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Assessing Mercury Exposure and Biomarkers in Largemouth Bass (Micropterus Salmoides) from a Contaminated River System in California

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Abstract

We evaluated mercury (Hg) exposure and two biomarkers, metallothionein (MT) gene expression and histopathological alterations in a wild fish species, largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), collected from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, CA, a region polluted with Hg from historic mining activities. Hg is highly toxic and can disrupt multiple physiological systems in vertebrate species, including the immune system. Total mercury (THg) concentration in muscle tissue ranged from 0.12 to 0.98 ppm (wet weight) and was not related to body condition (r 2 = 0.005, p = 0.555). Using linear regression analysis, we found a positive relationship between MT gene expression (as determined using quantitative polymerase chain reaction) and copper, zinc, manganese, aluminum, and nickel (decreased to one variable by way of principal component analysis) (r 2 = 0.379, p = 0.044), a negative relationship with selenium (r 2 = 0.487, p = 0.017), and a weak, negative relationship with THg concentrations (r 2 = 0.337, p = 0.061). Juvenile largemouth bass collected from Hg-contaminated areas displayed histopathological features of immunosuppression compared with those collected from less contaminated areas as evidenced by significantly lower macrophage density in kidney and liver tissue (p = 0.018 and 0.020, respectively), greater trematode density in liver tissue (p = 0.014), and a greater number of adult trematodes. Our results suggest that largemouth bass may be experiencing sublethal effects from chronic Hg exposure. Furthermore, our findings illustrate the utility of examining multiple sublethal markers of effect to assess the impacts of contaminant exposure on physiological function in wild species.

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Acknowledgments

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the Department of Toxic Substances Control, the California Environmental Protection Agency, or the State of California. The Earl and Ethel Myers Marine Biology and Oceanographic Trust provided funding for this project and San Francisco Estuary Institute provided data use from the Fish Mercury Project. CDFG-MPSL staff also provided Hg and trace metal analyses.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, 8272 Moss Landing Rd, Moss Landing, CA, 95039, USA

    Daphne B. Gehringer, Kenneth H. Coale & Jonathan B. Geller

  2. Department of Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology, University of California Santa Cruz, 1156 High St., Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, USA

    Myra E. Finkelstein

  3. Moss Landing Marine Labs Marine Pollution Studies Laboratory, 7544 Sandholdt Rd, Moss Landing, CA, 95039, USA

    Mark Stephenson

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  1. Daphne B. Gehringer
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  2. Myra E. Finkelstein
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  3. Kenneth H. Coale
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  4. Mark Stephenson
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  5. Jonathan B. Geller
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Correspondence to Daphne B. Gehringer.

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Gehringer, D.B., Finkelstein, M.E., Coale, K.H. et al. Assessing Mercury Exposure and Biomarkers in Largemouth Bass (Micropterus Salmoides) from a Contaminated River System in California. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 64, 484–493 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-012-9838-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-012-9838-4

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