The Effects of Mercury on

Reproductive Success of
Largemouth Bass (Micropterus
salmoides)

Submitted by:
Robyn Moe
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Submitted to:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Where does Mercury come

from?
Direct discharge from wastewater treatment
plants

Runof
Atmospheric deposition
Coal combustion units that emit high
mercury emissions which then leads to

Persistance in aquatic ecosystems

where is it toxic and dangerous
in its methylmercury form

3 Largest Emission
Contributors
China
United States
India

Why is Mercury in
ecosystems a problem?
It bioaccumulates and biomagnifies
> 0.3 mg/L is of high concern in fish
Leads to problems
further up on food chain
(human populations)
It has an efect on
reproductive success
and is a neurotoxin
to organisms

Largemouth Bass
Characteristics
Fresh water lakes throughout Midwest region
14 inches in length
Vegetation
Shade
Warm water fish
High dissolved oxygen concentration
Feed during morning and evening hours

Largemouth Bass
Reproduction
Spring months
62-65 degrees Fahrenheit
Males make nest at bottom
of lake

About one foot of water

Average eggs per nest site is 5,000
Hatch within seven days of being laid

Objectives
Determine maximum allowable toxicant
concentration (MATC) for mercury efects on
reproduction of largemouth bass

Hypotheses
Ho: There is no significant diference in
reproduction between largemouth bass exposed
to to mercury and those not exposed to mercury

Ha: There is a significant decrease in

reproduction of largemouth bass exposed to
mercury compared to those not exposed to
mercury

I predict thatif there is an increase in

mercury concentrations, then there will be a
decrease in reproductive success of largemouth
bass

Set Up
Outdoor laboratory setting
Better control of confounding variables

Hatchery
Randomly selected

4 mesocosms
Control: no mercury
0.125 mg/L
0.25 mg/L
0.50 mg/L

Set Up cont.
Sediment and vegetation found in freshwater
lakes

Sediment will be built up on one side of

mesocosm

Rainwater

Experiment
Stock solutions will be made prior
Mesocosms will be checked for eggs or other
signs of spawning once per day

Water quality checked twice per day

Experiment cont.
Experiment will start in April, and go for twelve
weeks
Four-week experiment, repeated three times

Once eggs are produced, will watch for signs of

hatching

Duration of exposure is three weeks, one week

for counting hatched eggs

Measurements
Number of fish successfully hatched
Success will be determined by taking the
number of hatched eggs and dividing by the
number of females per treatment (four)

Expected Results
Expect that reproductive success of largemouth
bass will decrease with a higher concentration of
mercury

Expected Benefits
Inform public about mercury intake and
precautions (human health)

Help determine efects of mercury on other

species

Provide a stronger argument that mercury is a

toxic and dangerous metal to many living
organisms