Institute for Integrative Bird Behavior Studies, Biology Department, College of William and Mary, P.O. Box 8795, Williamsburg, VA 23187, USA.
Environ Pollut. 2013 Nov;182:316-23. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2013.07.044. Epub 2013 Aug 23.
Ecotoxicologists often implicitly assume that populations are homogenous entities in which all individuals have similar responses to a contaminant. However, genetically variable responses occur within populations. This variation can be visualized using dose-response curves of genetically related groups, similar to the way that evolutionary biologists construct reaction norms. We assessed the variation in reproductive success of full-sibling families of captive zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) experimentally exposed to methylmercury. We found significant variation among families in the effects of methylmercury on several reproductive parameters. This variation suggests that there may be strong responses to selection for resistant genotypes in contaminated areas. This has important implications for the evolution of tolerance as well as risk assessment and wildlife conservation efforts on sites with legacy contamination.
生态毒理学家通常假定种群是同质实体，其中所有个体对污染物的反应相似。然而，种群内存在遗传变异的反应。这种变异可以使用遗传相关群体的剂量-反应曲线来可视化，类似于进化生物学家构建反应规范的方式。我们评估了在实验中暴露于甲基汞的圈养斑马雀（Taeniopygia guttata）全同胞家庭的生殖成功的变化。我们发现，甲基汞对几个生殖参数的影响在家庭之间存在显著差异。这种变异表明，在受到污染的地区，可能存在对抗性基因型的强烈选择反应。这对耐受的进化以及具有遗留污染的地点的风险评估和野生动物保护工作都有重要的影响。
