Chotlos, Matthew, Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, The Pennsylvania State University, 221 Forest Resources Building, University Park, PA, 16802, mqc6556@psu.edu; Schall, Megan, K, Biological Science, Penn State Hazleton, 76 University Drive, Hazleton, PA, 18202, mvk10@psu.edu; Smith, Geoffrey, D Division of Fisheries Management Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission Bellefonte PA; Keagy, Jason, Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, The Pennsylvania State University, 410 Forest Resources Building, University Park, PA, 16802, mqc6556@psu.edu.
Non-native invasive species and emerging contaminants are two global change drivers that have the potential to reshape aquatic communities, especially in understudied urban ecosystems. Per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are of particular concern due to their persistence in the environment, global distribution, and potential for negative ecological and human health outcomes associated with exposure. The consumption of fish is an important PFAS exposure pathway for humans. Northern snakehead (C. argus) are a recent non-native invasive species in the eastern US that is growing in popularity as a sport and food fish. Despite recent studies finding sport fish with high PFAS concentrations and many snakehead populations occurring in areas likely to have PFAS contamination, there is limited information about PFAS in northern snakehead populations. The objectives of our research are to (1) quantify PFAS occurrence and concentrations in northern snakehead populations across an urban development gradient, and (2) use a landscape transcriptomics approach to identify molecular markers of sublethal PFAS exposure. In the fall of 2024, we sampled surface water and sediment at nine sites in the Susquehanna and Delaware River basins, PA with confirmed northern snakehead presence. Out of the 40 chemicals tested, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) was the most commonly detected in surface water samples, ranging from 0.0018 to 0.08 ug/L. The highest PFAS concentrations were in sediment samples from an urban lake. Fish sampling was completed in the fall of 2025 and tissue analyses are ongoing. This study will provide novel insights into the interplay between an invasive fish predator and PFAS exposure risk while investigating the physiological effects of PFAS on wild fish through transcriptomics.
PFAS, Fish consumption, Northern snakehead, Transcriptomics