biomarker ◽  
Different Seasons ◽  
The Relationship

The levels of arginine vasotocin (AVT), an osmoregulatory peptide, were determined by radioimmunoassay in brain tissue of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) of a wide size range (50–380 mm) from softwater Laurentian lakes ranging in pH from 5.0 to 6.9 at different seasons. Multivariate models (ANCOVA) were developed to quantify the relationship between AVT, pH, body size, and season. Brain AVT levels increased with body size, and the allometric slope was highest in the low-pH lakes (pH 5.0-5.5). Although brook trout > 150 mm had higher brain AVT levels at low pH, no significant differences were detected for brook trout < 150 mm. We hypothesize that the sensitivity of brook trout at the parr stage to acid stress may be linked to their inability to mobilize a hormonal response involving AVT. The seasonal variation in brain AVT levels was similar in all the lakes studied, summer levels being the highest. Although this field study revealed that AVT levels depend also on factors other than acid stress (body size and season), our ANCOVA models allow adjustment for the effects of these covariables. Analyses of this type can be used to field test and calibrate biomarkers for use in ecotoxicology.

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