Integrative behavioral ecotoxicology: bringing together fields to establish new insight to behavioral ecology, toxicology, and conservation

The fields of behavioral ecology, conservation science, and environmental toxicology individually aim to protect and manage the conservation of wildlife in response to anthropogenic stressors, including widespread anthropogenic pollution. Although great emphasis in the field of toxicology has been placed on understanding how single pollutants affect survival, a comprehensive, interdisciplinary approach that includes behavioral ecology is essential to address how anthropogenic compounds are a risk for the survival of species and populations in an increasingly polluted world. We provide an integrative framework for behavioral ecotoxicology using Tinbergen\u27s four postulates (causation and mechanism, development and ontogeny, function and fitness, and evolutionary history and phylogenetic patterns). The aims of this review are: 1) to promote an integrative view and re-define the field of integrative behavioral ecotoxicology; 2) to demonstrate how studying ecotoxicology can promote behavior research; and 3) to identify areas of behavioral ecotoxicology that require further attention to promote the integration and growth of the field

Meeting Report: Aging Research and Drug Discovery

Aging is the single largest risk factor for most chronic diseases, and thus possesses large socioeconomic interest to continuously aging societies. Consequently, the field of aging research is expanding alongside a growing focus from the industry and investors in aging research. This year's 8th Annual Aging Research and Drug Discovery ARDD) meeting was organized as a hybrid meeting from August 30th to September 3rd 2021 with more than 130 attendees participating on-site at the Ceremonial Hall at University of Copenhagen, Denmark, and 1800 engaging online. The conference comprised of presentations from 75 speakers focusing on new research in topics including mechanisms of aging and how these can be modulated as well as the use of AI and new standards of practices within aging research. This year, a longevity workshop was included to build stronger connections with the clinical community

Respiratory strategies and associated exchange epithelia as determinants on contaminant uptake in aquatic insects

Aquatic insects are used extensively to evaluate water quality. Despite their widespread use as indicator organisms, relatively little is known about the organismal characteristics that determine sensitivity differences to individual and multiple stressors. Insects have evolved several respiratory strategies that range from breathing atmospheric air to utilizing dissolved oxygen in water via exchange epithelial surfaces. This dissertation examines the role of respiratory attributes in determining differential accumulation of the insecticide chlorpyrifos, and further examines how accumulation rates are affected by temperature shifts. In addition, the relative roles of uptake rates and target site sensitivity differences are examined among developmental stages of the aquatic midge, C. riparius. Major findings: Smaller, gill-bearing insects accumulate chiorpyrifos and water at higher rates than larger, air-breathing insects. . Chiorpyrifos and water accumulation rates are highly covariant in aquatic insects. Temperature increases affect chiorpyrifos accumulation rates in dissolved oxygen breathers more so than in air-breathers. . Earlier instars of C. riparius are more sensitive to chiorpyrifos than later instars. Sensitivity differences among 2nd4th instar C. riparius are largely due to differences in chiorpyrifos accumulation rates

Modulation of Cupric Ion Activity by pH and Fulvic Acid as Determinants of Toxicity in Xenopus Laevis Embryos and Larvae

An ion-specific electrode measured cupric ion activity modulated by fulvic acid (FA) and pH in a series of modified Frog Embryo Teratogenesis Assay- Xenopus (FETAX) toxicity assays. Hydrogen ion concentration was the primary determinant of cupric ion activity, while FA played a smaller but significant role. Fulvic acid was a weak copper complexing agent at pH 5.50. At pH 5.50 there was slight reduction of ionic activity and a subsequent attenuation of copper toxicity with 5.0 mg/L FA. At pH 7.50, FA also had a mild attenuating effect on copper toxicity. At pH 6.50, copper was strongly complexed by FA at total copper (TCu) concentrations below its pH-dependent solubility limit. At TCu concentrations above the solubility limit FA enhanced toxicity. There was more cupric ion activity measured in the presence of 0.5 and 5.0 mg/L FA than without it at TCu concentrations above the solubility limit. The proposed mechanism for this behavior was FA action as a nucleation inhibitor. Under the chemical conditions of the pH 6.50 experiments, a stable supersaturation of copper was formed, resulting in a more toxic aqueous matrix

Phylogeny and Size Differentially Influence Dissolved Cd and Zn Bioaccumulation Parameters among Closely Related Aquatic Insects

Evolutionarily distinct lineages can vary markedly in their accumulation of, and sensitivity to, contaminants. However, less is known about variability among closely related species. Here, we compared dissolved Cd and Zn bioaccumulation in 19 species spanning two species-rich aquatic insect families: Ephemerellidae (order Ephemeroptera (mayflies)), generalized to be metal sensitive, and Hydropsychidae (order Trichoptera (caddisflies)), generalized to be metal tolerant. Across all species, Zn and Cd uptake rate constants (<i>k</i>_us), efflux rate constants (<i>k</i>_es) and bioconcentration factors (BCFs) strongly covaried, suggesting that these metals share transport pathways in these distinct lineages. <i>K</i>_us and BCFs were substantially larger in Ephemerellidae than in Hydropsychidae, whereas <i>k</i>_es did not dramatically differ between the two families. Body size played an important role in driving <i>k</i>_u differences among species, but had no influence on <i>k</i>_es. While familial differences in metal bioconcentration were striking, each family exhibited tremendous variability in all bioaccumulation parameters. At finer levels of taxonomic resolution (within families), phylogeny did not account for differences in metal bioaccumulation. These findings suggest that intrafamily variability can be profound and have important practical implications in that we need to better understand how well “surrogate species” represent their fellow congeners and family members