GENOTYPE AND TOXICITY RELATIONSHIPS AMONG HYALELLA AZTECA: I. ACUTE EXPOSURE TO METALS OR LOW pH

Comparative genotype and toxin interactions at three polymorphic enzyme loci were examined in a laboratory population of amphipods (Hyalella azteca) during acute exposure to cadmium, zinc, copper, lead, or low pH. Significant toxin-genotype interactions were observed using logistic regression to model mortality in ten of 15 analyses. Both stressor-specific and nonspecific modes of selection were observed. In general, low pH selected for different genotypes than those selected by metals, especially zinc. Different modes of selection were also observed when amphipods were exposed to different metals. These results suggest that exposure to low pH would significantly reduce the ability of H. azteca to survive subsequent contamination by metals; exposure to stressors in the reverse order would also compromise a population’s chance of survival. A genetic distance analysis showed that the magnitude of genetic differentiation consistently increased among survivors compared with that of the initial populations. These increases in genetic divergence estimates suggest that acute exposure to metals or low pH may have an evolutionarily significant impact on the species. They also suggest that both genotype frequency and genetic distance measures (based on allozyme data) may be used as bioindicators for environmental monitoring programs. Validation of such bioindicators requires an understanding of the population’s genetic background, genetic structure, and history. Keywords—Allozyme analysis Mortality Genetic distance Amphipods