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M. J. Mac

Publications and source records attributed to M. J. Mac.

4 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS2011

Identifying structural elements needed for development of a predictive life-history model for pallid and shovelnose sturgeons

Intensive management of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers has resulted in dramatic changes to the river systems and their biota. These changes have been implicated in the decline of the pallid sturgeon ( Scaphirhynchus albus ), which has been listed as a United States federal endangered species. The sympatric shovelnose sturgeon ( S. platorynchus ) is more common and widespread but has also been in decline. The decline of pallid sturgeon is considered symptomatic of poor reproductive success and low or no recruitment. In order to organize information about these species and provide a basis for future development of a predictive model to help guide recovery efforts, we present an expert-vetted, conceptual life-history framework that incorporates the factors that affect reproduction, growth, and survival of shovelnose and pallid sturgeons.

Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, In↗
USGS1998

The US federal framework for research on endocrine disrupters and an analysis of research programs supported during fiscal year 1996

The potential health and ecological effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals has become a high visibility environmental issue. The 1990s have witnessed a growing concern, both on the part of the scientific community and the public, that environmental chemicals may be causing widespread effects in humans and in a variety of fish and wildlife species. This growing concern led the Committee on the Environment and Natural Resources (CENR) of the National Science and Technology Council to identify the endocrine disruptor issue as a major research initiative in early 1995 and subsequently establish an ad hoc Working Group on Endocrine Disruptors. The objectives of the working group are to 1) develop a planning framework for federal research related to human and ecological health effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals; 2) conduct an inventory of ongoing federal research programs; and 3) identify research gaps and develop a coordinated interagency plan to address priority research needs. This communication summarizes the activities of the federal government in defining a common framework for planning an endocrine disruptor research program and in assessing the status of the current effort. After developing the research framework and compiling an inventory of active research projects supported by the federal government in fiscal year 1996, the CENR working group evaluated the current federal effort by comparing the ongoing activities with the research needs identified in the framework. The analysis showed that the federal government supports considerable research on human health effects, ecological effects, and exposure assessment, with a predominance of activity occurring under human health effects. The analysis also indicates that studies on reproductive development and carcinogenesis are more prevalent than studies on neurotoxicity and immunotoxicity, that mammals (mostly laboratory animals) are the main species under study, and that chlorinated dibenzodioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls are the most commonly studied chemical classes. Comparison of the inventory with the research needs should allow identification of underrepresented research areas in need of attention.

Environmental Health Perspectives↗
USGS1981

Comparative hatchability of lake trout eggs differing in contaminant burden and incubation conditions

In 1972, fertilized eggs of lake trout ( Salvelinus namaycush ) from the Marquette (Michigan) State Fish Hatchery (where levels of contaminants are relatively low) and eggs from lake trout collected in Michigan waters of Lake Michigan near Saugatuck and Charlevoix (where levels of PCB's and DDE are elevated) were incubated at hatchery temperatures (6° C) and at temperatures simulating the natural temperature cycle of Lake Michigan (1-8° C). Survival to yolk absorption of larvae from these three sources ranged from 40.3 to 65.5%, and no correlation was observed between survival and the level of PCB's and DDE in the eggs. Additional studies in 1975 with lake trout eggs from the same three sources confirmed previous observations that the elevated levels of PCB's and DDE in eggs from Lake Michigan did not appear to affect the percent hatch of lake trout eggs or survival of the fry to the swim-up stage. When fry hatched from eggs with an elevated contaminant burden were starved for several weeks, we observed no abnormal increase in posthatching mortality during the period when the yolk stores were being consumed.

Technical Paper↗