title: Reproductive success, early life stage development, and survival of westslope cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki lewisi) exposed to elevated selenium in an area of active coal mining.
abstract: The effects of accumulated Se on the reproductive success and larval development of cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki lewis,) collected from a site of active coal mining in British Columbia were assessed. Eggs from 12 fish from an exposed site (Clode Pond) and 16 from a reference site (O'Rourke Lake) were field-collected and reared in the laboratory. Egg Se concentrations ranged from 12.3 to 16.7 and 11.8 to 140.0 microg/g dry weight (dw) from fish collected at the reference and exposed sites, respectively. Other studies, including those with this species, have not shown Se to affect egg viability; however, in the present study, eggs with Se concentrations > 86.3 microg/g dw were not successfully fertilized or were nonviable at fertilization, while eggs with concentrations > 46.8 and < 75.4 microg/g dw were fertilized (96% reached the eyed stage) but did not produce viable fry. A significant positive relationship between egg Se concentration and alevin mortality was observed. Deformities were analyzed in surviving fry which developed from eggs with Se concentrations between 11.8 and 20.6 microg/g dw. No relationship between Se concentration in eggs and deformities or edema was found in this range, suggesting that the no-effect threshold for deformity is > 20.6 microg/g dw. The present data, in conjunction with the data from several other studies in temperate fish, suggest that current Se thresholds are conservative for cold-water fish.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, B.C., Canada V5A 1S6.
authors.forename: Barri-Lynn
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Rudolph
authors.forename: Iisak
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Andreller
authors.forename: Christopher J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Kennedy
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001955:British Columbia; D003032:Coal Mining; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D005618:Fresh Water; D007814:Larva / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development; D008297:Male; D017683:Oncorhynchus / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D012098:Reproduction / Q000187:drug effects; D012643:Selenium / Q000633:toxicity*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000633:toxicity*; D015053:Zygote / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D012643:Selenium