PCBs contamination does not alter aerobic metabolism and tolerance to hypoxia of juvenile sole (Solea solea L. 1758)

Abstract

Coastal habitats play a major role as nurseries for many fish species; however, they are also submitted to pollutants and oxygen fluctuations. Fry's concept of metabolic scope for activity was used to evaluate the effect of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) on the aerobic metabolism in juvenile common sole (0-1 year old). Aerobic metabolic scope (AMS) in control and PCB-contaminated fish via food pathway was determined using respirometry techniques. Furthermore, the hypoxia tolerance in control and PCB-contaminated fish was evaluated by assessing their critical oxygen concentration (O(2crit)). Our results showed that while PCB-contaminated fish were able to maintain a constant AMS and O(2crit), PCBs tend to affect their aerobic metabolism by acting on maximal oxygen consumption (MO(2max)) in hypoxia and standard metabolic rate, but only at the highest PCB concentration between 30 and 60 days of exposure. In conclusion, we can hypothetise that the tested PCB-exposures may not impair the tolerance to hypoxia and the survival of common sole in their natural environment.

Effects of Anthropogenic Pollution on the Oxidative Phosphorylation Pathway of Hepatocytes from Natural Populations of Fundulus heteroclitus

“…Yet PCB contamination showed no effect on juvenile sole (Solea solea) aerobic metabolism (Cannas et al 2013). Differences in the type of pollutants tested and variety of the experimental approaches employed would lead to obstacles for comparing those studies (Cannas et al 2013). However, it is interesting to speculate that POP effects may be more consistent if the adaptive differences among populations are taken into consideration.…”

“…The few studies examining POP effects on fish energetics (van Ginneken et al 2009;Cannas et al 2013) fail to reveal a general pattern due to the limitation of comparative assessments. PCBcontaminated European eels (A. anguilla) were characterized by lower aerobic metabolism than control individuals, indicating that PCB treatment decreased aerobic metabolism (van Ginneken et al 2009).…”

“…PCBcontaminated European eels (A. anguilla) were characterized by lower aerobic metabolism than control individuals, indicating that PCB treatment decreased aerobic metabolism (van Ginneken et al 2009). Yet PCB contamination showed no effect on juvenile sole (Solea solea) aerobic metabolism (Cannas et al 2013). Differences in the type of pollutants tested and variety of the experimental approaches employed would lead to obstacles for comparing those studies (Cannas et al 2013).…”

Bioenergetics-adverse outcome pathway: Linking organismal and suborganismal energetic endpoints to adverse outcomes

“…The effects of contaminants on aerobic scope and metabolic rate have been examined in various invertebrate (Table ) and vertebrate systems, including fish (Claireaux and Davoodi ; Milinkovitch et al ; Cannas et al ), reptiles (Hopkins et al ; DuRant et al ), and birds (Butler et al ; Fildes et al ). Aerobic scope is calculated as the difference between maximum metabolic rate and basal metabolic rate (frequently measured as resting metabolic rate), and it determines the amount of energy available for nonessential biological processes (Clarke and Pörtner ; Figure ).…”

Characterisation of microplastics and toxic chemicals extracted from microplastic samples from the North Pacific Gyre

“…The carcinogenic and endocrine-disrupter properties vary based on the number and position of chlorine atoms. [14] The North Pacific Gyre (NPG) is an accumulation zone because wind and water currents create a gyre that brings plastic debris towards the centre of the area. The accumulation of smaller pieces of plastic, lower than 5 mm, in the NPG has been reported.…”