PARENT SESSION
4H Ecological risk assessment for the marine environment
9:00 AM to 7:00 PM, Wednesday, 09 May 2001

(W/EH077) Genetic diversity and differentiation as indicators of population-level effect: Fundulus heteroclitus populations exposed to PAHs.

Newman, Michael¹, Mulvey, Margaret¹, Unger, Michael¹, Vogelbein, Wolfgang¹, ¹

ABSTRACT- Molecular genetic traits including allozymes and mitochondrial DNA markers are being evaluated as indicators of population-level effects of pollutants. Field populations of Fundulus from nine sites with sediment PAH concentrations differing by four orders of magnitude had liver cancer prevalences from <1% to >35%. No differences in genetic diversity were noted among sites but genetic differentiation was correlated with the level of PAH contamination. Tests of embryo abnormalities after exposure to contaminated sediment indicated significant differences in tolerance among populations taken from clean and contaminated sites. Similar results were produced for assays of juvenile growth. More rigorous tests are being developed to define whether these differences in tolerance among populations are produced by genetic differences among populations.

Key words: population, PAH, genetics, fish