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2000 Progress Report: Molecular, Cellular and Animal Biomarkers of Exposure and Effect
EPA Grant Number: R825433C044Subproject: this is subproject number 044 , established and managed by the Center Director under grant R825433
(EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
Center: EERC - Center for Ecological Health Research (Cal Davis)
Center Director: Rolston, Dennis E.
Title: Molecular, Cellular and Animal Biomarkers of Exposure and Effect
Investigators: Wilson, Barry W.
Institution: University of California - Davis
EPA Project Officer: Levinson, Barbara
Project Period: October 1, 1996 through September 30, 2000
Project Period Covered by this Report: October 1, 1999 through September 30, 2000
RFA: Exploratory Environmental Research Centers (1992)
Research Category: Center for Ecological Health Research , Targeted Research
Description:
Objective:To provide molecular, cellular and animal models to study the actions of habitat and ecosystem disruption on reproductive and neurological functions.
Progress Summary:Dormant Orchard Sprays. Our participation in the CalFed dormant spray project continued in collaboration with Integrated Pest Management director Frank Zalom, hydrologist Wes Wallender, aquatic toxicologist David Hinton and his replacement on the project Inge Werner of the Aquatic Toxicology laboratory. Runoff studies were undertaken in several orchard sites in California examining the OP diazinon and the pyrethroid esfenvalerate. We did the chemical analyses. Salient findings were that cover crops reduced runoff and toxicity and that the pyrethroid esfenvalerate was toxic to test fish species (e.g. fathead minnow) below the level of detectability (0.2 µg/L) of our gas chromatograph. Sample plots on the UCD campus sprayed with diazinon are enabling hydrologist Wallender and his students to construct a runoff profile, useful in deriving models to predict runoff features from a minimum of information.
Cholinesterases. This year we joined an EPA sponsored program led by geneticists Susan Anderson (Bodega Marine Laboratory) and Bernie May (Animal Science, UCD) to examine the possibility that runoff of pesticides in the streams of California have damaged the genomes of fresh water fish such as the California sucker. Our role on the project is to standardize the cholinesterase measurements for fish and measure the activities of samples from brain, muscle and other tissues obtained from field and laboratory trials. The first studies of Anderson's graduate student Andrew Whitehead have been to establish base line data using captive fish and diazinon. Additionally, fish in cages were placed into streams following rain episodes and their brain enzymes examined, obtaining evidence of cholinesterase depressions. We also have been working with students from other laboratories such as Richard Ambrose's (UCLA) from teaching them cholinesterase assays and providing space in our laboratory for them to run their assays. Recently, an Estuarine Indicators Research Program to study fish exposures to agricultural chemicals has been approved by the EPA with us slated to analyze cholinesterases of the fish. These projects are direct outcomes of the UCD EPA Center project.
Hormones. Graduate student Brian Faulkner, together with Bill Lasley, is currently working on an immunoassay for testosterone in the feces of American kestrels, a common raptor species. The first phase of development, characterization of testosterone metabolism in kestrels, is still in progress. Mass spectrophometry of the metabolites is underway in collaboration with John Vogel and the super sensitive instrument at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Once the development and validation stages are completed the immunoassay will be used to study whether exposure of American Kestrels to pesticides during dormant spraying will be detrimental to its reproduction, either directly or through exposure of its field mice prey.
Future Activities:Studies of embryo and cellular markers of developmental effects on birds and fish, examination of the impact of dormant sprays on water quality, fish, mammalian and avian wildlife will continue.
Supplemental Keywords:Ecosystem Protection/Environmental Exposure & Risk, Water, Scientific Discipline, Health, RFA, ECOSYSTEMS, Ecosystem/Assessment/Indicators, Endocrine Disruptors - Environmental Exposure & Risk, Water & Watershed, exploratory research environmental biology, Aquatic Ecosystems & Estuarine Research, endocrine disruptors, Terrestrial Ecosystems, Ecological Monitoring, Aquatic Ecosystem, Ecological Indicators, Biochemistry, Watersheds, Environmental Chemistry, Ecological Effects - Environmental Exposure & Risk, Ecosystem Protection, Monitoring/Modeling, Ecology and Ecosystems, Environmental Monitoring, Endocrine Disruptors - Human Health, biomarkers, runoff, water quality, watershed modeling, watershed land use, animal models, endocrine disrupting chemicals, watershed management, watershed restoration, immunoassay, protein kinase, ecological risk, ecology assessment models, ecosystem health, fish, bioindicator, environmental stress indicators, anthropogenic effects, land use, wetlands, models, pesticide exposure, watershed development, molecular markers, aquatic habitat, agricultural watershed, aquatic ecosystems, environmental stress, pesticides, lake ecosysyems, watershed sustainablility, ecological assessment, water management options, agrochemicals, ecosystem stress, ecosystem response
Progress and Final Reports:
1999 Progress Report
Original Abstract
Final Report
Main Center Abstract and Reports:
R825433 EERC - Center for Ecological Health Research (Cal Davis)
Subprojects under this Center:
(EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
R825433C001 Potential for Long-Term Degradation of Wetland Water Quality Due to Natural Discharge of Polluted Groundwater
R825433C002 Sacramento River Watershed
R825433C003 Endocrine Disruption in Fish and Birds
R825433C004 Biomarkers of Exposure and Deleterious Effect: A Laboratory and Field Investigation
R825433C005 Fish Developmental Toxicity/Recruitment
R825433C006 Resolving Multiple Stressors by Biochemical Indicator Patterns and their Linkages to Adverse Effects on Benthic Invertebrate Patterns
R825433C007 Environmental Chemistry of Bioavailability in Sediments and Water Column
R825433C008 Reproduction of Birds and mammals in a terrestrial-aquatic interface
R825433C009 Modeling Ecosystems Under Combined Stress
R825433C010 Mercury Uptake by Fish
R825433C011 Clear Lake Watershed
R825433C012 The Role of Fishes as Transporters of Mercury
R825433C013 Wetlands Restoration
R825433C014 Wildlife Bioaccumulation and Effects
R825433C015 Microbiology of Mercury Methylation in Sediments
R825433C016 Hg and Fe Biogeochemistry
R825433C017 Water Motions and Material Transport
R825433C018 Economic Impacts of Multiple Stresses
R825433C019 The History of Anthropogenic Effects
R825433C020 Wetland Restoration
R825433C021 Sierra Nevada Watershed Project
R825433C022 Regional Transport of Air Pollutants and Exposure of Sierra Nevada Forests to Ozone
R825433C023 Biomarkers of Ozone Damage to Sierra Nevada Vegetation
R825433C024 Effects of Air Pollution on Water Quality: Emission of MTBE and Other Pollutants From Motorized Watercraft
R825433C025 Regional Movement of Toxics
R825433C026 Effect of Photochemical Reactions in Fog Drops and Aerosol Particles on the Fate of Atmospheric Chemicals in the Central Valley
R825433C027 Source Load Modeling for Sediment in Mountainous Watersheds
R825433C028 Stress of Increased Sediment Loading on Lake and Stream Function
R825433C029 Watershed Response to Natural and Anthropogenic Stress: Lake Tahoe Nutrient Budget
R825433C030 Mercury Distribution and Cycling in Sierra Nevada Waterbodies
R825433C031 Pre-contact Forest Structure
R825433C032 Identification and distribution of pest complexes in relation to late seral/old growth forest structure in the Lake Tahoe watershed
R825433C033 Subalpine Marsh Plant Communities as Early Indicators of Ecosystem Stress
R825433C034 Regional Hydrogeology and Contaminant Transport in a Sierra Nevada Ecosystem
R825433C035 Border Rivers Watershed
R825433C036 Toxicity Studies
R825433C037 Watershed Assessment
R825433C038 Microbiological Processes in Sediments
R825433C039 Analytical and Biomarkers Core
R825433C040 Organic Analysis
R825433C041 Inorganic Analysis
R825433C042 Immunoassay and Serum Markers
R825433C043 Sensitive Biomarkers to Detect Biochemical Changes Indicating Multiple Stresses Including Chemically Induced Stresses
R825433C044 Molecular, Cellular and Animal Biomarkers of Exposure and Effect
R825433C045 Microbial Community Assays
R825433C046 Cumulative and Integrative Biochemical Indicators
R825433C047 Mercury and Iron Biogeochemistry
R825433C048 Transport and Fate Core
R825433C049 Role of Hydrogeologic Processes in Alpine Ecosystem Health
R825433C050 Regional Hydrologic Modeling With Emphasis on Watershed-Scale Environmental Stresses
R825433C051 Development of Pollutant Fate and Transport Models for Use in Terrestrial Ecosystem Exposure Assessment
R825433C052 Pesticide Transport in Subsurface and Surface Water Systems
R825433C053 Currents in Clear Lake
R825433C054 Data Integration and Decision Support Core
R825433C055 Spatial Patterns and Biodiversity
R825433C056 Modeling Transport in Aquatic Systems
R825433C057 Spatial and Temporal Trends in Water Quality
R825433C058 Time Series Analysis and Modeling Ecological Risk
R825433C059 WWW/Outreach
R825433C060 Economic Effects of Multiple Stresses
R825433C061 Effects of Nutrients on Algal Growth
R825433C062 Nutrient Loading
R825433C063 Subalpine Wetlands as Early Indicators of Ecosystem Stress
R825433C064 Chlorinated Hydrocarbons
R825433C065 Sierra Ozone Studies
R825433C066 Assessment of Multiple Stresses on Soil Microbial Communities
R825433C067 Terrestrial - Agriculture
R825433C069 Molecular Epidemiology Core
R825433C070 Serum Markers of Environmental Stress
R825433C071 Development of Sensitive Biomarkers Based on Chemically Induced Changes in Expressions of Oncogenes
R825433C072 Molecular Monitoring of Microbial Populations
R825433C073 Aquatic - Rivers and Estuaries
R825433C074 Border Rivers - Toxicity Studies