Browsing by Author "Schoenfuss, H.L."
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Item An Ecotoxicologically Relevant Approach To Water Quality Monitoring For Contaminants Of Emerging Concern(Frontiers in Water, 2023) Schoenfuss, H.L.; Kolok, A.S.Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs) have been documented across the seven continents, including Antarctica, and are likely an impediment to the sustainable management of natural resources. Most studies to date have relied on sweeping chemistry surveys, reliant upon sophisticated instrumentation. This approach is expensive, relies on limited laboratory capacity, and generates results that are spatially and temporally constrained. Here, we review existing approaches that can overcome these limitations by focusing onItem Serum estrogenicity and biological responses in African catfish raised in wastewater ponds in Ghana(Science of the Total Environment, 2013-10) Asem-Hiablie, S.; Church, C.D.; Elliott, H.A.; Shappell, N.W.; Schoenfuss, H.L.; Drechsel, P.; Williams, C.F.; Knopf, A.L.; Dabie, M.Y.Reuse of wastewater for aquaculture improves the efficient use of water and promotes sustainability but the potential effects of endocrine disrupting compounds including estrogens in wastewater are an emerging challenge that needs to be addressed. We examined the biological effects of wastewater-borne estrogens on African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) raised in a wastewater stabilization pond (WSP) of a functioning municipal wastewater treatment plant, a wastewater polishing pond (WWP) of a dysfunctional treatment plant, and a reference pond (RP) unimpacted by wastewater, located in Ghana. Measurements of estrogen concentrations in pond water by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry showed that mean 17 β-estradiol concentrations were higher in the wastewater ponds (WWP, 6.6. ng/L. ±. 2.7. ng/L; WSP, 4.9. ng/L. ±. 1.0) than the reference (RP, 3.4. ±. 1.1. ng/L). Estrone concentrations were found to be highest in the WSP (7.8. ng/L. ±. 1.7) and lowest in the WWP (2.2. ng/L. ±. 2.4) with the RP intermediate (4.7. ±. 5.0). Fish serum estrogenicity assayed by E-SCREEN was significantly higher in female vs. male catfish in the RP and WSP but not in the WWP (p. ≤. 0.05). Histological examination of liver and gonad tissue showed no apparent signs of intersex or pathology in any ponds. The similarities in various measures of body indices between fish of this study and African catfish from freshwater systems suggest that aquaculture may be a suitable reuse option for treated municipal wastewater. © 2013 The Authors.Item A Watershed-wide Investigation of the Biological Effects of Contaminants of Emerging Concern: A Case Study in the North American Great Lakes(2017-12-14) Schoenfuss, H.L.Dr. Schoenfuss will explore the effects of Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs) on resident fish species in the North American Great Lakes watershed. CECs include common pharmaceuticals, household products and industrial and agricultural chemicals known to cause harm to aquatic life. We analyzed nearly 500 surface water samples at 54 sites in tributaries of the Great Lakes Watershed to confirm the ubiquitous presence of CECs. A subsequent cluster analyses of commonly detected CECs in this data matrix suggests that the co-occurrence of approximately half of the CECs can be attributed to dichotomous urban or agricultural upstream land use. Almost 3,000 resident and caged sunfish (Lepomis ssp.) were collected from 27 of the 54 sampling sites and analyzed for indicators of stress associated with CEC exposure. Canonical correspondence analyses revealed that concurrent with indicators of toxic stress, biomarkers of reproductive potential declined. To further examine the population level consequences, fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) were exposed in the laboratory for three generations to the empirically derived urban CEC mixture at three environmentally relevant concentrations. Taken together, this integrated series of studies provides a case study on how to develop a comprehensive assessment of the presence and biological effects of CECs across a continental watershed. Dr. Schoenfuss will close the seminar by providing a brief introduction to the research activities, facilities and educational programs found in the Department of Biological Sciences at St. Cloud State University.