Abstract
We determined the effects of auto salvage yards on fathead minnow larvae in Northcentral, Northeast, and Southwest Arkansas areas. Fathead minnows (N = 1800) were stocked into microcosms with varying percentages of ephemeral stream water (0, 6, 12.5, 25, 50, and 100%) from auto salvage yard areas and monitored for changes in weight and survivorship. Growth rates and survivorship were significantly reduced at higher concentrations. In addition, we evaluated auto salvage yards as potential sources of heavy metals and analyzed fish tissues for the presence of these metals. Although no concentrations of metals were significantly greater than zero in fish tissues, Mn, Cu, Pb, Zn, and Al water concentrations within ephemeral streams at all three salvage yard areas were greater than regulatory limits. Our results support the need for further analyses of salvage yards as sources of toxicants and their effects on fish.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 197-209 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Journal | Water, Air, and Soil Pollution |
| Volume | 174 |
| Issue number | 1-4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jul 2006 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This project was supported by a Penn State University Eberly Science Foundation Grant. We thank Joelle Shostell and Mark Shostak for their help in various stages of this project.
Keywords
- Auto salvage yards
- Fathead minnow
- Fish growth
- Fish survivorship
- Heavy metals