Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID IN_2024_Hoskins

Bioaccumulation and effects of PFAS on largemouth bass reproduction

Institute: Indiana
USGS Grant Number:
Year Established: 2024 Start Date: 2025-01-01 End Date: 2027-12-31
Total Federal Funds: $310,000 Total Non-Federal Funds: $312,873

Principal Investigators: Tyler Hoskins

Project Summary: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in agricultural biosolids contaminate nearby ponds with complex mixtures that differ from mixtures associated with better-studied PFAS sources, like firefighting foams. Preliminary data suggest largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) in ponds receiving biosolid runoff have very high levels of PFAS in fillet, but replicate sites are needed to characterize biosolid-derived PFAS exposures. Although existing work suggests potential for reproductive toxicity, available studies cannot mimic exposures under field conditions. The central objectives of our work are to characterize PFAS in media/bass tissues from ponds receiving biosolid runoff, to determine whether exposure to PFAS influences reproduction under field conditions, to elucidate any underlying molecular mechanisms, and finally, to screen/validate biomarkers of exposure and reproductive effects in this important gamefish. We will accomplish this using state of the art detection methods and a combination of observational fieldwork and a large-scale field experiment.