This data set describes developmental and physiological effects observed in fathead minnow embryos that were exposed to sodium nitrate or conductivity-matched controls. Exposures were conducted in the laboratory from fertilization through 21 days post-fertilization (dpf). Nitrate doses were 0, 2, 5, 10, 25, or 100 milligrams per liter nitrate-nitrogen; conductivity controls were matched to the 10 and 100 milligrams per liter nitrate-nitrogen treatments. During the experiment, we assessed heart rate and percent arrhythmic heart beats at 3 dpf, timing of hatch and inflation of the posterior and anterior swim bladders, presence of pericardial edema or scoliosis, fish metrics at 21 dpf (fish length and weight; swim bladder length, width, and volume), and mortality. Water quality data during the exposure period are also presented, and include conductivity, pH, nitrate-nitrogen, total ammonia, unionized ammonia, and dissolved oxygen.

These RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) data were collected to better understand how exposure to environmentally relevant doses of nitrate affects the brain transcriptome in fathead minnows. Fish were exposed to nominal doses of 0, 2, 5, 10, 25, or 100 mg/L nitrate nitrogen (NO3-N), added to flow-through well water as sodium nitrate. Transcriptomic data were collected from three experiments that addressed different life stages and durations of nitrate exposure: 1) acute exposure of juvenile fathead minnows for four days, from 75 to 79 days post fertilization (dpf), immediately before sexual maturation was expected to occur; 2) chronic exposure of juvenile fathead minnows from fertilization (day 0) through 79 dpf; this window covers all developmental stages until the beginning of sexual maturation; and 3) acute exposure of reproductive male and female pairs through one spawning cycle. The adult exposure occurred after fish were observed for two spawning cycles in clean water to obtain baseline data on their reproductive cyclicity, fecundity, and fertility. After the exposures, fish were euthanized and dissected to collect whole brains. Brain RNA was extracted, sequenced, and analyzed to identify genes and gene pathways that were affected by nitrate to improve our understanding of how nitrate affects fish physiology. Additionally, RNA data were analyzed to identify possible genetic biomarkers of nitrate exposure. The life history and water quality data for these studies is released in a separate but linked data release.

This dataset provides exposure and effects data for two experiments regarding the dietborne toxicity of inorganic arsenic on fathead minnows survival and growth. There are separate spreadsheets for the two experiments, at the replicate exposure chamber level, of fish exposure, survival, and weights and calculated growth metrics. Each spreadsheet provides footnote descriptions of the data and calculations provided. Descriptions of experimental protocols are also provided as supporting documents. This dataset is associated with the following publication: Erickson, R., D. Mount, T. Highland, R. Hockett, D. Hoff, C. Jenson, and T. Lahren. The relative importance of waterborne and dietborne As exposure on survival and growth of juvenile fathead minnows. AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY. Elsevier Science Ltd, New York, NY, USA, 211: 18-28, (2019).

Given that larval fish stages provide opportunities for development of stressor-selective screening level tests, this work aimed to investigate the optimal age of fathead minnow larva and duration of exposure for the pharmaceutical, propranolol, found in the environment. Differentially expressed genes were studied as well as gene set enrichment analysis. This dataset is associated with the following publication: Biales, A., D. Bencic, R. Flick, and G. Toth. Effects of Age and Exposure Duration on the Sensitivity of Early Life Stage Fathead Minnow (Pimephales promelas) to Waterborne Propranolol Exposure. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY. Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Pensacola, FL, USA, 43(4): 807-820, (2024).

Adult fathead minnows were exposed to dilutions of a historically estrogenic wastewater treatment plant effluent in a 21-d reproduction study. This dataset is comprised of a variety of endpoints representing key events along adverse outcome pathways linking estrogen receptor activation and other molecular initiating events to reproductive impairment. This study demonstrates the value of using an integrative approach that encompasses analytical chemistry, in vitro bioassays, and in vivo apical and pathway-based approaches with endpoints spanning from molecular- (e.g., gene expression) to organismal- (e.g., reproduction) levels of biological organization to help infer causal relationships between chemistry and potential effects on reproduction. This dataset is associated with the following publication: Cavallin , J., K. Jensen , M. Kahl , D. Villeneuve , K. Lee, A. Schroeder , J. Mayasich, E. Eid, K. Nelson, R. Milsk, B. Blackwell, J. Berninger , C. LaLone, C. Blanksma, T. Jicha , C. Elonen , R. Johnson , and G. Ankley. Pathway-based approaches for assessment of real-time exposure to an estrogenic wastewater treatment plant effluent on fathead minnow reproduction. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY. Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Pensacola, FL, USA, 35(3): 702-716, (2016).

The US Environmental Protection Agency conducts ecological risk assessments with a battery of fish toxicity tests that include acute, early life stage, and reproduction tests. While endpoints in these tests (survival, growth and reproduction) are conceptually related, because they are measured in separate exposures, the quantitative relationships between them are difficult to determine and largely ignored. In the current test, fathead minnows (FHM) were exposed for 28 days to 1 mg/L or 2 mg/L carbaryl, a well-studied carbamate insecticide, in early life stages and then reared in clean water until adulthood, when reproduction was assessed. Also. weekly growth measurements were taken throughout the test to determine growth rates during and after exposure. Growth curves derived from these measurements were then compared to the reproductive output. The data indicate that carbaryl reduced growth rate only for a brief time early in the exposure. However, this brief effect impacted overall growth into adulthood and lowered the reproductive output of exposed FHM. The effect of a transient exposure early in life to carbaryl could have later population-level impacts by causing mortality, lowering growth rates, and reducing reproductive output. This dataset is associated with the following publication: Flynn, K., S. Kadlec, V. Kurker, and M. Etterson. Effects of a 28-day early life stage exposure to carbaryl on fathead minnow long-term growth and reproduction. AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY. Elsevier Science Ltd, New York, NY, USA, 242: 106018, (2022).

The goal of the study in which the data were collected to determine the non-target effects of the molluscicide Zequanox on the survival and reproductive success of Fathead minnows in simulated open-water applications. The specific objectives were to evaluate effects of 8-h exposure to 50 mg/L and 100 mg/L AI Zequanox on: 1) survival of adult Fathead minnows, 2) egg deposition, 3) hatchability of eggs, and 4) survival and growth of newly hatched fry.