title: The white mullet (Mugil curema) as biological indicator to assess environmental stress in tropical coastal lagoons.
abstract: Several coastal lagoons and estuaries in Mexico receive untreated domestic and industrial discharges which contain complex mixtures of contaminants. In order to assess the effects of chemical contamination, we used the White mullet (Mugil curema) as biological indicator. We worked in two estuaries located in Northwest Mexico: Urias (highly polluted) and Teacapan (less polluted, therefore used as reference site). We measured several endpoints at different levels of biological organization: vitellogenin transcription in males as biomarker of estrogenic contamination, as well as reproductive, morphological (deformities), morphometric, and meristic parameters. Total RNA was isolated from the liver, and a partial sequence of the mullet vitellogenin gene was obtained; gene expression was analyzed by quantitative PCR. At the same time, gonad samples were analyzed by histologic techniques to determine sex ratios and the reproductive cycle stage. The reproductive season was detected from February to June in both sites, but the gonadosomatic index was consistently higher in Teacapan. Sex ratios were female-biased in both estuaries, and one intersex gonad and several malformations were found in fish from Urias. Vitellogenin gene transcription in males was detected in both sites, although gene expression was slightly higher in Urias. The results obtained in this study indicate that biological effects of contamination are evident in fish, environmental estrogens may be present in both estuaries, and the white mullet is useful as biological indicator to identify and characterize environmental stressors in tropical coastal ecosystems.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigación en Alimentación y Desarrollo, A.C. Avenida Sábalo Cerritos s/n, 82010, Mazatlán, SIN, Mexico.
authors.forename: Alejandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: García-Gasca
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigación en Alimentación y Desarrollo, A.C. Avenida Sábalo Cerritos s/n, 82010, Mazatlán, SIN, Mexico.|Escuela de Biología, Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa, Avenida Las Américas s/n, Ciudad Universitaria, 80010, Culiacán, SIN, Mexico.
authors.forename: Julián
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ríos-Sicairos
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigación en Alimentación y Desarrollo, A.C. Avenida Sábalo Cerritos s/n, 82010, Mazatlán, SIN, Mexico.
authors.forename: Rubí
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hernández-Cornejo
authors.affiliation: Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigação Marinha e Ambiental, Rua dos Bragas, 289, 4050-123, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Cunha
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste, S.C. Mar Bermejo 195, Colonia Playa Palo de Santa Rita, 23090, La Paz, BCS, Mexico.
authors.forename: Jesús N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Gutiérrez
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigación en Alimentación y Desarrollo, A.C. Avenida Sábalo Cerritos s/n, 82010, Mazatlán, SIN, Mexico.
authors.forename: Héctor
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Plascencia-González
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigación en Alimentación y Desarrollo, A.C. Avenida Sábalo Cerritos s/n, 82010, Mazatlán, SIN, Mexico.
authors.forename: Luz María García
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: de la Parra
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigación en Alimentación y Desarrollo, A.C. Avenida Sábalo Cerritos s/n, 82010, Mazatlán, SIN, Mexico.
authors.forename: Selene
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Abad-Rosales
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigación en Alimentación y Desarrollo, A.C. Avenida Sábalo Cerritos s/n, 82010, Mazatlán, SIN, Mexico. mbl@ciad.mx.
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Betancourt-Lozano
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D052244:Endocrine Disruptors / Q000009:adverse effects; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D063366:Estuaries; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico; D012098:Reproduction / Q000187:drug effects; D023701:Smegmamorpha / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000502:physiology*; D014877:Water Pollution, Chemical / Q000009:adverse effects*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D052244:Endocrine Disruptors
keywords: Coastal lagoons; Contamination; Deformities; Mugil curema; Reproduction; Vitellogenin expression