Altered Larval Yellow Perch Swimming Behavior Due to Methylmercury and PCB126 Detected Using Hidden Markov Chain Models.

Fish swimming behavior is a commonly measured response in aquatic ecotoxicology because behavior is considered a whole organism-level effect that integrates many sensory systems. Recent advancements in animal behavior models, such as hidden Markov chain models (HMM), suggest an improved analytical approach for toxicology. Using both new and traditional approaches, we examined the sublethal effects of PCB126 and methylmercury on yellow perch (YP) larvae () using three doses.

Female reproductive impacts of dietary methylmercury in yellow perch (Perca flavescens) and zebrafish (Danio rerio).

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of environmentally relevant dietary MeHg exposures on adult female yellow perch (Perca flavescens) and female zebrafish (Danio rerio) ovarian development and reproduction. Yellow perch were used in the study for their socioeconomic and ecological importance within the Great Lakes basin, and the use of zebrafish allowed for a detailed analysis of the molecular effects of MeHg following a whole life-cycle exposure. Chronic whole life dietary exposure of F zebrafish to MeHg mimics realistic wildlife exposure scenarios, and the twenty-week adult yellow perch exposure (where whole life-cycle exposures are difficult) captures early seasonal ovarian development.

Mercury-induced epigenetic transgenerational inheritance of abnormal neurobehavior is correlated with sperm epimutations in zebrafish.

Methylmercury (MeHg) is a ubiquitous environmental neurotoxicant, with human exposures predominantly resulting from fish consumption. Developmental exposure of zebrafish to MeHg is known to alter their neurobehavior. The current study investigated the direct exposure and transgenerational effects of MeHg, at tissue doses similar to those detected in exposed human populations, on sperm epimutations (i.

Maternal methylmercury from a wild-caught walleye diet induces developmental abnormalities in zebrafish.

Maternal methylmercury (MeHg) exposure from a contaminated diet causes adverse effects in offspring, but the underlying mechanism(s) remains unclear. In the present study, we investigated the effects of maternal dietary MeHg-exposure on the offspring, using the zebrafish (Danio rerio) as a model system. Female zebrafish were exposed to MeHg (0.

An evolutionarily conserved mechanism of calcium-dependent neurotoxicity in a zebrafish model of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.

Background: Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) are a leading cause of neurodevelopmental disability. Nonhuman animal models offer novel insights into its underlying mechanisms. Although the developing zebrafish has great promise for FASD research, a significant challenge to its wider adoption is the paucity of clear, mechanistic parallels between its ethanol (EtOH) responses and those of nonpiscine, established models.