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Responses of Mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) to Ash Effluent and Thermal Stress
Author(s) -
Cherry Donald S.,
Rodgers John H.,
Cairns John,
Dickson Kenneth L.,
Guthrie Rufus K.
Publication year - 1976
Publication title -
transactions of the american fisheries society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.696
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1548-8659
pISSN - 0002-8487
DOI - 10.1577/1548-8659(1976)105<686:romgat>2.0.co;2
Subject(s) - mosquitofish , gambusia , effluent , environmental chemistry , biology , benthic zone , flounder , zoology , ecology , chemistry , environmental science , fish <actinopterygii> , fishery , environmental engineering
Mosquitofish, the only fish species inhabiting a drainage system that received high coal ash concentration at one end and thermal discharges at the other, appeared to successfully function in this environment with no apparent detrimental effects. Temperature conditions (44.5 C) were more limiting to the speciesˈ functional capacity than was coal ash turbidity (275 JTU) with high metal concentrations. Laboratory preference, avoidance, and lethal temperature trials supported the field observations. Mosquitofish had a final temperature preferendum at 34.7–35.1 C (both individual and group response), an upper temperature avoidance at 39 C when acclimated at 30 and 36 C, and an upper lethal temperature limit at 38 C. The species survived in this aquatic system in which elemental concentrations, determined by neutron activation analysis, were sufficiently high to be lethal to other fish species according to values from the literature and by in situ toxicity tests. Of the 40 elements measured, five (calcium, chlorine, selenium, zinc, and bromine) appeared to be concentrated by the mosquitofish, while the others were most highly accumulated in the benthic sediments.