title: Effects from a short-term exposure to copper or cadmium in gravid females of the livebearer fish (Gambusia affinis).
abstract: We investigated the reproductive effects of a 10-day maternal metal exposure in the live-bearing western mosquitofish. We exposed gravid females to 0.15µM copper or cadmium and monitored reproduction-related variables over the subsequent 8-month breeding season. Females gave birth to 1-5 broods, a number not affected by the exposure. Their first brood's size was reduced following exposure to either metal, while this effect was still evident for the second brood of copper-exposed females. Metal-exposed females also had more premature births, abortions, and broods containing dead offspring; these last two effects were still evident in second broods. The time-till-first-birth was reduced while the time-interval between first and second brood was increased in cadmium-exposed females, but not in copper-exposed ones. This study demonstrated that short-term metal exposure affects a variety of reproductive measures and that effects can still occur in broods that developed well after the end of the females' exposure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, P.O. Box 42451, Lafayette, LA 70504-2451, United States. Electronic address: alfymorales@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Alfy Morales
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Cazan
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, P.O. Box 42451, Lafayette, LA 70504-2451, United States.
authors.forename: Paul L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Klerks
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002104:Cadmium / Q000633:toxicity*; D003300:Copper / Q000633:toxicity*; D003532:Cyprinodontiformes / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D018811:Maternal Exposure; D012098:Reproduction / Q000187:drug effects*; D013997:Time Factors; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D002104:Cadmium; D003300:Copper
keywords: Cadmium; Copper; Live-bearing fish; Mosquitofish; Reproductive effects