Publications
Dive into our publications and explore the science from the Environmental Health Program (Toxic Substances Hydrology and Contaminant Biology).
Filter Total Items: 4094
Dietary uptake of Cu sorbed to hydrous iron oxide is linked to cellular toxicity and feeding inhibition in a benthic grazer
Whereas feeding inhibition caused by exposure to contaminants has been extensively documented, the underlying mechanism(s) are less well understood. For this study, the behavior of several key feeding processes, including ingestion rate and assimilation efficiency, that affect the dietary uptake of Cu were evaluated in the benthic grazer Lymnaea stagnalis following 4–5 h exposures to Cu adsorbed t
Authors
Daniel J. Cain, Marie Noële Croteau, Christopher C. Fuller, Amy H. Ringwood
From tails to toes: developing nonlethal tissue indicators of mercury exposure in five amphibian species
Exposure to environmental contaminants has been implicated as a factor in global amphibian decline. Mercury (Hg) is a particularly widespread contaminant that biomagnifies in amphibians and can cause a suite of deleterious effects. However, monitoring contaminant exposure in amphibian tissues may conflict with conservation goals if lethal take is required. Thus, there is a need to develop non-leth
Authors
Adam Z. Pfleeger, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Brandon M. Kowalski, Garth Herring, James J. Willacker, Allyson K. Jackson, John Pierce
Conifer density within lake catchments predicts fish mercury concentrations in remote subalpine lakes
Remote high-elevation lakes represent unique environments for evaluating the bioaccumulation of atmospherically deposited mercury through freshwater food webs, as well as for evaluating the relative importance of mercury loading versus landscape influences on mercury bioaccumulation. The increase in mercury deposition to these systems over the past century, coupled with their limited exposure to d
Authors
Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Garth Herring, Branden L. Johnson, Rick Graw
Integrated risk and recovery monitoring of ecosystem restorations on contaminated sites
Ecological restorations of contaminated sites balance the human and ecological risks of residual contamination with the benefits of ecological recovery and the return of lost ecological function and ecosystem services. Risk and recovery are interrelated dynamic conditions, changing as remediation and restoration activities progress through implementation into long-term management and ecosystem mat
Authors
Michael J. Hooper, Stephen J. Glomb, David Harper, Timothy B. Hoelzle, Lisa M. McIntosh, David R. Mulligan
Survival and growth of freshwater pulmonate and nonpulmonate snails in 28-day exposures to copper, ammonia, and pentachlorophenol
We performed toxicity tests with two species of pulmonate snails (Lymnaea stagnalis and Physa gyrina) and four taxa of nonpulmonate snails in the family Hydrobiidae (Pyrgulopsis robusta,Taylorconcha serpenticola, Fluminicola sp., and Fontigens aldrichi). Snails were maintained in static-renewal or recirculating culture systems with adults removed periodically to isolate cohorts of offspring for to
Authors
John M. Besser, Rebecca A. Dorman, Douglas K. Hardesty, Christopher G. Ingersoll
Ecosystem impacts of exotic annual invaders in the genus Bromus
An understanding of the impacts of exotic plant species on ecosystems is necessary to justify and guide efforts to limit their spread, restore natives, and plan for conservation. Invasive annual grasses such as Bromus tectorum, B. rubens, B. hordeaceus, and B. diandrus (hereafter collectively referred to as Bromus) transform the structure and function of ecosystems they dominate. Experiments that
Authors
Matthew J. Germino, Jayne Belnap, John M. Stark, Edith B. Allen, Benjamin M. Rau
Mercury concentrations in eggs of red-winged blackbirds and tree swallows breeding in Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota
Most investigations of the environmental effects of mercury (Hg) have focused on aquatic food webs that include piscivorous fish or wildlife. However, recent investigations have shown that other species, including passerine songbirds, may also be at risk from exposure to methylmercury (MeHg). We quantified Hg concentrations in eggs of two species of songbirds, red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoen
Authors
Robin W. Tyser, Kristofer R. Rolfhus, James G. Wiener, Steve K. Windels, Thomas W. Custer, Paul Dummer
Differences in energy expenditures and growth dilution explain higher PCB concentrations in male summer flounder
Comparison of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentrations between the sexes of mature fish may reveal important behavioral and physiological differences between the sexes. We determined whole-fish PCB concentrations in 23 female summer flounder Paralichthys dentatusand 27 male summer flounder from New Jersey coastal waters. To investigate the potential for differences in diet or habitat utilizat
Authors
Charles P. Madenjian, Olaf P. Jensen, Richard R. Rediske, James P. O'Keefe, Anthony R. Vastano, Steven A. Pothoven
Isotopic composition of inorganic mercury and methylmercury downstream of a historical gold mining region
We measured total mercury (THg) and monomethyl mercury (MMHg) concentrations and mercury (Hg) isotopic compositions in sediment and aquatic organisms from the Yuba River (California, USA) to identify Hg sources and biogeochemical transformations downstream of a historical gold mining region. Sediment THg concentrations and δ202Hg decreased from the upper Yuba Fan to the lower Yuba Fan and the Feat
Authors
Patrick M. Donovan, Joel D. Blum, Michael B. Singer, Mark C. Marvin-DiPasquale, Martin T.K. Tsui
Exposure of native bees foraging in an agricultural landscape to current-use pesticides
The awareness of insects as pollinators and indicators of environmental quality has grown in recent years, partially in response to declines in honey bee (Apis mellifera) populations. While most pesticide research has focused on honey bees, there has been less work on native bee populations. To determine the exposure of native bees to pesticides, bees were collected from an existing research area
Authors
Michelle Hladik, Mark W. Vandever, Kelly L. Smalling
Use of terrestrial field studies in the derivation of bioaccumulation potential of chemicals
Field-based studies are an essential component of research addressing the behavior of organic chemicals, and a unique line of evidence that can be used to assess bioaccumulation potential in chemical registration programs and aid in development of associated laboratory and modeling efforts. To aid scientific and regulatory discourse on the application of terrestrial field data in this manner, this
Authors
Nico W. van den Brink, Jennifer A. Arblaster, Sarah R. Bowman, Jason M. Conder, John E. Elliott, Mark S. Johnson, Derek C.G. Muir, Tiago Natal-da-Luz, Barnett A. Rattner, Bradley E. Sample, Richard F. Shore
A fractured rock geophysical toolbox method selection tool
Geophysical technologies have the potential to improve site characterization and monitoring in fractured rock, but the appropriate and effective application of geophysics at a particular site strongly depends on project goals (e.g., identifying discrete fractures) and site characteristics (e.g., lithology). No method works at every site or for every goal. New approaches are needed to identify a se
Authors
F. D. Day-Lewis, C. D. Johnson, L.D. Slater, J.L. Robinson, J.H. Williams, C.L. Boyden, D.D. Werkema, J. W. Lane