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To better understand the effects of transient thermal stress in an aquatic insect, we first identified static temperatures associated with fitness deficits, and then reared larvae from egg hatch to adulthood under diurnally variable regimens including daily forays into deleterious temperatures. We sampled mature larvae at the coolest and warmest portions of their respective regimens for RNA-seq analysis. Few transcripts (28) were differentially expressed when larvae oscillated between favorable temperatures, while 614 transcripts were differentially expressed when experiencing daily transient thermal stress. Transcripts associated with N-glycan processing were downregulated while those associated with lipid catabolism and chitin turnover were significantly upregulated in heat stressed larvae. An across-regimen comparison of differentially expressed transcripts among organisms sampled at comparable temperatures demonstrated that the effects of daily thermal stress persisted even when larvae were sampled at a more optimal temperature (806 differentially expressed transcripts). The chronically stressed population had reduced expression of transcripts related to ATP synthesis, mitochondrial electron chain functions, gluconeogenesis and glycolytic processes while transcripts associated with cell adhesion, synaptic vesicle transport, regulation of membrane potential and lipid biosynthesis increased. Comparisons of constant vs. variable temperatures revealed that the negative consequences of time spent at stressful temperatures were not offset by more time spent at optimal temperatures.

OBJECTIVE Human obesity is a complex metabolic disorder disproportionately affecting people of lower socioeconomic strata, and ethnic minorities, especially African Americans and Hispanics. Although genetic predisposition and a positive energy balance are implicated in obesity, these factors alone do not account for the excess prevalence of obesity in lower socioeconomic populations. Therefore, environmental factors, including exposure to pesticides, heavy metals, and other contaminants, are agents widely suspected to have obesogenic activity, and they also are spatially correlated with lower socioeconomic status. Our study investigates the causal relationship between exposure to the heavy metal, cadmium (Cd), and obesity in a cohort of children and in a zebrafish model of adipogenesis. DESIGN An extensive collection of first trimester maternal blood samples obtained as part of the Newborn Epigenetics Study (NEST) was analyzed for the presence of Cd, and these results were cross analyzed with the weight-gain trajectory of the children through age five years. Next, the role of Cd as a potential obesogen was analyzed in an in vivo zebrafish model. RESULTS Our analysis indicates that the presence of Cd in maternal blood during pregnancy is associated with increased risk of juvenile obesity in the offspring, independent of other variables, including lead (Pb) and smoking status. Our results are recapitulated in a zebrafish model, in which exposure to Cd at levels approximating those observed in the NEST study is associated with increased adiposity. CONCLUSION Our findings identify Cd as a potential human obesogen. Moreover, these observations are recapitulated in a zebrafish model, suggesting that the underlying mechanisms may be evolutionarily conserved, and that zebrafish may be a valuable model for uncovering pathways leading to Cd-mediated obesity in human populations.

Mercury contamination in wildlife has rarely been studied in the Southern Appalachians despite high deposition rates in the region. From 2006 to 2008 we sam- pled feathers from 458 birds representing 32 species in the Southern Appalachians for total mercury and stable isotope d 15 N. Mercury concentrations (mean ± SE) averaged 0.46 ± 0.02 l gg -1 (range 0.01-3.74 l gg -1 ). Twelve of 32 species had individuals (7 % of all birds sampled) with mercury concentrations higher than 1 l gg -1 . Mercury concentrations were 17 % higher in juveniles compared to adults (n = 454). In adults, invertivores has higher mercury levels compared to omnivores. Mercury was highest at low- elevation sites near water, however mercury was detected in all birds, including those in the high elevations (1,000-2,000 m). Relative trophic position, calculated from d 15 N, ranged from 2.13 to 4.87 across all birds. We fitted linear mixed-effects models to the data separately for juveniles and year-round resident adults. In adults, mercury concentrations were 2.4 times higher in invertivores com- pared to omnivores. Trophic position was the main effect explaining mercury levels in juveniles, with an estimated 0.18 ± 0.08 l gg -1 increase in feather mercury for each one unit rise in trophic position. Our research demonstrates that mercury is biomagnifying in birds within this terrestrial mountainous system, and further research is warranted for animals foraging at higher trophic levels, particularly those associated with aquatic environments downslope from montane areas receiving high mercury deposition.

Much of the mercury contamination in aquatic biota originates from coal-fired power plants, point sources that release mercury into the atmosphere. Understanding mercury dynamics is primarily important because of the toxic threat mercury poses to wildlife and humans through the consumption of contaminated fish. In this study, we quantified the relative importance of proximity to coal-fired power plants on mercury accumulation in two fish species of different trophic positions. Fish, water and sediment were collected and analyzed from 14 lakes, seven near to (10 km) and seven far from (30 km) coal-fired power plants. Lower tissue mercury and higher tissue selenium concentrations were measured in fish collected near power plants. Moreover, mercury accumulation in fish was driven by biotic characteristics (e.g., trophic position, total length, age), waterbody characteristics (e.g., pH, dissolved organic carbon and sulfate) and distance from power plants. Proximity to an atmospheric point-source of mercury and selenium, such as a coal-fired power plant, affects the quantities of mercury and selenium accumulated in fish tissue. Differences in accumulation are hypothesized to be driven in part by selenium-mitigated reductions in fish tissue mercury near power plants. Although reduced fish tissue mercury in systems near power plants may decrease mercury-specific risks to human consumers, these benefits are highly localized and the relatively high selenium associated with these tissues may compromise ecological health.