Effects of subchronic exposure to environmentally relevant concentrations of a commercial fluridone formulation on fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas).

Invasive aquatic plants are a widespread problem in United States' waterways, and aquatic herbicide treatments are a common tool used in their management. Fluridone is an active ingredient in aquatic herbicides used globally to control aquatic plants. In order to be effective, fluridone requires a long contact time with plants resulting in extended exposure to non-target organisms. While there has been limited studies exploring the effects of fluridone on non-target aquatic organisms, the effects of subchronic commercial fluridone exposure at concentrations representative of operational use rates for plant management on fish are poorly understood. Therefore, we conducted a series of three exposure experiments using environmentally relevant concentrations on different life stages of the fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas). We exposed fathead minnows to a commercial fluridone formulation, Spritflo®, at environmentally relevant concentrations of 0.00, 3.00, 12.00, 25.00, and 100.00 μg/L. Exposure times included subchronic periods up to 35 days and a trans-generation exposure of 65 days, which is a likely residence time of fluridone when applied for plant management. Following 30 days of fluridone exposure, adult male fish had an increased presence of nuptial tubercules, an indicator of endocrine disruption, and an enlarged liver compared to the control. Additionally, we conducted larval fish behavior experiments and found fluridone exposure negatively affected prey capture ability, locomotion, and position preference. Our findings suggest fluridone treatment concentrations used in aquatic plant management do not directly cause mortality in fathead minnows, though sub-lethal effects observed could cause a decline in biological fitness and pose potential ecological implications.