[[The]] biological implications of current pesticide-use policy in the Hudson River Estuary
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Authors
Michelena, Toby M.
Issue Date
2013-12
Type
Electronic thesis
Thesis
Thesis
Language
ENG
Keywords
Biology
Alternative Title
Abstract
To assess the potential impacts pesticides may have on these ecosystems, a bioaccumulation model was developed to predict the bioaccumulation of organophosphate and carbamate pesticides in the Banded Killifish (Fundulus diaphanus), a euryhaline species found throughout the Estuary. The bioaccumulation model was populated with ecosystem specific data and used to determine if F. diaphanus is exposed to different concentrations of pesticides based on location within the Estuary. The data conclusively demonstrate that variation within the investigated ecosystems results in significantly different pesticide body burden in F. diaphanus. The body burden differences have a mixed correlation with activity rates of acetylcholinesterase, an enzyme of the neurological system inhibited by organophosphate and carbamate pesticides. Overall, the pesticide policies applied throughout the Estuary do not prevent the bioaccumulation of pesticides within the Estuary. The model utilized in this project demonstrates that pesticide concentrations in the environment, while low, have the potential to bioaccumulate to levels that can result in biological effects.
Description
December 2013
School of Science
School of Science
Full Citation
Publisher
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY