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EFFECTS OF CHRONIC STRESS ON WILDLIFE POPULATIONS: A POPULATION MODELING APPROACH AND CASE STUDY
Citation:
Nacci, D E., T R. Gleason, R E. GutjahrGobell, M Huber, AND W R. Munns Jr. EFFECTS OF CHRONIC STRESS ON WILDLIFE POPULATIONS: A POPULATION MODELING APPROACH AND CASE STUDY. MC Newman, MH Roberts, Jr., Robert C. Hale (ed.), Coastal and Estuarine Risk Assessment. Lewis Publishing - a CRC Press Company, Boca Raton, FL, , 247-272, (2002).
Description:
This chapter describes a matrix modeling approach to characterize and project risks to wildlife populations subject to chronic stress. Population matrix modeling was used to estimate effects of one class of environmental contaminants, dioxin-like compounds (DLCs), to populations of an ecologically important estuarine fish species, Fundulus heteroclitus, or mummichogs. This approach was applied to a case study site highly contaminated with polychlorinated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), including DLCs. Model projections suggested high risks to populations of mummichogs subject to intense DLC exposures. However, field observations of mummichog populations indigenous to this site appeared to be inconsistent with these projections. This apparent disparity provided an opportunity to used the population model structure to develop and test hypotheses on how wildlife populations respond to chronic stress. The directed research that followed has resulted in a more holistic assessment that integrates the perspectives of the contributing toxicologists, biologists, and ecologists.