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- Title
EVALUATION OF MORPHOLOGY AND SECONDARY SEXUAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE BLUNTNOSE MINNOW: EVIDENCE OF ESTROGENIC COMPOUND EXPOSURE?
- Authors
Doll, Jason C.
- Abstract
Estrogenic compounds are known to cause physiological and behavioral changes in fish. Point sources of estrogenic compounds include wastewater treatment plants, combined sewer overflows, and agricultural operations. The West Fork of White River in Delaware County, Indiana is impacted by all three potential point sources of estrogenic compounds. The objective of this study was to evaluate the presence of estrogenic compounds in the West Fork of White River using morphological measurements of bluntnose minnow (Pimephales notatus). Fish were sampled using a tote-barge electrofishing unit at five sites on White River and one site on Cabin Creek. After collection, fish were evaluated for sex, total length, total weight, widest head width, interocular distance, gonadosomatic index, gonad weight, egg count, tubercle count, and tubercle score. A total of 346 bluntnose minnows was collected between 25 May and 6 June, 2010. Minimal differences were found between White River and Cabin Creek sites. When evaluating sites only on White River, males were found to have a 31.3% lower tubercle count and 37.5% lower tubercle score at the most downstream site when compared to the most upstream site. Our data suggest that the West Fork of White River is receiving estrogenic compounds from the combined sewer overflows and the Muncie Water Pollution Control Facility, an activated sludge wastewater treatment plant.
- Subjects
BLUNTNOSE minnow; FISH morphology; SEXUAL behavior in fishes; ESTROGEN; FISH physiology; FISH behavior
- Publication
Proceedings of the Indiana Academy of Science, 2010, Vol 119, Issue 2, p130
- ISSN
0073-6767
- Publication type
Article