|
1
|
Michelangeli M, Martin JM, Robson S, Cerveny D, Walsh R, Richmond EK, Grace MR, Brand JA, Bertram MG, Ho SSY, Brodin T, Wong BBM. Pharmaceutical Pollution Alters the Structure of Freshwater Communities and Hinders Their Recovery from a Fish Predator. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2024; 58:13904-13917. [PMID: 39049184 PMCID: PMC11308527 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.4c02807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2024] [Revised: 07/14/2024] [Accepted: 07/16/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024]
Abstract
Freshwater ecosystems are under threat from rising pharmaceutical pollution. While such pollutants are known to elicit biological effects on organisms, we have limited knowledge on how these effects might cascade through food-webs, disrupt ecological processes, and shape freshwater communities. In this study, we used a mesocosm experiment to explore how the community impacts of a top-order predator, the eastern mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki), are mediated by exposure to environmentally relevant low (measured concentration: ∼10 ng/L) and high concentrations (∼110 ng/L) of the pervasive pharmaceutical pollutant fluoxetine. We found no evidence that exposure to fluoxetine altered the consumptive effects of mosquitofish on zooplankton. However, once mosquitofish were removed from the mesocosms, zooplankton abundance recovered to a greater extent in control mesocosms compared to both low and high fluoxetine-exposed mesocosms. By the end of the experiment, this resulted in fundamental differences in community structure between the control and fluoxetine-treated mesocosms. Specifically, the control mesocosms were characterized by higher zooplankton abundances and lower algal biomass, whereas mesocosms exposed to either low or high concentrations of fluoxetine had lower zooplankton abundances and higher algal biomass. Our results suggest that fluoxetine, even at very low concentrations, can alter aquatic communities and hinder their recovery from disturbances.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marcus Michelangeli
- School
of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Nathan 4111, Australia
- Department
of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå 901 83, Sweden
- School
of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne 3800, Australia
| | - Jake M. Martin
- Department
of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå 901 83, Sweden
- School
of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne 3800, Australia
- Department
of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm 114 18, Sweden
| | - Stephanie Robson
- Water
Studies Centre, School of Chemistry, Monash
University, Melbourne 3800, Australia
| | - Daniel Cerveny
- Department
of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå 901 83, Sweden
- University
of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice, Faculty of Fisheries and Protection
of Waters, South Bohemian Research Center
of Aquaculture and Biodiversity of Hydrocenoses, Zatisi 728/II, Vodnany 389 25, Czech Republic
| | - Robert Walsh
- Australian
Waterlife, 55 Vaughan
Chase, Wyndham Vale, Victoria 3024, Australia
| | - Erinn K. Richmond
- Environmental
Protection Authority Victoria, EPA Science, Macleod, Victoria 3085, Australia
| | - Michael R. Grace
- Water
Studies Centre, School of Chemistry, Monash
University, Melbourne 3800, Australia
| | - Jack A. Brand
- Department
of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå 901 83, Sweden
- Institute
of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, London NW1 4RY, U.K.
| | - Michael G. Bertram
- Department
of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå 901 83, Sweden
- School
of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne 3800, Australia
- Department
of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm 114 18, Sweden
| | - Susie S. Y. Ho
- School
of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne 3800, Australia
| | - Tomas Brodin
- Department
of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå 901 83, Sweden
| | - Bob B. M. Wong
- School
of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne 3800, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
|
2
|
Thoré ESJ, Aulsebrook AE, Brand JA, Almeida RA, Brodin T, Bertram MG. Time is of the essence: The importance of considering biological rhythms in an increasingly polluted world. PLoS Biol 2024; 22:e3002478. [PMID: 38289905 PMCID: PMC10826942 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Biological rhythms have a crucial role in shaping the biology and ecology of organisms. Light pollution is known to disrupt these rhythms, and evidence is emerging that chemical pollutants can cause similar disruption. Conversely, biological rhythms can influence the effects and toxicity of chemicals. Thus, by drawing insights from the extensive study of biological rhythms in biomedical and light pollution research, we can greatly improve our understanding of chemical pollution. This Essay advocates for the integration of biological rhythmicity into chemical pollution research to gain a more comprehensive understanding of how chemical pollutants affect wildlife and ecosystems. Despite historical barriers, recent experimental and technological advancements now facilitate the integration of biological rhythms into ecotoxicology, offering unprecedented, high-resolution data across spatiotemporal scales. Recognizing the importance of biological rhythms will be essential for understanding, predicting, and mitigating the complex ecological repercussions of chemical pollution.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eli S. J. Thoré
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden
- TRANSfarm—Science, Engineering, & Technology Group, KU Leuven, Lovenjoel, Belgium
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Anne E. Aulsebrook
- Department of Ornithology, Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Jack A. Brand
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Rafaela A. Almeida
- Laboratory of Aquatic Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Tomas Brodin
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Michael G. Bertram
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| |
Collapse
|