1 research outputs found
Bioenergetic Effects of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Resistance Manifest Later in Life in Offspring of <i>Fundulus heteroclitus</i> from the Elizabeth River
Shifts in key physiological processes can confer resistance
to
chemical pollutants. However, these adaptations may come with certain
trade-offs, such as altered energy metabolic processes, as evident
in Atlantic killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus) in Virginia’s Elizabeth River (ER) that have evolved resistance
to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). We seek to understand
the bioenergetic costs of PAH resistance among subpopulations of Atlantic
killifish with differing contamination levels in order to examine
how these changes manifest across multiple life stages and how these
costs might be exacerbated by additional stressors. Bioenergetics
data revealed differences in metabolic rates between offspring of
PAH-resistant fish and reference fish were absent or minimal in both
the embryo and larval stages but pronounced at the juvenile life stage,
suggesting that bioenergetic changes in pollution-adapted killifish
manifest later in life. We also provide evidence that killifish from
remediated sites are more sensitive to PAH exposure than killifish
from nonremediated sites, suggesting loss of PAH tolerance following
relaxed selection. Collectively, our data suggest that the fitness
consequences associated with evolved resistance to anthropogenic stressors
may manifest differently over time and depend on the magnitude of
the selection pressure. This information can be valuable in effective
risk and remediation assessments as well as in broadening our understanding
of species responses to environmental change