Hamilton Steven J
US Geological Survey, Columbia Environmental Research Center, Field Research Station, 31247 436th Avenue, Yankton, SD 57078-6364, USA.
Ecotoxicol Environ Saf. 2005 Jul;61(3):313-26. doi: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2004.11.010. Epub 2005 Jan 26.
The razorback sucker (Xyrauchen texanus) is listed as federally endangered throughout its range. A massive recovery effort by the Recovery Implementation Program for Endangered Fish Species in the Upper Colorado River Basin has focused its efforts in the upper Colorado River. The upper Colorado River basin also has two locations that have been identified by the National Irrigation Water Quality Program as having substantial selenium contamination. Selenium is toxic to fishes, affecting reproductive success. Thus, there is concern about potential effects of selenium on the endangered razorback sucker. Two sets of studies have investigated the effects of selenium on razorback suckers, but study results are conflicting. This commentary evaluates studies that claim selenium is not a problem for razorback sucker. We find that study bias was so pervasive that purported conclusions were unwarranted. Contaminated control water, older life stages of fish tested, lack of methodology for analysis of selenium in water, diet, or fish, use of rotifer food, low feeding rates, low growth rates of fish, and improper storage of site waters resulted in an apparent erroneous linkage of high selenium in whole-body residues with no adverse effects.
奇努克吸口鱼（Xyrauchen texanus）在其整个分布范围内均被列为联邦濒危物种。上科罗拉多河流域濒危鱼类物种恢复实施计划开展了大规模的恢复工作，重点集中在上科罗拉多河。上科罗拉多河流域还有两个地点被国家灌溉水质计划认定存在大量硒污染。硒对鱼类有毒，会影响繁殖成功率。因此，人们担心硒对濒危的奇努克吸口鱼可能产生的影响。有两组研究调查了硒对奇努克吸口鱼的影响，但研究结果相互矛盾。这篇评论文章对那些声称硒对奇努克吸口鱼不是问题的研究进行了评估。我们发现研究偏差非常普遍，以至于所谓的结论是毫无根据的。受污染的对照水、所测试鱼类的老龄阶段、缺乏对水、食物或鱼类中硒的分析方法、使用轮虫作为食物、低投喂率、鱼类低生长率以及现场水样储存不当，导致全身残留物中高硒与无不良影响之间出现了明显错误的关联。
