Thiamine concentrations in lake whitefish eggs from the upper Great Lakes are related to maternal diet

Journal of Great Lakes Research
By: , and 

Links

Abstract

Thiamine deficiency is responsible for reproductive impairment in several species of salmonines in the Great lakes, and is thought to be caused by the consumption of prey containing thiaminase, a thiamine-degrading enzyme. Because thiaminase levels are extremely high in dreissenid mussels, fish that prey on them may be susceptible to thiamine deficiency. We determined thiamine concentrations in lake whitefish Coregonus clupeaformis eggs from the upper Laurentian Great Lakes to assess the potential for thiamine deficiency and to determine if thiamine concentrations in lake whitefish eggs were related to maternal diet. Mean thiamine concentrations in lake whitefish eggs were highest in Lake Huron, intermediate in Lake Superior, and lowest in Lake Michigan. Some fish had thiamine concentrations below putative thresholds for lethal and sublethal effects in salmonines, suggesting that some larval lake whitefish may currently be at risk of at least sublethal effects of low thiamine concentrations, although thiamine thresholds are unknown for lake whitefish. Egg thiamine concentrations in lake whitefish eggs were statistically significantly related to isotopic carbon signatures, suggesting that egg thiamine levels were related to maternal diet, but low egg thiamine concentrations did not appear to be associated with a diet of dreissenids. Egg thiamine concentrations were not statistically significantly related to multifunction oxidase induction, suggesting that lower egg thiamine concentrations in lake whitefish were not related to contaminant exposure.

Study Area

Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Thiamine concentrations in lake whitefish eggs from the upper Great Lakes are related to maternal diet
Series title Journal of Great Lakes Research
DOI 10.1016/j.jglr.2011.09.004
Volume 37
Issue 4
Year Published 2011
Language English
Publisher Elsevier
Contributing office(s) Columbia Environmental Research Center, Great Lakes Science Center, Contaminant Biology Program
Description 6 p.
First page 732
Last page 737
Other Geospatial Great Lakes
Google Analytic Metrics Metrics page
Additional publication details