title: Morphological deformities as biomarkers in fish from contaminated rivers in Taiwan.
abstract: Tilapia (Oreochromis spp.) were collected seasonally from four contaminated rivers in southwestern Taiwan for studies of morphological deformities that could be used as biomarkers of contamination. Morphological deformities found in tilapia were separated into 15 categories. Overall, the prevalence of deformities such as split fins, lower lip extension and gill deformities were significantly related to various water quality parameters, including low DO and high ammonium, lead and zinc concentrations. The persistence of tilapia in polluted waters and the development of a suite of morphological deformities suggest that tilapia can be used as sentinels of non-point source pollution in rivers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Aquaculture, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Nei Pu, Pingtung, Taiwan. plsun@mail.npust.edu.tw
authors.forename: Peter Lin
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: William E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Hawkins
authors.forename: Robin M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Overstreet
authors.forename: Nancy J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Brown-Peterson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D045483:Rivers; D012621:Seasons; D013624:Taiwan; D017210:Tilapia / Q000002:abnormalities*; D014876:Water Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers