Meeting Abstract

P3.29  Sunday, Jan. 6  Morphological and Behavioral Differences between a Fish Population from a Wastewater Effluent Pond Compared to a Reference Lake DANIELS, K/D*; SCHROER, M/L; PROPPER, C/R; Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff kdd42@nau.edu

Globally, reclaimed wastewater effluent (WWE) is an important resource for irrigation, recreation, creation of wetlands, and direct recharge of aquifers. However, in the last decade many studies have found that exposure to WWE affects several aspects of endocrine function in aquatic vertebrates, including their behavior. To evaluate the effects of WWE on a local fish population, we compared several morphological traits in fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas)) populations from a WWE pond to a nearby reference lake receiving no WWE. Fish from the WWE pond were significantly larger, had greater testes and ovarian weights (though not gonadosomatic indices), and were less active than fish from the reference pond. There were significant differences in the age structure of the two populations that may explain the morphological differences, with animals from the reference lake having significantly more juvenile fish. Reference lake fish had high tapeworm burden (100% of juveniles and 0% adults) that may contribute to the lack of adult fish in this population. WWE pond fish had brain cysts suggestive of a trematode infection. The finding of age structure and parasitic infection between these two bodies of water suggests that understanding the impact of exposure to WWE on populations of organisms needs to take into account more than the chemicals potentially released in the water system.