Using Pimephales promelas as an Indicator Species for the Presence of Endocrine Disruptors in Nebraskan Streams

Authors

Megan Rosno, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Date of this Version

Spring 5-2019

Abstract

Specific sites in Southeast and Southwest Nebraska were chosen to add to the collective knowledge on how cattle feed lot effluents continue to have significant effects downstream of their point source locations. Both locations were sampled via seining net in first: 40.241249 latitude, -95.616191 longitude (near Barada, Nebraska), and second: 41.117368 latitude, -100.794332 longitude (directly South of North Platte in the South Platte River). They were chosen not only for their proximity to differing livestock practices of pasture vs. feed lot, but also where locals fish for the best bait fish including but not limited to fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas). The research base for the effects of exposure to endocrine disrupting hormones on fathead minnows is vast, and they are considered a key species in determining the health of Nebraskan streams.