title: Predicting chronic copper and nickel reproductive toxicity to Daphnia pulex-pulicaria from whole-animal metabolic profiles.
abstract: The emergence of omics approaches in environmental research has enhanced our understanding of the mechanisms underlying toxicity; however, extrapolation from molecular effects to whole-organism and population level outcomes remains a considerable challenge. Using environmentally relevant, sublethal, concentrations of two metals (Cu and Ni), both singly and in binary mixtures, we integrated data from traditional chronic, partial life-cycle toxicity testing and metabolomics to generate a statistical model that was predictive of reproductive impairment in a Daphnia pulex-pulicaria hybrid that was isolated from an historically metal-stressed lake. Furthermore, we determined that the metabolic profiles of organisms exposed in a separate acute assay were also predictive of impaired reproduction following metal exposure. Thus we were able to directly associate molecular profiles to a key population response - reproduction, a key step towards improving environmental risk assessment and management.
authors: Biology Department, Wilfrid Laurier University, 75 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3C5, Canada; Vale Living with Lakes Centre, Laurentian University, 935 Ramsey Lake Road, Sudbury, ON, P3E 2C6, Canada. Electronic address: n.s.taylor@bham.ac.uk.
authors: Nadine S
authors: NS
authors: Taylor
authors: School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK.
authors: Jennifer A
authors: JA
authors: Kirwan
authors: Biology Department, Wilfrid Laurier University, 75 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3C5, Canada.
authors: Craig
authors: C
authors: Johnson
authors: Department of Biology, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, ON, M3J 1P3, Canada.
authors: Norman D
authors: ND
authors: Yan
authors: School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK.
authors: Mark R
authors: MR
authors: Viant
authors: Vale Living with Lakes Centre, Laurentian University, 935 Ramsey Lake Road, Sudbury, ON, P3E 2C6, Canada.
authors: John M
authors: JM
authors: Gunn
authors: Biology Department, Wilfrid Laurier University, 75 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3C5, Canada.
authors: James C
authors: JC
authors: McGeer
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003300:Copper / Q000633:toxicity*; D003621:Daphnia / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D054750:Ecotoxicology / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005828:Genetics, Population; D055442:Metabolome; D055432:Metabolomics; D015233:Models, Statistical; D009532:Nickel / Q000633:toxicity*; D012098:Reproduction / Q000187:drug effects*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D013997:Time Factors; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D003300:Copper; D009532:Nickel
keywords: Ecotoxicology; Environmental risk assessment; Mass spectrometry; Metabolomics; Metal mixtures; PLS-R