Freshwater Colloquium – Troubled Waters: Impacts of Emerging Contaminants on Early Life Stages of Fish

Historically, ecotoxicological toxicity studies were conducted with limited connections to human health. The field of environmental toxicology has recently embraced a “one health” approach, with increased focus on understanding the underlying mechanistic effects to improve species extrapolation. While many are shifting towards in silico and Adverse Outcome Pathway approaches, in vivo toxicity testing using zebrafish and fathead minnow larvae allows for integrated systematic toxicity screening using physiologically complex endpoints and incorporation of latent and transgenerational effects following early exposure to environmental contaminants. Dr. King-Heiden will share the approach she has used to integrate experimental endpoints useful for predicting latent and long-term risks for adverse health effects in both wildlife and humans, focusing on her most recent studies using neonicotinoid pesticides and PFAS.

Dr. King-Heiden is a Professor of Biology and River Studies Center at UW-La Crosse, who specializes in the field of aquatic toxicology, developmental biology, and reproductive physiology. She earned her PhD from UW-Milwaukee Department of Biology, working with Dr. Carvan at the now School of Freshwater Sciences, studying the reproductive toxicity of Dioxin. She continued this work as a postdoc at the Molecular and Environmental Toxicity Center at UW Madison, exploring the latent and transgenerational reproductive toxicity of dioxin, and developmental toxicity of nanomaterials. She has been in the Biology department at UW-La Crosse since 2008. At this comprehensive university, she is focused on teaching. Her research revolves around undergraduate and MS students, with a continued focus discerning the impacts of embryonic exposure to emerging contaminants of concern, using primarily zebrafish and fathead minnows as a model. Her work reveals how exposure to these contaminants influence physiological and behavioral endpoints of ecological importance, with implications for ecological resilience as well as human health. This presentation is open to students, faculty, staff, alumni and the public.