medicating the environment€¦ · a drug of emerging concern. one of the most widely prescribed...
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Medicating the environmentBehavioural and ecological impacts of pharmaceutical
pollution on wildlife
Bob WongSchool of Biological Sciences, Monash University
http://www.bobwonglab.org
BBM_Wong
A Mexican tale…
…about swordtails
Rio Calnali
250
0
Associa
tion t
ime (
s)
X. malinche X. birchmanni
(other species) (own species)
spring waterFemales show strong preferencefor conspecific odour cues…
Fisher et al. 2006 Proc R Soc Lond B
Associa
tion t
ime (
s)
X. malinche X. birchmanni
(other species) (own species)
treated tap waterFemales show strong preferencefor conspecific odour cues…
250
0
Fisher et al. 2006 Proc R Soc Lond B
Associa
tion t
ime (
s)
X. malinche X. birchmanni
(other species) (own species)
Calnali river water…except in Canali river water
250
0
Fisher et al. 2006 Proc R Soc Lond B
Altered reproductive behaviours…
…with ecological &
evolutionary effects
Back in Australia…
80
0
Association
time (s)
pristine
site
waste water
treatment
Males downstream from waste water treatment showed increased mating activity
Saaristo et al. 2014 Aquatic Toxicology
Chemical pollution
Insidious form of environmental change
Pharmaceuticals
a growing threat
biologically active
Pharmaceuticals
enter the environment
Pharmaceuticals
Ecological Concerns
Environmentally persistent
Ecological Concerns
effects at low concentrations
Ecological Concerns
Widespread impacts on aquatic organisms
Ecological Concerns
Widespread impacts on aquatic organisms
Fluoxetinea drug of emerging concern
One of the most widely
prescribed antidepressants
Fluoxetine
Acts by inhibiting reuptake of the
neurotransmitter serotonin
Fluoxetine
Fluoxetine
Designed to induce
physiological & behavioural effects
Incomplete removal in
wastewater treatment
Fluoxetine
EnvironmentalEnvironmental concentrations
<1 – 929 ng/L (worldwide)
Sub-lethal effectsReduced offspring number
Sub-lethal effectsReduced aggression
Sub-lethal effectsImpaired growth
What about antipredator
behaviours?
Impact of fluoxetine exposure on
antipredator behaviours in eastern
mosquitofish
150
170
190
210
230
250
270
290
Control Low FLX High FLX
BAB
A
PredatorEmpty
Activity levels
0 ng/L 25 ng/L 200 ng/L
Low Flx exposed fish more active than unexposed fish
Activity (
grid
lin
es c
rossed
)
Martin et al. 2017 Environ Pollution
Control Low FLX High FLX0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
Control Low FLX High FLXTota
l tim
e s
pent exhib
itin
g fre
eze (
sec)
A
B
A
B
A
B
Females Males
Freezing behaviour
Sex differences in effects of Flx on time spent freezing
Martin et al. 2017 Environ Pollution
Pharmaceutical pollutants
Human pharmaceuticals are
not the only concern
Ecological Concerns
effects at low concentrations
Trenbolonea hormonal growth promotant
Trenbolone
Widely used around the world (e.g. 60-90%
of beef cattle in USA)
Trenbolone
Potent androgen
Enters environment via livestock effluent
run off
Trenbolone
Environmental concentrations
<5 – 162 ng/L (worldwide)
Sub-lethal effectsSex reversal
What about reproductive behaviours?
Impact of trenbolone exposure on
reproductive behaviours in guppies
Impact of trenbolone exposure on
reproductive behaviours in guppies
Fre
quency o
f chases a
nd n
ips 24
12
0
Exposed males engaged in more chases and nips
Male competition
Tomkins et al. 2017 Chemosphere
Males performed less courtship towards exposed females
Court
sh
ip150
0
100
50
A
B
AB
B
Male courtship and sneakingBertram et al. 2015 Hormones & Behav
Males performed more sneaking on exposed females
Sneakin
g15
0
10
5A
B
C
D
Male courtship and sneakingBertram et al. 2015 Hormones & Behav
Male orange colouration
Associa
tion tim
e (
min
)15
10
5
0Low/Low High/High Low/High High/Low
Session 1
Session 2
Unexposed females spent less time associating with low
orange (unsexy) male after seeing a high orange (sexy) male
Female sexual responsiveness & choosiness
Tomkins et al. 2018 Environ Pollution
Male orange colouration
Associa
tion tim
e (
min
)15
10
5
0
Exposed females associated less with males and were less discerning
Female sexual responsiveness & choosiness
AA
AA A
A
AA
Low/Low High/High Low/High High/Low
Session 1
Session 2
Tomkins et al. 2018 Environ Pollution
Exposure to
pharmaceutical
pollutants can
disturb
ecologically
important
behaviours
conclusion
Monash University
Michael Bertram
Patrick Tomkins
Minna Saaristo
Marcus Michelangeli
Rowan Jacques-Hamilton
Chris Johnstone
University of Melbourne
Mayumi Allinson
Graeme Allinson
Jackie Myers
Vince Pettigrove
John Baumgartner
Department of Environment and Primary
Industries
Ray Tomkins
Boston University
Gil Rosenthal
Heidi Fisher
Osaka City Institute for Public Health and
Environmental Sciences
Atsushi Yamamoto
Thank you
BOBWONGLAB.ORG
@BBM_Wong