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Aich U, Polverino G, Yazdan Parast F, Melo GC, Tan H, Howells J, Nosrati R, Wong BBM. Long-term effects of widespread pharmaceutical pollution on trade-offs between behavioural, life-history and reproductive traits in fish. J Anim Ecol 2024. [PMID: 39188010 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.14152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/27/2024] [Indexed: 08/28/2024]
Abstract
In our rapidly changing world, understanding how species respond to shifting conditions is of paramount importance. Pharmaceutical pollutants are widespread in aquatic ecosystems globally, yet their impacts on animal behaviour, life-history and reproductive allocation remain poorly understood, especially in the context of intraspecific variation in ecologically important traits that facilitate species' adaptive capacities. We test whether a widespread pharmaceutical pollutant, fluoxetine (Prozac), disrupts the trade-off between individual-level (co)variation in behavioural, life-history and reproductive traits of freshwater fish. We exposed the progeny of wild-caught guppies (Poecilia reticulata) to three field-relevant levels of fluoxetine (mean measured concentrations: 0, 31.5 and 316 ng/L) for 5 years, across multiple generations. We used 12 independent laboratory populations and repeatedly quantified activity and risk-taking behaviour of male guppies, capturing both mean behaviours and variation within and between individuals across exposure treatments. We also measured key life-history traits (body condition, coloration and gonopodium size) and assessed post-copulatory sperm traits (sperm vitality, number and velocity) that are known to be under strong sexual selection in polyandrous species. Intraspecific (co)variation of these traits was analysed using a comprehensive, multivariate statistical approach. Fluoxetine had a dose-specific (mean) effect on the life-history and sperm trait of guppies: low pollutant exposure altered male body condition and increased gonopodium size, but reduced sperm velocity. At the individual level, fluoxetine reduced the behavioural plasticity of guppies by eroding their within-individual variation in both activity and risk-taking behaviour. Fluoxetine also altered between-individual correlations in pace-of-life syndrome traits: it triggered the emergence of correlations between behavioural and life-history traits (e.g. activity and body condition) and between life-history and sperm traits (e.g. gonopodium size and sperm vitality), but collapsed other between-individual correlations (e.g. activity and gonopodium size). Our results reveal that chronic exposure to global pollutants can affect phenotypic traits at both population and individual levels, and even alter individual-level correlations among such traits in a dose-specific manner. We discuss the need to integrate individual-level analyses and test behaviour in association with life-history and reproductive traits to fully understand how animals respond to human-induced environmental change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Upama Aich
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Giovanni Polverino
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences, University of Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy
| | - Farin Yazdan Parast
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Gabriela C Melo
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Hung Tan
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - James Howells
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Reza Nosrati
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Bob B M Wong
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
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2
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Wang W, Xie T, Ma N, Jiang X, Zhang H, Sun T, Cui B. In-stream attenuation and enantioselective fractionation of psychiatric pharmaceuticals in a wastewater effluent-dominated river basin. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 951:175521. [PMID: 39147057 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.175521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2024] [Revised: 08/04/2024] [Accepted: 08/12/2024] [Indexed: 08/17/2024]
Abstract
Wastewater effluent is the main contributor of psychiatric pharmaceuticals (PPs) pollution in surface waters. However, little is known about its spatial evolution dynamics in effluent-dominated rivers. Herein, 10 representative PPs, including 6 chiral pharmaceuticals and 4 achiral pharmaceuticals, were explored in the Beiyun River, a typical wastewater effluent-dominated river, to explore their occurrence, in-stream attenuation and enantioselective fractionation behaviors at a watershed scale. Among the target substances, 8 and 9 drugs were detected in surface water and sediment samples with the ΣPPs concentrations ranging from 78.4 to 260.1 ng/L and 4.8 to 43.4 ng/g dw in surface water and sediments, respectively. Along the mainstream of the Beiyun River, only several PPs detected in surface water, e.g., citalopram, O-demethylvenlafaxine, and fluoxetine, exhibited in-stream attenuation behaviors when reaching rural area, while all PPs detected in sediments displayed in-stream attenuation behavior. Four chiral PPs detected in surface water exhibited an enantioselective attenuation phenomenon, while in sediments, only citalopram displayed an enantioselective fractionation behavior. The differences in the in-stream attenuation and enantioselective environmental behavior of individual PPs caused complex contaminant evolution along the stream reach. This work provides enantiomeric profiles of chiral pollutants for evaluating their in-stream attenuation processes, which would facilitate better understanding of the changing contaminant exposure conditions in complex natural environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weimin Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Tian Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Ning Ma
- Beijing Drainage Management Affairs Center, Beijing 100195, China
| | - Xiaoman Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Hui Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
| | - Tao Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Baoshan Cui
- State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
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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.
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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
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Aulsebrook LC, Wong BBM, Hall MD. Pharmaceutical pollution alters the cost of bacterial infection and its relationship to pathogen load. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20231273. [PMID: 38196353 PMCID: PMC10777164 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.1273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024] Open
Abstract
The relationship between pathogen proliferation and the cost of infection experienced by a host drives the ecology and evolution of host-pathogen dynamics. While environmental factors can shape this relationship, there is currently limited knowledge on the consequences of emerging contaminants, such as pharmaceutical pollutants, on the relationship between a pathogen's growth within the host and the damage it causes, termed its virulence. Here, we investigated how exposure to fluoxetine (Prozac), a commonly detected psychoactive pollutant, could alter this key relationship using the water flea Daphnia magna and its bacterial pathogen Pasteuria ramosa as a model system. Across a variety of fluoxetine concentrations, we found that fluoxetine shaped the damage a pathogen caused, such as the reduction in fecundity or intrinsic growth experienced by infected individuals, but with minimal change in average pathogen spore loads. Instead, fluoxetine modified the relationship between the degree of pathogen proliferation and its virulence, with both the strength of this trade-off and the component of host fitness most affected varying by fluoxetine concentration and host genotype. Our study underscores the potential for pharmaceutical pollution to modify the virulence of an invading pathogen, as well as the fundamental trade-off between host and pathogen fitness, even at the trace amounts increasingly found in natural waterways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucinda C. Aulsebrook
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Bob B. M. Wong
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Matthew D. Hall
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria 3800, Australia
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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.
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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
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Kózka B, Sośnicka A, Nałęcz-Jawecki G, Drobniewska A, Turło J, Giebułtowicz J. Various species of Basidiomycota fungi reveal different abilities to degrade pharmaceuticals and also different pathways of degradation. CHEMOSPHERE 2023; 338:139481. [PMID: 37454990 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.139481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2022] [Revised: 06/19/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
The presence of pharmaceuticals (PhACs) in the aquatic environment is an emerging problem worldwide. PhACs reach surface water via the effluents of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). WWTPs, although able to remove organic pollutants, do not always remove PhACs. Currently, in the treatment of sewage with the activated sludge method, numerous microorganisms are used, mostly bacteria. Nevertheless, these microorganisms are not resistant to many drug contaminants, and some may also pose a risk to human health. White-rot fungi (WRF), which degrade a wide spectrum of environmental pollutants, may be used as an alternative to microorganisms. However, little data exists comparing the removal of various PhACs by different WRF. In this study, we aimed to determine the ability of three WRF Basidiomycota species, Armillaria mellea, Phanerochaete chrysosporium, and Pleurotus ostreatus, to remove PhACs from various therapeutic groups over the course of 1 h-4 days. Additionally, we identified the fungal metabolites of PhACs, proposed the degradation pathways, and assessed the toxicity of the post-culture media. All selected WRF removed PhACs, but the degree of removal depended on WRF species and PhACs type. Antidepressants and immunosuppressants were removed most efficiently by P. ostreatus, cardiovascular drugs and sulfamethoxazole by A. mellea, and erythromycin by P. chrysosporium. The vast differences observed highlight the need for more intensive testing of different WRF species to select the best species for removing pharmaceuticals of interest. The structure of metabolites generated during degradation strongly depended on WRF species, but the most frequent xenobiotic transformations were oxidation and dealkylation. The obtained results gave insight into the substrate specificity of selected WRF while also providing a broad extension of the knowledge of pharmaceutical degradation by A. mellea.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Kózka
- Medical University of Warsaw, Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Drug Chemistry, Poland
| | - A Sośnicka
- Medical University of Warsaw, Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Drug Technology and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Poland
| | - G Nałęcz-Jawecki
- Medical University of Warsaw, Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Poland
| | - A Drobniewska
- Medical University of Warsaw, Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Poland
| | - J Turło
- Medical University of Warsaw, Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Drug Technology and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Poland
| | - J Giebułtowicz
- Medical University of Warsaw, Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Drug Chemistry, Poland.
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