Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Acute Toxicity Of Β-N-Methylamino-L-Alanine (Bmaa) To Fathead Minnow (Pimephales Promelas) And Zebrafish (Danio Rerio), Jiayi Wang

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

β-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) is a neurotoxic amino acid produced by most species of cyanobacteria. Exposure to BMAA has been hypothesized as a cause of ALS and possibly Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases for several decades. Both in vitro and in vivo experiments revealed that exposure to elevated concentrations of BMAA can damage motor neurons and cause motor dysfunctions. However, the exact mechanism of BMAA-induced neurotoxicity has not been well understood.

Based on the available literature and in spite of its water-soluble and non-protein nature, BMAA appears to be able to bioaccumulate in organisms. The ubiquity of cyanobacteria and the potential for bioaccumulation …

New Testing Apparatus For Assessing Interactive Effects Of Suspended Solids And Chemical Stressors On Plankton Invertebrates, Steven P. Bradbury, Carl Herbrandson, Deborah L. Swackhamer

Steven P. Bradbury

To better predict and interpret the responses of aquatic organisms to environmentally relevant chemical exposures, it is necessary to investigate the combined effects of physical (e.g., suspended solids) and chemical stressors. One of the limitations in investigating suspended solids–chemical interactions has been the lack of an appropriate testing system. The specific objective of the current study was to develop and assess a suspended solids testing apparatus (SSTA) for studies on the combined effects of suspended solids and chemicals on aquatic invertebrates. The SSTA was designed to permit the assessment of varying suspended solids concentrations on Daphnia magna at a constant …

Acute Toxicity And Behavioral Effects Of Chlorpyrifos, Permethrin, Phenol, Strychnine, And 2,4-Dinitrophenol To 30-Day-Old Japanese Medaka (Oryzias Latipes), Steven P. Bradbury, Patricia J. Rice, Charles D. Drewes, Theresa M. Klubertanz, Joel R. Coats

Steven P. Bradbury

Five chemicals with different modes of action were evaluated in laboratory studies to determine their acute toxicity (48-h median lethal concentration [LC50]) and behavioral effects on 30-d-old Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes). The order of toxicity for these xenobiotics was permethrin > chlorpyrifos > 2,4-dinitrophenol (2,4-DNP) > strychnine > phenol. The 48-h LC50s were significantly different and ranged from 0.011 to 24.1 mg/L. In addition, chlorpyrifos and permethrin accumulated in the tissues of juvenile O. latipes. Observations of five behavioral/morphological responses, including changes in equilibrium, general activity, startle response, and morphology (e.g., hemorrhage and deformities) were used as indicators of sublethal toxicity. Each chemical, with …

Health Effects Of Air Pollutants (Sulfur Dioxide, Ozone, And Carbon Monoxide), Robert A. Bethel

Air Quality Protection in the West (November 27-28)

19 pages (includes illustrations).

Contains references.