Oil sands tailings pond sediment toxicity to early life stages of northern pike (Esox lucius)
| Autor: | L. Romanowski, Jason C. Raine, Joanne L. Parrott, D. Turcotte |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2018 |
| Předmět: |
0301 basic medicine
Geologic Sediments Environmental Engineering 010501 environmental sciences 01 natural sciences Alberta 03 medical and health sciences Animals Environmental Chemistry Oil and Gas Fields Ponds Waste Management and Disposal Esox 0105 earth and related environmental sciences Pike computer.programming_language biology Aquatic ecosystem Sediment biology.organism_classification Pollution Tailings Game fish 030104 developmental biology Asphalt Larva Environmental chemistry Esocidae Environmental science Oil sands computer Water Pollutants Chemical |
| Zdroj: | Science of The Total Environment. 624:567-575 |
| ISSN: | 0048-9697 |
| Popis: | The Athabasca River in Alberta flows through natural sources of eroding oil sands bitumen and oil sands mining operations that may result in low level contamination of surface waters. Northern pike (Esox lucius) are apex predators and important food and game fish species native to the Athabasca River system. This species has the potential to be exposed to both natural and anthropogenic sources of contamination from oil sands related materials throughout its life cycle. Pike are difficult to rear in the laboratory and little information exists on the toxicity of oil sands related materials to this key indigenous fish species. In this study, the potential effects of two sediment samples collected from different areas of one tailings pond in the Athabasca oil sands area are assessed in a daily renewal bioassay on early life stages of northern pike. Gametes were collected from spawning wild pike captured from a reference site outside of the oil sands area. Fertilized eggs were exposed to control water or increasing concentrations of tailings pond sediments for 21days, coinciding with initiation of exogenous feeding and completion of yolk absorption. Developing fish were examined for survival and changes in body weight, length, and development. Embryos exhibited increased developmental abnormalities and decreased growth and survival with increasing sediment concentration. Both sediment samples had similar levels of naphthenic acids and similar types of PAHs, with alkylated PAHs dominating. However, concentrations of total and alkylated PAHs differed between sediment samples and were related to increasing developmental abnormalities and decreased growth and survival. This is consistent with developmental changes observed with exposure to PAHs in other fish species. These results provide information on the effects of tailings pond sediments comprising mixtures of PAHs and alkylated PAHs on the development and survival of a key species in the northern aquatic ecosystem. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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