scholarly journals Temperature and Estrogen Alter Predator–Prey Interactions between Fish Species

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
J L Ward ◽  
V Korn ◽  
A N Auxier ◽  
H L Schoenfuss
Keyword(s):  
Prey Capture ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Pimephales Promelas ◽  
Lepomis Macrochirus ◽  
Environmental Estrogens ◽  
Fathead Minnows ◽  
Predator Prey ◽  
Food Web Interactions ◽  
Capture Success ◽  
High Concentrations

Synopsis A variety of environmental estrogens are commonly detected in human-impacted waterways. Although much is known about the effects of these environmental estrogens on the reproductive physiology and behavior of individuals within species, comparatively less is known about how these compounds alter the outcomes of interactions between species. Furthermore, few studies have considered how the effects of contaminants are modulated by natural variation in abiotic factors, such as temperature. To help fill this knowledge gap, we conducted a factorial experiment to examine the independent and combined effects of estrone (E1) and temperature on the outcome of predator–prey interactions between two common North American freshwater fishes, fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) and bluegill sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus). Larval fathead minnows and adult sunfish were exposed to either a low (mean±standard deviation, 90.1 ± 18 ng/L; n = 16) or high (414 ± 147 ng/L; n = 15) concentration of E1 or to a solvent control for 30 days at one of four natural seasonal temperatures (15°C, 18°C, 21°C, and 24°C) before predation trials were performed. Exposure to E1 was associated with a significant increase in larval predation mortality that was independent of temperature. Across all temperature treatments, approximately 74% of control minnows survived; this survivorship significantly exceeded that of minnows exposed to either concentration of E1 (49% and 53% for minnows exposed to the low and high concentrations, respectively). However, exposure to E1 also impaired the prey-capture success of sunfish, partially mitigating predation pressure on exposed minnows. Overall prey-capture success by sunfish showed an inverted U-shaped distribution with temperature, with maximal prey consumption occurring at 21°C. This study illustrates the vulnerability of organismal interactions to estrogenic pollutants and highlights the need to include food web interactions in assessments of risk.

scholarly journals Captan Toxicity to Fathead Minnows (Pimephales promelas), Bluegills (Lepomis macrochirus), and Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis)

1973 ◽  
Vol 30 (12) ◽  
pp. 1811-1817 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger O. Hermanutz ◽  
Leonard H. Mueller ◽  
Kenneth D. Kempfert
Keyword(s):  
Brook Trout ◽  
Salvelinus Fontinalis ◽  
Pimephales Promelas ◽  
Lepomis Macrochirus ◽  
Threshold Concentration ◽  
Fathead Minnows ◽  
Toxicant Concentration ◽  
Flow Through ◽  
Survival And Growth ◽  
Growth And Reproduction

The toxic effects of captan on survival, growth, and reproduction of fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) and on survival of bluegills (Lepomis macrochirus) and brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) were determined in a flow-through system. In a 45-week exposure of fathead minnows, survival and growth were adversely affected at 39.5 μg/liter. Adverse effects on spawning were suspected but not statistically demonstrated at 39.5 and 16.5 μg/liter. The maximum acceptable toxicant concentration (MATC), based on survival and growth, lies between 39.5 and 16.5 μg/liter. The lethal threshold concentration (LTC) derived from acute exposures was 64 μg/liter, resulting in an application factor (MATC/LTC) between 0.26 and 0.62. LTC values for the bluegill and brook trout were 72 and 29 μg/liter, respectively. The estimated MATC is between 44.6 and 18.7 μg/liter for the bluegill and between 18.0 and 7.5 μg/liter for the brook trout.The half-life of captan in Lake Superior water with a pH of 7.6 is about 7 hr at 12 C and about 1 hr at 25 C. Breakdown products from an initial 550 μg/liter of captan were not lethal to 3-month-old fathead minnows.

The direct and indirect effects of temperature on a predator–prey relationship

2001 ◽  
Vol 79 (10) ◽  
pp. 1834-1841 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael T Anderson ◽  
Joseph M Kiesecker ◽  
Douglas P Chivers ◽  
Andrew R Blaustein
Keyword(s):  
Indirect Effects ◽  
Prey Capture ◽  
Prey Size ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Biotic Interactions ◽  
Predator Prey ◽  
Prey Mass ◽  
Effects Of Temperature ◽  
Logistic Regression Equation ◽  
Probability Of Capture

Abiotic factors may directly influence community structure by influencing biotic interactions. In aquatic systems, where gape-limited predators are common, abiotic factors that influence organisms' growth rates potentially mediate predator–prey interactions indirectly through effects on prey size. We tested the hypothesis that temperature influences interactions between aquatic size-limited insect predators (Notonecta kirbyi) and their larval anuran prey (Hyla regilla) beyond its indirect effect on prey size. Notonecta kirbyi and H. regilla were raised and tested in predator–prey trials at one of three experimentally maintained temperatures, 9.9, 20.7, or 25.7°C. Temperature strongly influenced anuran growth and predator success; mean tadpole mass over time was positively related to temperature, while the number of prey caught was negatively related. At higher temperatures tadpoles attained greater mass more quickly, allowing them to avoid capture by notonectids. However, the probability of capture is a function of both mass and temperature; temperature was a significant explanatory variable in a logistic regression equation predicting prey capture. For a given prey mass, tadpoles raised in warmer water experienced a higher probability of capture by notonectids. Thus, rather than being static, prey size refugia are influenced directly by abiotic factors, in this case temperature. This suggests that temperature exerts differential effects on notonectid and larval anurans, leading to differences in the probability of prey capture for a given prey mass. Therefore, temperature can influence predator–prey interactions via indirect effects on prey size and direct effects on prey.

scholarly journals Parallel ecological networks in ecosystems

2009 ◽  
Vol 364 (1524) ◽  
pp. 1755-1779 ◽  
Author(s):  
Han Olff ◽  
David Alonso ◽  
Matty P. Berg ◽  
B. Klemens Eriksson ◽  
Michel Loreau ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Webs ◽  
Trophic Position ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Ecological Networks ◽  
Test Cases ◽  
Predator Prey ◽  
Ecological Interaction ◽  
Plant Parts ◽  
Food Web Interactions ◽  
New Ideas

In ecosystems, species interact with other species directly and through abiotic factors in multiple ways, often forming complex networks of various types of ecological interaction. Out of this suite of interactions, predator–prey interactions have received most attention. The resulting food webs, however, will always operate simultaneously with networks based on other types of ecological interaction, such as through the activities of ecosystem engineers or mutualistic interactions. Little is known about how to classify, organize and quantify these other ecological networks and their mutual interplay. The aim of this paper is to provide new and testable ideas on how to understand and model ecosystems in which many different types of ecological interaction operate simultaneously. We approach this problem by first identifying six main types of interaction that operate within ecosystems, of which food web interactions are one. Then, we propose that food webs are structured among two main axes of organization: a vertical (classic) axis representing trophic position and a new horizontal ‘ecological stoichiometry’ axis representing decreasing palatability of plant parts and detritus for herbivores and detrivores and slower turnover times. The usefulness of these new ideas is then explored with three very different ecosystems as test cases: temperate intertidal mudflats; temperate short grass prairie; and tropical savannah.

Changes in the Predator–Prey Behavior of Fathead Minnows (Pimephales promelas) and Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides) Caused by Cadmium

1978 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 446-451 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. F. Sullivan ◽  
G. J. Atchison ◽  
D. J. Kolar ◽  
A. W. McIntosh
Keyword(s):  
Largemouth Bass ◽  
Micropterus Salmoides ◽  
Pimephales Promelas ◽  
Fathead Minnows ◽  
Predator Prey ◽  
Key Words Cadmium ◽  
Schooling Behavior ◽  
Prey Vulnerability ◽  
Prey Behavior ◽  
Toxicant Concentration

Increased prey vulnerability was demonstrated for fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) undergoing acute (24-h) and subacute (21-d) sublethal cadmium exposure prior to interacting with largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). The lowest acute and subacute cadmium concentrations that increased prey vulnerability were 0.375 and 0.025 mg Cd/L, respectively, with the latter well below the maximum acceptable toxicant concentration for fathead minnows. Prey exposed to cadmium displayed altered behavior patterns, including abnormal schooling behavior. Key words: cadmium, behavior, predator–prey, bioassay, Micropterus salmoides, Pimephales promelas

Survival and Gill Condition of Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) and Fathead Minnows (Pimephales promelas) Exposed to Sodium Nitrilotriacetate (NTA) for 28 Days

1973 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 323-325 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth J. Macek ◽  
Robert N. Sturm
Keyword(s):  
Rainbow Trout ◽  
Pimephales Promelas ◽  
Lepomis Macrochirus ◽  
Fathead Minnows ◽  
Tolerance Limits ◽  
Cumulative Toxicity ◽  
Environmental Concentrations ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Gill Pathology

Acute dynamic bioassays with fathead minnows and rainbow trout indicated that the 96-hr median tolerance limits of sodium nitrilotriacetate (NTA) exceed 1000 times the mean environmental levels that might be anticipated from detergent use. A 28-day dynamic bioassay with bluegill and fathead minnows indicated a lack of cumulative toxicity associated with levels of NTA up to 1000 times expected environmental concentrations in water. Fishes exposed to 96 mg/liter NTA for 28 days exhibited no NTA-induced gill pathology.

Development of apical pits in chloride cells of the gills of Pimephales promelas after chronic exposure to acid water

1983 ◽  
Vol 41 ◽  
pp. 462-463
Author(s):  
Richard L. Leino ◽  
Jon G. Anderson ◽  
J. Howard McCormick
Keyword(s):  
Confidence Interval ◽  
Chronic Exposure ◽  
Lake Superior ◽  
Pimephales Promelas ◽  
Chloride Cells ◽  
Fathead Minnows ◽  
Secondary Lamellae ◽  
Untreated Water ◽  
Water Ph ◽  
Flow Through

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.

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