TY - JOUR
T1 - Health of white sucker within the St. Louis River area of concern associated with habitat usage as assessed using stable isotopes
AU - Blazer, V. S.
AU - Hoffman, J.
AU - Walsh, H. L.
AU - Braham, R. P.
AU - Hahn, C.
AU - Collins, P.
AU - Jorgenson, Z.
AU - Ledder, T.
N1 - Funding Information:
Acknowledgments This project was jointly funded by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (through the Fish and Wildlife Service Contaminants program), the U.S. Geological Survey’s Contaminant Biology (Environmental Health), Fisheries (Ecosystems) and Cooperative Fish and Wildlife programs and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Assistance from Wisconsin DNR, Minnesota DNR, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Minnesota Land Trust and the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa is gratefully acknowledged. We thank Glenn Miller, Rich Davis, Sara Werner, Brian Borkholder, John Lindgren and Daryl Peterson for assistance with fish collections and Darlene Bowling, Kathy Spring and Megan McGovern for laboratory technical assistance. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency or U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Use of trade names is for identification purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
PY - 2014/3
Y1 - 2014/3
N2 - In Spring 2011, 200 adult white sucker were collected in four areas of the St. Louis River area of concern (AOC), located in Minnesota and Wisconsin, USA. The areas included the upper AOC as a reference area, the upper estuary, St. Louis Bay and Superior Bay. Grossly visible abnormalities were documented and preserved for microscopic analyses, as were five to eight representative pieces of liver tissue. A piece of dorsal muscle was preserved for stable isotope analyses and otoliths removed for age determination. The incidence of raised skin lesions (mucoid plaques) was high (31 %), however, microscopically only 4.5 % of the white suckers had neoplasia (papillomas). The remaining lesions were epidermal hyperplasia. Superior Bay had the lowest percentage of skin/lip lesions (10 %), while St. Louis Bay had the highest (44 %). St. Louis Bay also had the highest incidence of skin neoplasms (12 %). No hepatocellular neoplasms were documented, however bile duct tumors were observed in 4.5 % of the suckers. Foci of cellular alteration were observed in fish from all sites except the upper AOC. Stable isotope data indicated that most of the suckers relied on the St. Louis River AOC for the majority (>75 %) of their diet, indicating they were resident within the AOC and not in Lake Superior. The amount of diet obtained from the upper estuary was a significant predictor of skin lesion incidence. Hence, habitat use within the AOC appears to be an important risk factor for skin and possibly, liver lesions.
AB - In Spring 2011, 200 adult white sucker were collected in four areas of the St. Louis River area of concern (AOC), located in Minnesota and Wisconsin, USA. The areas included the upper AOC as a reference area, the upper estuary, St. Louis Bay and Superior Bay. Grossly visible abnormalities were documented and preserved for microscopic analyses, as were five to eight representative pieces of liver tissue. A piece of dorsal muscle was preserved for stable isotope analyses and otoliths removed for age determination. The incidence of raised skin lesions (mucoid plaques) was high (31 %), however, microscopically only 4.5 % of the white suckers had neoplasia (papillomas). The remaining lesions were epidermal hyperplasia. Superior Bay had the lowest percentage of skin/lip lesions (10 %), while St. Louis Bay had the highest (44 %). St. Louis Bay also had the highest incidence of skin neoplasms (12 %). No hepatocellular neoplasms were documented, however bile duct tumors were observed in 4.5 % of the suckers. Foci of cellular alteration were observed in fish from all sites except the upper AOC. Stable isotope data indicated that most of the suckers relied on the St. Louis River AOC for the majority (>75 %) of their diet, indicating they were resident within the AOC and not in Lake Superior. The amount of diet obtained from the upper estuary was a significant predictor of skin lesion incidence. Hence, habitat use within the AOC appears to be an important risk factor for skin and possibly, liver lesions.
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U2 - 10.1007/s10646-013-1167-5
DO - 10.1007/s10646-013-1167-5
M3 - Article
C2 - 24370817
AN - SCOPUS:84896703599
SN - 0963-9292
VL - 23
SP - 236
EP - 251
JO - Ecotoxicology
JF - Ecotoxicology
IS - 2
ER -