Project description:Oil spills have polluted the marine environment for decades and continue to be a major source of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to marine ecosystems around the globe. Although the toxicity of PAHs to fish has been well studied, the combined effects of extreme abiotic factors and oil are poorly understood. Gulf of Mexico killifish Fundulus grandis larvae (< 24 hours post hatch) were exposed to varying environmental conditions (dissolved oxygen 2, 6 ppm; temperature 20, 25, 30°C; and salinity 3, 10, 30 ppt) combined with varying concentrations of high energy water accommodated fractions (HEWAF) (total PAHs 0 – ~ 125 ppb) for a total of 48 h. Larvae survival and development were negatively affected by PAHs, starting with the lowest concentration tested (~15 ppb). High temperature + hypoxia + PAHs resulted in the lowest survival with salinity having little impact on any of the endpoints tested. Expression of the hepatic detoxifying gene cyp1a was highly induced in PAH-exposed larvae, but only under normoxic conditions. A lack of cyp1a induction under hypoxia and PAH exposure could explain the enhanced toxicity observed. This work highlights the need for more studies examining the combined impact of suboptimal water quality parameters in the presence of pollution in fish early life-stages.
