Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2009, 6(8), 2307-2331; doi:10.3390/ijerph6082307
Article

Morphological Deformities as Biomarkers in Fish from Contaminated Rivers in Taiwan

Peter Lin Sun 1,* email, William E. Hawkins 2 email, Robin M. Overstreet 2 email and Nancy J. Brown-Peterson 2 email
1 Department of Aquaculture, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, 1, Shuefu Road, Neipu, Pingtung 912, Taiwan 2 Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, The University of Southern Mississippi, P.O. Box 7000, Ocean Springs, MS 39566, USA
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 3 July 2009 / Accepted: 17 August 2009 / Published: 21 August 2009
PDF Full-text Download PDF Full-Text [1549 KB, uploaded 20 August 2009 20:13 CEST]
Abstract: Tilapia (Oreochromis spp.) were collected seasonally from four contaminated rivers in southwestern Taiwan for studies of morphological deformities that could be used as biomarkers of contamination. Morphological deformities found in tilapia were separated into 15 categories. Overall, the prevalence of deformities such as split fins, lower lip extension and gill deformities were significantly related to various water quality parameters, including low DO and high ammonium, lead and zinc concentrations. The persistence of tilapia in polluted waters and the development of a suite of morphological deformities suggest that tilapia can be used as sentinels of non-point source pollution in rivers.
Keywords: tilapia; morphological deformity; biomarker; indicator; river pollution

Article Statistics

Click here to load and display the download statistics.

Cite This Article

MDPI and ACS Style

Sun, P.L.; Hawkins, W.E.; Overstreet, R.M.; Brown-Peterson, N.J. Morphological Deformities as Biomarkers in Fish from Contaminated Rivers in Taiwan. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2009, 6, 2307-2331.

AMA Style

Sun PL, Hawkins WE, Overstreet RM, Brown-Peterson NJ. Morphological Deformities as Biomarkers in Fish from Contaminated Rivers in Taiwan. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2009; 6(8):2307-2331.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Sun, Peter L.; Hawkins, William E.; Overstreet, Robin M.; Brown-Peterson, Nancy J. 2009. "Morphological Deformities as Biomarkers in Fish from Contaminated Rivers in Taiwan." Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 6, no. 8: 2307-2331.

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health EISSN 1660-4601 Published by MDPI AG, Basel, Switzerland RSS E-Mail Table of Contents Alert