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Cadmium, metal-binding proteins, and growth in bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) exposed to contaminated sediments from the upper Mississippi River basin

Cope, W. G., Wiener, J. G., Steingraeber, M. T., and Atchison, G. J., 1994, Cadmium, metal-binding proteins, and growth in bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) exposed to contaminated sediments from the upper Mississippi River basin: Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, v. 51, no. 6, p. 1356-1367.

Abstract

Juvenile bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) were exposed to 61000 mg/L of continuously suspended river sediment in a 28-d test with six treatments (randomized block with one sediment-free control and five sediments ranging from 1.3 to 21.4 mu g Cd multiplied by g dry weight super(-1)). Each treatment had three replicates, each with 25 fish. Growth was reduced by exposure to suspended sediment, probably due to physical effects of sediment on feeding and to toxicity in the treatment with the greatest concentrations of metals. The mean concentration of hepatic MBP was correlated with cadmium concentration in filtered water, suspended sediment, bulk sediment, and whole fish. Whole-body cadmium concentration was the most sensitive indicator of cadmium exposure, with lowest observed effect concentrations of 1.9 mu g Cd/L for suspended sediment and 13 ng Cd/L for filtered water. Sediment-associated cadmium was less available than waterborne cadmium for uptake by fish.

Keywords

cadmium-, pollution-effects, growth-, pollution-tolerance, detoxification-, juveniles-, Lepomis- macrochirus, USA,-Mississippi-R.