Meeting Abstract
Changes in aquatic environments associated with mining activities (e.g., historic iron mining) may have tremendous impacts on aquatic organisms, ecosystems, and natural resources. Currently, mining companies are working to develop open-pit copper-nickel mining operations in parts of the Midwestern United States. Although not yet operational, environmental risks would be predicted. Lakes and rivers linked to waters that have previously been influenced by mining (e.g., iron ore pits) may already have direct or indirect impacts on the vertebrae in fishes. Using the material testing system, I evaluated a series of force-bearing capacities (strength, Young’s modulus of elasticity, yield strength and yield strain) of the vertebrae from four body regions of yellow perch (Perca flavescens), which have been exposed for years to mining-influenced water, as well as from yellow perch from water free from mining influence. The vertebrae of Perca flavescens from a mining-influenced lake produced much more elevated level of strength than those from a spring-fed lake. Consistently with the strength, the vertebrae of Perca flavescens from the mining-influenced lake showed partly but significantly elevated Young’s modulus. However, the degree of deformation that the vertebrae could resist and recoil back from appeared to be increased in Perca flavescens from the mining-influenced lake. Through analysis of high-speed videos, differential contributions of these body regions to kinematics and performance of predator evasion, such as angular excursion of the spinal column, were tested. This study provides insights into how biomechanics of vertebrae informs us about ecotoxicology in fishes.
