Predicting responses of fish populations to multiple stressors across watersheds

随着对生态系统中相互作用的复杂性的理解的提高，环境中化学污染物造成的风险已变得越来越难以定义。我的课程侧重于环境化学和毒理学的界面，以提高我们预测风险的能力，并了解生态系统适应进一步干扰和维持生态系统服务的能力。污染物通常以复杂的混合物存在于环境中，我们对它们如何相互作用而对生态系统产生影响的理解很差。此外，流域暴露于各种其他自然和人为压力源，这些压力源可以与污染物和环境相互作用，改变其暴露和对鱼类和其他生物的影响。鱼类种群对污染物和其他压力源的反应是由流域、栖息地和物种相互作用的特征所改变的。因此，预测鱼类对污染物的反应是非常复杂的，需要更好地了解这些相互作用和影响。拟议的研究项目将创造知识，以支持模型开发，以更好地预测鱼类和鱼类种群如何受到复杂污染物混合物的影响，以及如何受到多种压力源、环境条件和物种特征的影响。我们将专注于高度受影响的流域，在那里我们将开发、测试和应用创新的工具和方法，以提高我们理解和预测这些复杂关系的能力。通过实地调查和控制实验，将在不同生物组织水平的鱼类中探索城市废水流出物中污染物的接触和影响之间的联系。代表性雌激素和雄激素受体激动剂/拮抗剂将作为模型污染物进行测试，以确定污染物如何作为复杂混合物（例如废水）相互作用，并根据鱼类及其环境的特征进行修改。研究成果将支持制定更有效的风险评估、监测方案和实施流域补救行动。

The risk created by chemical contaminants in the environment has become increasingly difficult to define as the understanding of the complexity of the interactions in ecosystems has improved. My program focuses on the interface of environmental chemistry and toxicology to improve our ability to predict risk, and to understand the ability of ecosystems to adapt to further disturbances and maintain ecosystem services. Contaminants normally exist as complex mixtures in the environment and our understanding of how they interact to cause effects in ecosystems is poor. In addition, watersheds are exposed to a variety of other natural and anthropogenic stressors that can interact with contaminants and the environment to alter their exposure and expression of effects in fish and other organisms. How fish populations respond to contaminants and other stressors is modified by the characteristics of the watershed, habitat and species interactions that occur. Predicting how fish will respond to contaminants is therefore very complex and there is a need to better understand these interactions and effects. The proposed research program will create knowledge to support model development to better predict how fish and fish populations are affected by complex contaminant mixtures and are modified by multiple stressors, environmental conditions and species' traits. We will focus on highly impacted watersheds where we will develop, test and apply innovative tools and approaches that enhance our ability to understand and predict these complex relationships. Using field surveys and controlled experimentation, linkages among exposure and effects of contaminants in municipal wastewater effluents will be explored in fish at various levels of biological organization. Representative estrogen and androgen receptor agonists/antagonists will be tested as model contaminants to determine how contaminants interact together as complex mixtures (e.g. wastewater) and are modified by characteristics of fish and their environment. The research outcomes will support development of more effective risk assessments, monitoring programs and implementation of remedial actions in watersheds.