Department of Biology, American University, 4400 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Washington, DC, 20016, USA.
Department of Environmental Science, American University, Washington, DC, 20016, USA.
Arch Environ Contam Toxicol. 2020 May;78(4):525-535. doi: 10.1007/s00244-020-00707-0. Epub 2020 Jan 31.
Rapid urbanization, industrial activity, and runoff have all played a role in transforming the Anacostia River from a biologically rich ecosystem to an ecologically threatened environment facing extensive pollution. In recent decades, numerous groups have worked to document and begin to address pollution in the waterway, but few have examined the biological impact of these contaminants. To assess water quality, the current study examined the effects of Anacostia water on early fish development and behavior using zebrafish (Danio rerio). Zebrafish embryos and larvae were reared in water samples collected from the Washington Navy Yard from 0-30dpf (days post fertilization). At 7, 15, 20, and 30dpf, larvae were subsampled for morphological (length, girth, eye diameter, inter-eye distance) and behavioral (angular velocity, total distance traveled, swimming velocity, total activity duration, time immobile, frequency and duration of burst swimming, time at the edge of the dish) assessment. Water samples were processed using gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) to identify major organic contaminants. Results indicated the presence of 13 bioactive organic contaminants, including siloxane species and hormone derivatives, and accelerated growth and altered swim behaviors in Anacostia-exposed fish after 30 days of exposure. These findings emphasize sublethal but significant impacts of exposure to organic contaminants experienced by fish residing in urban waterways.
快速的城市化、工业活动和径流都导致了阿纳卡斯蒂亚河从一个生物丰富的生态系统转变为一个面临广泛污染的生态受到威胁的环境。在过去的几十年里，许多组织致力于记录和开始解决水道中的污染问题，但很少有人研究这些污染物对生物的影响。为了评估水质，本研究使用斑马鱼（Danio rerio）来研究阿纳卡斯蒂亚河水对鱼类早期发育和行为的影响。将斑马鱼胚胎和幼鱼在从 0-30dpf（受精后天数）从华盛顿海军造船厂采集的水样中进行培养。在 7、15、20 和 30dpf 时，从幼虫中取样进行形态学（长度、周长、眼睛直径、眼距）和行为（角速度、总行进距离、游泳速度、总活动持续时间、静止时间、爆发游泳的频率和持续时间、在盘边的时间）评估。使用气相色谱-质谱联用仪（GC-MS）对水样进行处理，以鉴定主要的有机污染物。结果表明，在暴露于阿纳卡斯蒂亚河 30 天后，水样中存在 13 种具有生物活性的有机污染物，包括硅氧烷类物质和激素衍生物，这加速了鱼类的生长，并改变了其游泳行为。这些发现强调了生活在城市水道中的鱼类暴露于有机污染物所产生的亚致死但显著的影响。
