Largescale mullet (Planiliza macrolepis) can recover from thermal pollution-induced malformations.

It is well known in aquaculture that hyperthermic perturbations may cause skeleton malformations in fish, but this phenomenon has rarely been documented in wild species. One rare location where thermal pollution has increased the proportion of malformed fish in wild population is in the waters near...

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Main Authors: Yi Ta Shao, Shang-Ying Chuang, Hao-Yi Chang, Yung-Che Tseng, Kwang-Tsao Shao
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2018-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0208005
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author Yi Ta Shao
Shang-Ying Chuang
Hao-Yi Chang
Yung-Che Tseng
Kwang-Tsao Shao
author_facet Yi Ta Shao
Shang-Ying Chuang
Hao-Yi Chang
Yung-Che Tseng
Kwang-Tsao Shao
author_sort Yi Ta Shao
collection DOAJ
description It is well known in aquaculture that hyperthermic perturbations may cause skeleton malformations in fish, but this phenomenon has rarely been documented in wild species. One rare location where thermal pollution has increased the proportion of malformed fish in wild population is in the waters near the Kuosheng Nuclear Power Plant in Taiwan. At this site, the threshold temperature and critical exposure time for inducing deformations have not been previously determined. In addition, it was unclear whether juvenile fish with thermal-induced malformations are able to recover when the temperature returns below the threshold. In the present study, juvenile largescale mullet (Planiliza macrolepis) were kept at temperatures ranging from 26°C and 36°C for 1-4 weeks, after which malformed fish were maintained at a preferred temperature of 26°C for another 8 weeks. The vertebrae bending index (VBI) of fish was increased after 2 weeks at 36°C, and deformed vertebral columns were detected by radiography after 4 weeks. However, malformations were not observed in groups kept at or below 34°C. Moreover, at the end of the recovery period, both the VBI and the vertebrae malformations had returned to normal. The results of this study may help to more precisely determine potential environmental impacts of thermal pollution and raise the possibility that the capacity for fish vertebrae to recover from the impacts of chronic thermal exposures may be an important consideration in marine fish conservation.
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spelling doaj.art-12719fa7f0344498906688ce20678a6e2022-12-21T19:15:23ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032018-01-011311e020800510.1371/journal.pone.0208005Largescale mullet (Planiliza macrolepis) can recover from thermal pollution-induced malformations.Yi Ta ShaoShang-Ying ChuangHao-Yi ChangYung-Che TsengKwang-Tsao ShaoIt is well known in aquaculture that hyperthermic perturbations may cause skeleton malformations in fish, but this phenomenon has rarely been documented in wild species. One rare location where thermal pollution has increased the proportion of malformed fish in wild population is in the waters near the Kuosheng Nuclear Power Plant in Taiwan. At this site, the threshold temperature and critical exposure time for inducing deformations have not been previously determined. In addition, it was unclear whether juvenile fish with thermal-induced malformations are able to recover when the temperature returns below the threshold. In the present study, juvenile largescale mullet (Planiliza macrolepis) were kept at temperatures ranging from 26°C and 36°C for 1-4 weeks, after which malformed fish were maintained at a preferred temperature of 26°C for another 8 weeks. The vertebrae bending index (VBI) of fish was increased after 2 weeks at 36°C, and deformed vertebral columns were detected by radiography after 4 weeks. However, malformations were not observed in groups kept at or below 34°C. Moreover, at the end of the recovery period, both the VBI and the vertebrae malformations had returned to normal. The results of this study may help to more precisely determine potential environmental impacts of thermal pollution and raise the possibility that the capacity for fish vertebrae to recover from the impacts of chronic thermal exposures may be an important consideration in marine fish conservation.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0208005
spellingShingle Yi Ta Shao
Shang-Ying Chuang
Hao-Yi Chang
Yung-Che Tseng
Kwang-Tsao Shao
Largescale mullet (Planiliza macrolepis) can recover from thermal pollution-induced malformations.
PLoS ONE
title Largescale mullet (Planiliza macrolepis) can recover from thermal pollution-induced malformations.
title_full Largescale mullet (Planiliza macrolepis) can recover from thermal pollution-induced malformations.
title_fullStr Largescale mullet (Planiliza macrolepis) can recover from thermal pollution-induced malformations.
title_full_unstemmed Largescale mullet (Planiliza macrolepis) can recover from thermal pollution-induced malformations.
title_short Largescale mullet (Planiliza macrolepis) can recover from thermal pollution-induced malformations.
title_sort largescale mullet planiliza macrolepis can recover from thermal pollution induced malformations
url https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0208005
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AT haoyichang largescalemulletplanilizamacrolepiscanrecoverfromthermalpollutioninducedmalformations
AT yungchetseng largescalemulletplanilizamacrolepiscanrecoverfromthermalpollutioninducedmalformations
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