1
PSNM: C. Barrette-Leduc, S. Bui, F. Cimon-Paquet, V. Eberle, L.
Trépanier and M. Brassard CLS: Robert Blyth, Tracy Walker, Nicole
Sylvain, Mathias Fischer, Adam Webb
Deepest-living fish
species yet discovered (as 5,000 m)
More commonly found between 200 - 2,000 m
Measures from 16 to 18 cm
The fangtooth is the animal that has the largest teeth,
proportionate to body size.
It is more robust than other deep water species. Researchers
have been able to keep them alive for months in captivity in spite
of the vast differences in temperature and pressure.
Analyse specimens of fangtooth’s liver, eyes, lens, heart,
skin, teeth and brain in an attempt to determine the presence
and speciation of heavy metals.
Compare the elements found in the fangtooth samples to those
found in the herring; a mid-water fish.
Determine if pollution could touch deep sea fish and ecosystems
of creatures living in great depths.
Herring dissection : sample preparation of the liver, the
heart
and the lens. Fangtooth dissection: sample preparation of the
liver, the lens,
the heart, the brain, the teeth and the skin. Fluorescence of
the fangtooth's liver, brain, lens, heart, skin
and teeth. Fluorescence of the herring's liver, brain and lens.
XANES of the Herring's lens.
Fangtooth skin: very rough, sand-like, very small scales
embedded in the skin brown to dark brown except for the fine silver
scales on the lateral line (motion detectors).
The skull protecting the fangtooth's brain is harder than
shallow water fish's. Underneath it, two small and two bigger hard
jelly light pink to transparent bulbs can be seen. The fangtooth's
skull is smaller than the shallow water fish's but harder (keeps
its shape).
Figure 1: Fluorescence spectra on the fangtooth’s organs
Figure 3: XANES spectra of the selenium found in the herring’s
lens
Figure 4: XANES spectra of the selenium found in the
literature
Figure 5: Fluorescence spectra of the fangtooth and the
herring‘s liver
Phibbs et al. (2011), Selenium uptake and speciation in wild and
caged fish downstream of a metal mining and milling discharge.
Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 74, 1139-1150
In fig. 1 and 2, Cd could not be detected since the peak is
too
close to the argon (Ar) peak. Ar is present in the air and the
experiment has not been done in vaccum.
Hg and Se peaks are close, but XANES of herring lens (fig. 3)
confirms that it is Se of an organic compound according to
literature (fig. 4). Selenium in herring was only compared to Se in
fish in polluted areas; it is not possible to determine whether it
is naturally occurring or not.
The fangtooth and the herring’s samples do not have an important
amount of zinc (Zn), except for the liver and the skin (fig. 1
& 2). Thus, it is known that Zn deficiency can increase Cd
absorption and toxicity. The samples studied may contain Cd.
The results in fig. 5 show that the elements are similar in both
fishes’ livers.
Put samples in vacuum to differentiate Cd and Ar; Selenium XANES
to know exactly which organic form it
was; Bromine (Br) XANES on the fangtooth’s brain to speciate ;
Zn, Br, As, Se, Ar, and Cd XANES on the fangtooth’s liver to
speciate or see better presence; Comparison with Se from fish in
unpolluted water would be
necessary to determine whether it is anthropogenic or not; See
if elements found in the fangtooth are present in other
fishes of its food chain, such as the tuna; Samples of more
fish: do these experiments on unpolluted
fishes (such as a fangtooth from the Antarctica Ocean) and on a
controlled group.
The first 3D imagery of the anatomy of the fangtooth was scanned
with the BioMedical Imaging and Therapy beamline (BMIT-BM).
We would like to thank the CLS Beamline Staff on IDEAS &
BMIT-BM, NSERC PromoScience, Fondation du PSNM, Dr. Jonathan Fisher
& Memorial University’s Department of Fisheries, Nadia Blostein
and Line Germain.
OBJECTIVES
Recent studies have shown that mercury (Hg) and cadmium
(Cd) are heavy metals that can be found in fish due to pollution
in the oceans. These heavy metals are toxic for the human body and
the ecosystems around the world.
Some shallow water fish (ex: tuna) are known to contain Hg. The
fangtooth is a species of fish that lives in the depths of
oceans around the world and that is also in the food chain of
the tuna.
Has human contamination reached the depths that these fish live
in?
The acquired data revealed that there was no detectable presence
of alarming elements, such as Hg and Cd, in the samples of the
fangtooth. Comparing the liver samples from both species of fish
resulted in similar findings. Together, these results indicate that
the studied fish, the fangtooth and herring, do not present a
detectable amount of anthropogenic heavy metals.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Figure 2: Fluorescence spectra on the herring’s organs
WHAT IS A FANGTOOTH?
CONCLUSION
REFERENCES
RESULTS
DISSECTION AND SAMPLE ANALYSIS
ANALYSIS
FUTURE RESEARCH
INTRODUCTION
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2
3
4
4
5
6
1. JUREŠA, D. and BLANUŠA, M. “Mercury, arsenic, lead and
cadmium in fish and shellfish from the Adriatic Sea», Food
Additives and Contaminants, vol. 20, issue 3, (2003), p.241-246. 2.
PORT MOODY HEALTH. The Impact of Heavy Metal Toxicity on Our Health
and Ecosystem, [En ligne],
[http://www.portmoodyhealth.com/about-us/why-pmn/resources/the-impact-of-heavy-
metal-toxicity-on-our-health-ecosystem/], (consulted March 28th,
2014). 3. KRAEPIEL, Anne M. L. «Sources and Variations of Mercury
in Tuna», Environmental Science and Technology, vol. 37, no. 24,
(2003), p.5551-5558. 4. SEA AND SKY. Fangtooth, [En ligne], 2013,
[http://www.seasky.org/deep-sea/fangtooth.html], (consulted March
26th, 2014). 5. DEEPSEACREATURES.COM. Fangtooth, [En ligne], 2014,
[http://deepseacreatures.org/creatures/fangtooth], (consulted April
9th, 2014). 6. BRZÓSKA, M.M. et MONIUSZKO-JAKONIUK, J.
«Interactions between cadmium and zinc in the organism», Food and
Chemical Toxicology, vol. 39, (2001), p.967-980.
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