Impact of Digital Video Analytics on Accuracy of Chemobehavioural Phenotyping in Aquatic Toxicology

[Abstract] Chemobehavioural phenotypic analysis using small aquatic model organisms is becoming an important toolbox in aquatic ecotoxicology and neuroactive drug discovery. The analysis of the organisms’ behavior is usually performed by combining digital video recording with animal tracking software. This software detects the organisms in the video frames, and reconstructs their movement trajectory using image processing algorithms. In this work we investigated the impact of video file characteristics, video optimization techniques and differences in animal tracking algorithms on the accuracy of quantitative neurobehavioural endpoints. We employed larval stages of a free-swimming euryhaline crustacean Artemia franciscana,commonly used for marine ecotoxicity testing, as a proxy modelto assess the effects of video analytics on quantitative behavioural parameters. We evaluated parameters such as data processing speed, tracking precision, capability to perform high-throughput batch processing of video files. Using a model toxicant the software algorithms were also finally benchmarked against one another. Our data indicates that variability in video file parameters; such as resolution, frame rate, file containers types, codecs and compression levels, can be a source of experimental biases in behavioural analysis. Similarly, the variability in data outputs between different tracking algorithms should be taken into account when designing standardized behavioral experiments and conducting chemobehavioural phenotyping

Case-Building Behavior, Persistence, and Emergence Success of \u3ci\u3ePycnopsyche Guttifer\u3c/i\u3e (Walker) (Trichoptera: Limnephilidae) in Laboratory and \u3ci\u3ein situ\u3c/i\u3e Environments: Potential Trade-Offs of Material Preference

When removed from their cases in a non-flow laboratory environment, 5th instar Pycnopsyche guttifer (Walker) larvae were always successful in constructing a new case within 24 h when woody debris was present as a material choice. Most were successful within 1 h. Larvae were never successful at case building in the absence of wood in a non-flow environment. These laboratory-constructed ‘emergency cases’ were flimsy, lacking in shape, and larger than field cases. Laboratory case size, shape, and material preference remained constant after repeated daily evacuations over a series of 10 days. Larvae could be induced to construct a case composed of mineral particles only in the absence of wood and when placed in a laboratory stream with simulated flow conditions, or in situ in a natural stream. The emergence success of P. guttifer specimens induced to build these mineral cases, however, was significantly higher than that of larvae remaining in their field cases or of larvae that built wood cases. This result is likely due to a fungal infection that affected only larvae in wood cases. Our results demonstrate a scenario where a clearly non-preferred case construction material appears to increase survival

Using zebrafish (Danio rerio) to study the behavioral impacts of early bisphenol F exposure reveals decreased swim speed, increased distance between fish, and increased freezing behaviors

The widespread use of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) has been a source of concern because of their various effects on the endocrine system. These effects include metabolic disorders, complications in reproductive health, hormone-related cancers, and neurodevelopmental disorders. Of particular concern is bisphenol A (BPA), a synthetic compound commonly found in consumer products such as water bottles, thermal receipt paper, and epoxy resins used in processed food packaging. Previous studies have shown that BPA can mimic estrogen through a variety of mechanisms and thus elicit an endocrine response. Some manufacturers have responded by removing BPA from their products; however, studies using a replacement compound bisphenol S have reported it to be just as, if not more, dangerous. The use of zebrafish (Danio rerio) larvae as a model organism allows for the effects of bisphenol exposure to be rapidly quantified through a simple behavioral assay. In studies involving bisphenol exposure, the use of zebrafish has demonstrated reproductive, developmental, endocrine, and behavioral effects. The study of bisphenol F, yet another endocrine disruptor that has become a replacement for BPA in consumer products, is highly important to public safety

Ecological Modeling of Aedes aegypti (L.) Pupal Production in Rural Kamphaeng Phet, Thailand

Background - Aedes aegypti (L.) is the primary vector of dengue, the most important arboviral infection globally. Until an effective vaccine is licensed and rigorously administered, Ae. aegypti control remains the principal tool in preventing and curtailing dengue transmission. Accurate predictions of vector populations are required to assess control methods and develop effective population reduction strategies. Ae. aegypti develops primarily in artificial water holding containers. Release recapture studies indicate that most adult Ae. aegypti do not disperse over long distances. We expect, therefore, that containers in an area of high development site density are more likely to be oviposition sites and to be more frequently used as oviposition sites than containers that are relatively isolated from other development sites. After accounting for individual container characteristics, containers more frequently used as oviposition sites are likely to produce adult mosquitoes consistently and at a higher rate. To this point, most studies of Ae. aegypti populations ignore the spatial density of larval development sites. Methodology - Pupal surveys were carried out from 2004 to 2007 in rural Kamphaeng Phet, Thailand. In total, 84,840 samples of water holding containers were used to estimate model parameters. Regression modeling was used to assess the effect of larval development site density, access to piped water, and seasonal variation on container productivity. A varying-coefficients model was employed to account for the large differences in productivity between container types. A two-part modeling structure, called a hurdle model, accounts for the large number of zeroes and overdispersion present in pupal population counts. Findings - The number of suitable larval development sites and their density in the environment were the primary determinants of the distribution and abundance of Ae. aegypti pupae. The productivity of most container types increased significantly as habitat density increased. An ecological approach, accounting for development site density, is appropriate for predicting Ae. aegypti population levels and developing efficient vector control program

CHEMICAL SIGNALS IN VERTEBRATE PREDATOR-PREY SYSTEMS INVOLVING COMMON MUSK TURTLES, STERNOTHERUS ODORATUS, AND THEIR PREDATORS

Rathke’s gland secretions (RGS) of Common Musk Turtles have a variety of proposed functions including predator deterrence and attraction, but experimental studies testing these hypotheses are lacking. This study used laboratory and field experiments to test whether RGS had attraction or repellent effects on two natural predators, the Cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus), and the Common Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina). In a laboratory experiment, we examined latency to feed and consumption times for Cottonmouths offered RGS-treated minnows and control minnows. In a field study, we investigated the ratio of snapping turtles appearing in traps with and without RGS-treated bait. The latency to feed times for Cottonmouths offered RGS-treated minnows were not significantly different from those offered control minnows. However, prey consumption times for Cottonmouths feeding on RGS-treated minnows were significantly greater than those feeding on control minnows. These results suggest that the RGS may lengthen the time of a predation sequence, possibly allowing the turtle more time to escape from the predator. The number of snapping turtles appearing in traps with RGS-treated bait was significantly greater than the number of snapping turtles in traps without RGS-treated bait. These results support the predator attraction hypothesis, where the signal may attract additional predators that interfere with a predation event, providing an opportunity for the prey to escape