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Results for “Reproductive Toxicology”

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At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
USGS2016

Evaluation of potential mechanisms of atrazine-induced reproductive impairment in fathead minnow ( Pimephales promelas ) and Japanese medaka ( Oryzias latipes )

Atrazine has been implicated in reproductive dysfunction of exposed organisms, and previous studies documented decreased egg production in Japanese medaka ( Oryzias latipes ) and fathead minnows ( Pimephales promelas ) during 30-d to 38-d exposures to 0.5 µg/L, 5 µg/L, and 50 µg/L atrazine. The authors evaluated possible mechanisms underlying the reduction in egg production. Gene expression in steroidogenesis pathways and the hypothalamus–pituitary–gonad axis of male and female fish was measured. Atrazine did not significantly induce gonad aromatase ( cyp19a1a ) expression. An atrazine-induced shift in the number of females in an active reproductive state was observed. Expression of the egg maturation genes vitellogenin 1 ( vtg1 ) and zona pellucida glycoprotein 3.1 ( zp3.1 ) in medaka females was correlated and had a bimodal distribution. In both species, females with low vtg1 or zp3.1 expression also had low expression of steroidogenesis genes in the gonad, estrogen receptor in the liver, and gonadotropins in the brain. In the medaka, the number of females per tank that had high expression of zp3.1 was significantly correlated with egg production per tank. The number of medaka females with low expression of zp3.1 increased significantly with atrazine exposure. Thus, the decline in egg production observed in response to atrazine exposure may be the result of a coordinated downregulation of genes required for reproduction in a subset of females.

Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry↗
USGS1986

Reproduction of bobwhites fed different dietary concentrations of an organophosphate insecticide, methamidophos

Pairs of first-year breeding bobwhites were fed constant or variable concentrations of methamidophos for 15 days, or a control diet in a pair-fed design in which they were matched by body weights to pairs in the constant group. Treatments for the constant group were 5.0, 7.8, 12.3, 19.2, and 30.0 ppm for 5 pairs at each concentration. The number of pairs per concentration and peak concentrations for the variable pairs were identical to the constant dosages. Concentrations for the variable group were increased by a factor of four during two 3-day periods in order to reach the peak concentrations on days 7–9 after which they were decreased by 18% every 3 days to correspond to an environmental half-time of 10.5 days. Food consumption, egg production, hatchability of eggs under artificial incubation, and survival of hatched chicks for 2 weeks were recorded for each pair during 15-day treatment and 21-day posttreatment periods. Mortality was high in the highest constant dosage (2/10) and the associated pair-fed groups (3/10). Food consumption and egg production rates were negatively dose-related during the treatment period in the constant and variable groups. The laying rate of pair-fed hens was reduced to the same extent as in the constant group. Reproductive inhibition was not permanent and pairs resumed laying after a dose-related recovery interval. No dose-related effects on hatchability or chick survival were detected. Furthermore, there was no evidence of a pesticide effect on reproduction in addition to that exerted through pesticide-induced anorexia.

Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxico↗
USGS2023

Toxicological effects assessment for wildlife in the 21st Century: Review of current methods and recommendations for a path forward

Model species (e.g., granivorous gamebirds, waterfowl, passerines, domesticated rodents) have been used for decades in guideline laboratory tests to generate survival, growth and reproductive data for prospective Ecological Risk Assessments (ERAs) for birds and mammals, while officially adopted risk assessment schemes for amphibians and reptiles do not exist. There are recognized shortcomings of current in vivo methods as well as uncertainty around the extent to which species with different life histories (e.g., terrestrial amphibians, reptiles, bats) than these commonly used models are protected by existing ERA frameworks. Approaches other than validating additional animal models for testing are being developed, but incorporation of such new approach methodologies (NAMs) into risk assessment frameworks will require robust validations against in vivo responses. This takes time, and the ability to extrapolate findings from non-animal studies to organism- and population-level effects in terrestrial wildlife remains weak. Failure to adequately anticipate and predict hazards could have economic and potentially even legal consequences for regulators and product registrants. In order to be able to use fewer animals or replace them altogether in the long-term, vertebrate use and whole organism data will be needed to provide data for NAMs validation in the short term. Therefore, it is worth investing resources for potential updates to existing standard test guidelines used in the laboratory as well as addressing the need for clear guidance on conduct of field studies. Herein we review the potential for improving standard in vivo test methods and for advancing the use of field studies in wildlife risk assessment, as these tools will be needed into the foreseeable future.

Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management↗
USGS2004

Reproductive status of western mosquitofish inhabiting selenium- contaminated waters in the Grassland Water District, Merced County, California

This study was implemented to determine if western mosquitofish ( Gambusia affinis ) populations in the Grassland Water District suffer from impaired reproduction because of seleniferous inflows of agricultural drainwater from the Grassland Bypass Project. During June to July 2001, laboratory trials with pregnant female fish collected from two seleniferous treatment sites exposed to selenium-laden drainwater and two nonseleniferous reference sites yielded fry that averaged >96% survival at birth. In addition, none of the newborn fry exhibited evidence of teratogenesis, a typical consequence of selenium toxicity. Chemical analysis of postpartum female fish and their newborn fry indicated that mosquitofish from seleniferous sites accumulated relatively high body burdens of selenium (3.96 to 17.5 μg selenium/g in postpartum female fish and 5.35 to 29.2 μg selenium/g in their fry), whereas those from nonseleniferous sites contained lower body burdens (0.40 to 2.72 μg selenium/g in postpartum female fish and 0.61 to 4.68 μg selenium/g in their fry). Collectively, these results strongly suggest that mosquitofish inhabiting selenium-contaminated waters are not experiencing adverse reproductive effects at current levels of selenium exposure.

California↗
USGS2007

Bayesian multimodel inference for dose-response studies

Statistical inference in dose-response studies is model-based: The analyst posits a mathematical model of the relation between exposure and response, estimates parameters of the model, and reports conclusions conditional on the model. Such analyses rarely include any accounting for the uncertainties associated with model selection. The Bayesian inferential system provides a convenient framework for model selection and multimodel inference. In this paper we briefly describe the Bayesian paradigm and Bayesian multimodel inference. We then present a family of models for multinomial dose-response data and apply Bayesian multimodel inferential methods to the analysis of data on the reproductive success of American kestrels (Falco sparveriuss) exposed to various sublethal dietary concentrations of methylmercury.

Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry↗
USGS2023

Wildlife ecological risk assessment in the 21st century: Promising technologies to assess toxicological effects

Despite advances in toxicity testing and development of new approach methodologies (NAMs) for hazard assessment, the ecological risk assessment (ERA) framework for terrestrial wildlife (i.e., air-breathing amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals) has remained unchanged for decades. While survival, growth, and reproductive endpoints derived from whole animal toxicity tests are central to hazard assessment, non-standard measures of biological effects at multiple levels of biological organization (e.g., molecular, cellular, tissue, organ, organism, population, community, ecosystem) have potential to enhance the relevance of prospective and retrospective wildlife ERAs. Other factors (e.g., indirect effects of contaminants on food supplies and infectious disease processes) are influenced by toxicants at individual, population, and community levels, and need to be factored into chemically-based risk assessments to enhance the “eco” component of ERAs. Regulatory and logistical challenges often relegate such non-standard endpoints and indirect effects to post-registration evaluations of pesticides and industrial chemicals, and contaminated site evaluations. While NAMs are being developed, to date their applications in ERAs focused on wildlife have been limited. No single magic tool or model will address all uncertainties in hazard assessment. Modernizing wildlife ERAs will likely entail combinations of laboratory and field-derived data at multiple levels of biological organization, knowledge collection solutions (e.g., systematic review, adverse outcome pathway frameworks), and inferential methods that facilitate integrations and risk estimations focused on species, populations, interspecific extrapolations, and ecosystem services modeling, with less dependence on whole animal data and simple hazard ratios.

Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management↗
USGS2003

Establishing appropriate measures for monitoring aging in birds: comparing short and long lived species

In order to reveal patterns of reproductive aging in birds we focus on a short lived species, the Japanese quail and the American kestrel, which has a life span of medium length. Quail have been studied extensively in the laboratory as models for understanding avian endocrinology and behavior, and as a subject for toxicological research and testing. In the lab, Japanese quail show age-related deterioration in endocrine, behavioral, and sensory system responses; the American kestrel is relatively long lived and shows moderate evidence of senescence in the oldest birds. Using data collected from captive kestrels at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, a database was designed to document selected parameters over the life cycle of the kestrels. Life table data collated from many species indicate that longer lived species of birds show senescence in survival ability but this pattern has not been established for reproductive function. We suggest that useful comparisons among species can be made by identifying stages in reproductive life history, organized on a relative time scale. Preliminary data from quail and kestrels, admittedly only two species, do not yet indicate a pattern of greater reproductive senescence in longer-lived birds.

Experimental Gerontology↗
USGS2013

The effects of salinity exposure on multiple life stages of a common freshwater mussel, Elliptio complanata

There is growing concern over the effects of increased salinization on freshwater organisms, which are largely unknown for unionid mussels. Adult and larval Elliptio complanata were exposed to low-level salt concentrations to determine the effects on mussel survival, physiology, and reproduction. Adults were exposed to salt concentrations of 0 parts per thousand (ppt), 2 ppt, 4 ppt, and 6 ppt NaCl and monitored over 7 d for mortality. Treatment groups exposed to 6 ppt and 4 ppt experienced 50% mortality at day 3 and day 4, respectively, with complete mortality by day 7. No mortality was observed in the other treatments. Adults were also exposed to sublethal salinity levels of 1 ppt and 2 ppt NaCl for 4 wk to determine physiological consequences of prolonged salinity exposure. Mussels exposed to 1 ppt and 2 ppt experienced reduced metabolic rates within the first 24 h of exposure that recovered to control levels in the 1-ppt treatment within 7 d. Metabolic recovery did not occur in the 2-ppt treatment by the end of 28 d. Glochidia exposed to 3-ppt NaCl during attachment to their host fish suffered a reduction in attachment success and metamorphosis, resulting in a 10-fold reduction in the number of juveniles produced per host fish. The present study demonstrates that low levels of salt can have a dramatic effect on the reproduction, physiology, and survival of freshwater mussels

Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry↗
USGS1998

Association of mercury and selenium with altered glutathione metabolism and oxidative stress in diving ducks from the San Francisco Bay region

Ault male greater scaup ( Aythya marila ), surf scoters ( Melanitta perspicillata ), and ruddy ducks ( Oxyurajamaicensis ) were collected from Suisun Bay and coastal Tomales Bay in the greater San Francisco Bay area to assess exposure to inorganic contaminants. Hepatic Se concentrations were highest in greater scaup (geometric mean = 67 ppm dry weight) and surf scoters (119 ppm) in Suisun Bay, whereas hepatic Hg was highest (19 ppm) in greater scaup and surf scoters from Tomales Bay. Hepatic Se and Hg were lower in ruddy ducks and did not differ between locations. Hepatic supernatants were assayed for enzymes related to glutathione metabolism and antioxidant activity, including glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PDH), glutathione peroxidase (GSH peroxidase), glutathione reductase (GSSG reductase), and glutathione- S -transferase (GSH transferase). Glutathione peroxidase activity was higher in surf scoters and ruddy ducks, and G-6-PDH was higher in greater scaup and surf scoters from Suisun Bay than Tomales Bay. Glutathione reductase (GSSG) was higher in SS from Suisun Bay. The ratio of oxidized glutathione (GSSG) to reduced glutathione (GSH) was greater in all species from Tomales Bay. The following significant relationships were found in one or more species with increasing hepatic Hg concentration: lower body, liver, and heart weights; decreased hepatic GSH concentration and G-6-PDH and GSH peroxidase activities; increased ratio of GSSG to GSH; and increased GSSG reductase activity. With increasing hepatic Se concentration, GSH peroxidase increased, but GSH decreased. It is concluded that measurement of associated enzymes in conjunction with thiol status may be a useful bioindicator to discriminate between Hg and Se effects. Concentrations of Hg and Se and the above variables affected have been associated with adverse effects on reproduction and neurological function in experimental studies with mallards.

Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry↗
USGS2018

Cyanobacteria reduce motility of quagga mussel (Driessena rostriformis bugensis) sperm

The temporal expansion of harmful algal blooms, primarily associated with cyanobacteria, may impact aquatic organisms at vulnerable life history stages. Broadcast spawning species release gametes into the water column for external fertilization, directly exposing sperm to potential aquatic stressors. To determine if cyanobacteria can disrupt reproduction in freshwater broadcast spawners, we evaluated sub‐lethal effects of cyanobacteria exposure on quagga mussel ( Dreissena rostriformis bugensis ) sperm. In laboratory studies, sperm were collected after inducing mussels to spawn using serotonin and exposed to 11 cultures of cyanobacteria including Anabaena flos‐aquae , Aphanizomenon flos‐aquae , Dolichospermum lemmermanii , Gloeotrichia echinulata , five cultures of Microcystis aeruginosa, M. wesenbergii , and Planktothrix suspensa . Sperm motility, using endpoints of cumulative distance traveled and mean velocity was calculated for a minimum of 10 individual sperm using a novel optical biotracking assay method. The distance and velocity at which sperm travelled decreased when exposed to Aphanizomenon flos‐aquae and two M. aeruginosa cultures. Our findings indicate that cyanobacteria impede the motility of quagga mussel sperm, which can potentially result in reproductive impairments to mussels, and potentially other broadcast spawning species.

Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry↗
USGS1974

Effects of DDT on bobwhite quail adrenal gland

A wide range of responses to sublethal levels of DDT exist, many of which are species specific and vary within each species depending upon age, sex, and physiological state. Sublethal levels of DDT do cause an increase in the adrenal cortical tissue of bobwhite quail, which may cause increased secretion of corticosteroids, and in turn affect reproduction. A delicate homeostatic balance exists within the avian endocrine system which may be disturbed by feeding sublethal levels of chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticides. This adverse effect on the endocrine system may cause subtle reproductive failures which go unnoticed until the population is greatly reduced.

Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxico↗
USGS2019

Control of invasive sea lampreys using the piscicides TFM and niclosamide: Toxicology, successes & future prospects

The invasion of the Laurentian Great Lakes of North America by sea lampreys ( Petromyzon marinus ) in the early 20th century contributed to the depletion of commercial, recreational and culturally important fish populations, devastating the economies of communities that relied on the fishery. Sea lamprey populations were subsequently controlled using an aggressive integrated pest-management program which employed barriers and traps to prevent sea lamprey from migrating to their spawning grounds and the use of the piscicides (lampricides) 3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol (TFM) and niclosamide to eliminate larval sea lampreys from their nursery streams. Although sea lampreys have not been eradicated from the Great Lakes, populations have been suppressed to less than 10% of their peak numbers in the mid-1900s. The ongoing use of lampricides provides the foundation for sea lamprey control in the Great Lakes, one of the most successful invasive species control programs in the world. Yet, significant gaps remain in our understanding of how lampricides are taken-up and handled by sea lampreys, how lampricides exert their toxic effects, and how they adversely affect non-target invertebrate and vertebrates species. In this review we examine what has been learned about the uptake, handling and elimination, and the mode of TFM and niclosamide toxicity in lampreys and in non-target animals, particularly in the last 10 years. It is now clear that the mode of TFM toxicity is the same in non-target fishes and lampreys, in which TFM interferes with oxidative phosphorylation by the mitochondria leading to decreased ATP production. Vulnerability to TFM is related to abiotic factors such as water pH and alkalinity, which we propose changes the relative amounts of the bioavailable un-ionized form of TFM in the gill microenvironment. Niclosamide, which is also a molluscicide used to control snails in areas prone to schistosomiasis infections of humans, also likely works by uncoupling oxidative phosphorylation, but less is known about other aspects of its toxicology. The effects of TFM include reductions in energy stores, particularly glycogen and high energy phosphagens. However, non-target fishes readily recover from sub-lethal TFM exposure as demonstrated by the rapid restoration of energy stores and clearance of TFM. Although both TFM and niclosamide are non-persistent in the environment and critical for sea lamprey control, increasing public and institutional concerns about pesticides in the environment makes it imperative to explore other means of sea lamprey control. Accordingly, we also address possible “next-generation” strategies of sea lamprey control including genetic tools such as RNA interference and CRISPR-Cas9 to impair critical physiological processes (e.g. reproduction, digestion, metamorphosis) in lamprey, and the use of green chemistry to develop more environmentally benign chemical methods of sea lamprey control.

Great Lakes↗
USGS1994

Avian nesting success and diversity in conventionally and organically managed apple orchards

This study examines the effects of operational use of pesticides on avian species inhabiting apple orchards in Pennsylvania Mourning dove ( Zenaida macroura ) and American robin ( Turdus migratorius ) nests were monitored in three organic and three conventional apple orchards during 1990 and 1991 In 1991 we surveyed the avian communities of these orchards by using line transects Organophosphorus (OP) (e g, azinphos methyl, phosphamidon, parathion, dimethoate), carbamate (CA) (e g, methomyl, formetanate, oxamyl), and organochlorine (endosulfan) pesticides, known to be highly toxic to birds, were sprayed individually or in mixtures as part of routine pest management as many as 19 times during peaks in breeding activity Spray card tests revealed that OP pesticides were deposited on 86% of the nests in conventional orchards Daily survival rates (DSRs) for nests of both species were higher in the organic orchards than in the conventional orchards for 1991 and for years combined ( p < 0 05) Species diversity was greater in the organic orchards ( H = 2 43) than in the conventional orchards ( H = 1 79) Repeated applications of pesticides within the conventional orchards reduced the reproductive success of doves and robins and may have lowered avian species diversity compared with organic orchards

Pennsylvania↗
USGS2010

Hepatic element concentrations of lesser scaup (Aythya affinis) during spring migration in the upper Midwest

High concentrations of some hepatic elements might be contributing to the decline of the continental lesser scaup ( Aythya affinis ) population. We evaluated hepatic element concentrations of male and female lesser scaup collected from the upper Midwest (Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota) during the 2003 and 2004 spring migrations. We measured concentrations of 24 elements in livers of 117 lesser scaup. We found that only selenium concentrations were at levels (>3.0 μg/g wet weight [ww)]) proposed to adversely affect reproduction. Approximately 49% of females ( n = 61) had individual hepatic concentrations >3.0 μg/g ww selenium (Se). Our observed hepatic concentration of Se was similar to that reported in lesser scaup collected from the mid-continental United States but less than Se concentrations reported from the Great Lakes region. We found that the liver cadmium (Cd) concentration for males was significantly higher than that for females. Gender differences in hepatic Cd concentrations have not been previously reported for lesser scaup, but Cd is known to have negative impacts on male reproduction. Our results indicate that lesser scaup migrating through the upper Midwest in spring have elevated Se levels and that males carry a significantly greater Cd burden than females. Moreover, elemental concentrations might be high enough to affect reproduction in both male and female lesser scaup, but controlled laboratory studies are needed to adequately assess the effects of Se and Cd on lesser scaup reproduction.

Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota↗
USGS1987

Orthene® toxicity to little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus): Acetylcholinesterase inhibition, coordination loss, and mortality

The 24-h LD50 of Orthener̀ (active ingredient acephate, acetylphosphoramidothioic acid o,s -dimethyl ester, CAS 30560-19–1) to little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) was high (> 1,500 mg acephate/kg) and at least several times greater than the LD50 for mice (Mus musculus) (720 mg/kg). Twenty-four hours after dosing, all surviving mice appeared behaviorally normal, but 9 of 30 surviving bats could not right themselves when placed on their backs. When dead and incapacitated bats were combined to calculate an ED50 (median effective dose), the resultant estimate (687 mg/kg) did not differ ( p > 0.05) from the LD50 for mice. Serum cholinesterase (ChE) activity in control bats was 3.2 times greater than in mice. The relationship between this naturally high level of ChE and the relative tolerance of bats to organophosphorus insecticides is unexplained. Toxicity of Orthene was clearly less than that reported elsewhere for methyl parathion (phosphorothioic acid o,o -dimethyl o-[4-nitrophenyl] ester, CAS 298–00-0). This finding may be useful in selection of a chemical for agricultural use, but conclusions about the safety of Orthene to this bat species, or to others, must remain tentative until confirmed by studies under field conditions. Because bats are long-lived with low reproductive rates and slow recruitment, any additional mortality in the wild could be critical to population survival.

Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry↗