Effects of pH, Aluminum, and Calcium on Survival and Growth of Eggs and Fry of Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis)

Abstract

Freshly fertilized eggs, eyed eggs, yolk-sac fry, and swim-up fry of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) were exposed to a matrix of 84 combinations of pH (4.0–6.5), aluminum (0–1000 μg/L), and calcium (0.5–8.0 mg/L) in 21–91-d experiments. The response to pH, aluminum, and calcium exposure was dependent on life stage. Sensitivity to acid toxicity generally decreased with age (freshly fertilized eggs>eyed eggs>yolk-sac fry = swim-up fry). Survival or hatching of freshly fertilized and eyed eggs decreased at pH 5.2 and below, whereas survival of yolk-sac and swim-up fry was reduced at pH 4.4–4.0. Sensitivity to aluminum toxicity generally increased with age (freshly fertilized eggs = eyed eggs<yolk-sac fry<swim-up fry). At low pH, survival of freshly fertilized and eyed eggs increased with exposure to increasing aluminum concentrations, in contrast, elevated aluminum [Formula: see text] was often toxic to fry. Increasing calcium was beneficial to all life stages, although the magnitude of this benefit depended on life stage and on the specific pH and aluminum concentration. Survival after previous exposure to toxic combinations of pH, aluminum, and calcium generally improved during a post-exposure recovery period at pH 6.5. However, increased mortality in many exposure combinations did not begin until this recovery period.