Sturgeon populations worldwide are threatened with extirpation but little is known about their tendency to bioaccumulate contaminants and their sensitivities to environmental burdens of these contaminants. Shortnose sturgeon and Atlantic sturgeon, two species that are federally endangered in the USA, co-occur in the Hudson River (HR) where high sediment levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-furans (PCDFs) occur. Previous controlled laboratory studies showed that young life-stages of both species are sensitive to toxicities at low levels of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) and PCB126 exposure. The objective here was to measure congener-specific hepatic levels of PCBs and PCDD/Fs in HR specimens in order to determine if in situ bioaccumulation of these compounds is sufficiently high to have caused the early life-stage toxicities previously observed. Estimates of hepatic burdens of PCBs and PCDD/Fs were obtained from a small number of specimens of each species collected between 2014 and 2016 and specimens of shortnose sturgeon collected over 30 years earlier and archived in a museum collection. Several significant patterns emerged. Hepatic levels of legacy PCBs and PCDDs were low in specimens of both species but typically higher in shortnose than Atlantic sturgeon, a pattern consistent with their habitat use in the HR. Hepatic burdens in shortnose sturgeon tended to be higher in archived specimens than in more recently collected ones despite expected reduction in archived specimens due to preservation methods. Several inadvertent PCBs congeners were detected at high levels, including PCB11, but their toxicity to natural populations remains unknown. Levels of select PCDFs congeners, 2,3,7,8-TCDF and 2,3,4,7,8 PeCDF, were elevated in some shortnose sturgeon individuals from the HR. Using Relative Potency (ReP) factors derived from white sturgeon, the observed levels of some hepatic PCDFs in HR shortnose sturgeon may have been sufficiently high to impair recruitment of young life-stages in this ecosystem.

世界各地的鲟鱼种群面临灭绝的威胁，但人们对它们生物累积污染物的倾向以及它们对这些污染物的环境负担的敏感性知之甚少。短鼻鲟和大西洋鲟是美国联邦濒危物种，它们同时出现在哈德逊河 (HR)，那里的沉积物中多氯联苯 (PCB)、多氯二苯并二恶英 (PCDD) 和多氯二苯并二恶英 (PCDD) 含量很高。出现对呋喃 (PCDF)。先前的受控实验室研究表明，这两个物种的年轻生命阶段对低水平的 2,3,7,8-四氯二苯并-p的毒性敏感。-二恶英 (TCDD) 和 PCB126 暴露。这里的目的是测量 HR 样本中 PCB 和 PCDD/F 的同系物特异性肝脏水平，以确定这些化合物的原位生物累积是否足够高，足以导致先前观察到的早期生命阶段毒性。PCB 和 PCDD/F 的肝脏负荷估计值是根据 2014 年至 2016 年期间收集的每个物种的少量样本以及 30 多年前收集并在博物馆收藏中存档的短鼻鲟样本获得的。出现了几种重要的模式。这两个物种的样本中遗留的多氯联苯和多氯二苯并二恶英的肝脏水平较低，但短吻鲟的肝脏水平通常高于大西洋鲟，这一模式与其在 HR 中的栖息地利用情况一致。尽管由于保存方法的原因，存档标本预计会减少，但存档标本中短鼻鲟的肝脏负担往往高于最近采集的标本。多种无意中检测到的 PCB 同系物含量很高，其中包括 PCB11，但它们对自然群体的毒性仍然未知。在来自 HR 的一些短鼻鲟个体中，选定的 PCDF 同系物 2,3,7,8-TCDF 和 2,3,4,7,8 PeCDF 的水平升高。使用源自白鲟的相对效力 (ReP) 因子，在 HR 短鼻鲟中观察到的一些肝 PCDF 水平可能足够高，足以损害该生态系统中幼鱼生命阶段的补充。多种无意中检测到的 PCB 同系物含量很高，其中包括 PCB11，但它们对自然群体的毒性仍然未知。在来自 HR 的一些短鼻鲟个体中，选定的 PCDF 同系物 2,3,7,8-TCDF 和 2,3,4,7,8 PeCDF 的水平升高。使用源自白鲟的相对效力 (ReP) 因子，在 HR 短鼻鲟中观察到的一些肝 PCDF 水平可能足够高，足以损害该生态系统中幼鱼生命阶段的补充。多种无意中检测到的 PCB 同系物含量很高，其中包括 PCB11，但它们对自然群体的毒性仍然未知。在来自 HR 的一些短鼻鲟个体中，选定的 PCDF 同系物 2,3,7,8-TCDF 和 2,3,4,7,8 PeCDF 的水平升高。使用源自白鲟的相对效力 (ReP) 因子，在 HR 短鼻鲟中观察到的一些肝 PCDF 水平可能足够高，足以损害该生态系统中幼鱼生命阶段的补充。