Meeting Abstract
P2.33A Thursday, Jan. 5 The Influence of Salinity on Acute Toxicity to the Euryhaline Fish, Kryptolebias marmoratus ALBRITTON-FORD, Aaron/C*; HARPER, Benjamin/T; Valdosta State University acalbrittonford@valdosta.edu
The Influence of Salinity on Acute Toxicity to the Euryhaline Fish, Kryptolebias marmoratus, A. Albritton-Ford, B.T. Harper, G.K. Bielmyer Valdosta State University, Valdosta, GA, 31698 Abstract Aquatic systems are commonly polluted with metals, due to a myriad of anthropogenic inputs. Cadmium (Cd) is a nonessential metal which may be toxic at elevated concentrations to many aquatic organisms. Although the mechanism of Cd toxicity has been well characterized in fish inhabiting freshwaters, fewer studies have examined the toxic effects of Cd in saltwater environments. Salinity is highly variable in estuarine systems and may influence the behavior and thus the toxicity of metals. In this study, the euryhaline fish, Kryptolebias marmoratus (7-9 d old), was exposed to Cd in waters with salinities ranging from 0.1-12 ppt for 96 h and mortality was recorded. Median lethal concentrations causing 50% mortality (LC50s) were calculated for each water type. The LC50 values ranged from 6.43 g/L Cd in freshwater to 8.41 mg/L Cd in 12 ppt saltwater. Results demonstrated a reduction in Cd toxicity in these fish with increasing salinity. Further, we are investigating the influence of magnesium and calcium on Cd toxicity to K. marmoratus. Experiments are being performed in freshwater supplemented with the individual salts to determine which components of saltwater were protective against acute Cd toxicity to K. marmoratus.
