| Abstract: | White sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) populations throughout western North America are in decline, likely as a result of overharvest, operation of dams, and agricultural and mineral extraction activities in their watersheds. Recruitment failure may reflect the loss of early-life stage fish in spawning areas of the upper Columbia River, which are contaminated with metals from effluents associated with mineral-extraction activities. Early-life stage white sturgeon (A. transmontanus) from the Columbia River and Kootenai River populations were exposed to copper during 96-h flow-through toxicity tests to determine their sensitivity to the metal. Similar tests were conducted with rainbow trout (RBT [Oncorhynchus mykiss]) to assess the comparative sensitivity of this species as a surrogate for white sturgeon. Exposures were conducted with a water quality pH 8.1-8.3, hardness 81-119 mg/L as CaCO2, and dissolved organic carbon 0.2-0.4 mg/L. At approximately 30 days posthatch (dph), sturgeon were highly sensitive to copper with median lethal concentration (LC50) values ranging from 4.1 to 6.8 μg/L compared with 36.5 μg/L for 30 dph RBT. White sturgeon at 123-167 dph were less sensitive to copper with LC50 values ranging from 103.7 to 268.9 μg/L. RBT trout, however, remained more sensitive to copper at 160 dph with an LC50 value of 30.9 μg/L. The results indicate that high sensitivity to copper in early-life stage white sturgeon may be a factor in recruitment failure occurring in the upper Columbia and Kootenai rivers. When site-specific water-quality criteria were estimated using the biotic ligand model (BLM), derived values were not protective of early-life stage fish, nor were estimates derived by water-hardness adjustment. |
| Genre: | Article |
| ProdID: | 70040058 |
| Citation Author: | Little, E. E.; Calfee, R. D.; Linder, G. |
| Citation Contributing Office: | Columbia Environmental Research Center |
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| Citation End Page: | 408 |
| Citation Issue: | 3 |
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| Citation Language: | English |
| Citation Larger Work Title: | Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology |
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| Citation Phsyical Description: | 9 p. |
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| Citation Publisher: | Springer |
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| Citation Search Results Text: | Toxicity of copper to early-life stage Kootenai River white sturgeon, Columbia River white sturgeon, and rainbow trout; 2012; Article; Journal; Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology; Little, E. E.; Calfee, R. D.; Linder, G. |
| Citation Start Page: | 400 |
| Citation Volume: | 63 |
| Citation Year: | 2012 |
| Type: | citation/reference |
| Text: | Toxicity of copper to early-life stage Kootenai River white sturgeon, Columbia River white sturgeon, and rainbow trout; 2012; Article; Journal; Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology; Little, E. E.; Calfee, R. D.; Linder, G. |
| URL (THUMBNAIL): | http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/thumbnails/outside_thumb.jpg |
| URL (DIGITAL OBJECT IDENTIFIER): | http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00244-012-9782-3 |
| Date Other: | Fri, 28 Sep 2012 00:00 -0500 |
| Publisher: | Springer |
