Effects of copper on olfaction of Colorado pikeminnow

Effects of copper on olfaction of Colorado pikeminnow (Ptychocheilus lucius) were investigated by exposing fish for 24 or 96 h, then evaluating olfactory ability using a behavioral assay and observing olfactory structures using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The behavioral assay measured a response known as fright reaction. Failure of exposed fish to demonstrate a fright reaction in the presence of skin homogenate assumed to contain fright pheromone was considered evidence of copper-induced loss of olfactory ability. Regression analysis was used to describe the response of fish as a function of copper concentration at each exposure duration. Olfactory ability declined with increasing copper concentration. For copper concentrations less than 66 microg/L, olfaction was more sensitive to exposure at 24 h than at 96 h. This result suggests that physiological adaptation and recovery of sensory ability occurred despite continuous exposure in the 96-h treatment. Protective mechanisms induced by exposure may have reduced sensitivity to copper by 96 h. Systematic surveys using SEM to detect presence or absence of olfactory receptors confirmed results of behavioral assays. Copper concentrations in one river inhabited by Colorado pikeminnow were compared with effective concentrations estimated by regression. Comparisons suggest that ambient copper concentrations may occasionally inhibit olfaction of wild fish.