Dietary exposure of BDE-47 and BDE-99 and effects on behavior, bioenergetics, and thyroid function in juvenile red-eared sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans) and common snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina)

Juvenile red‐eared sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans) and snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina) were fed food dosed with brominated diphenyl ether‐47 (BDE‐47) or BDE‐99 for 6 mo beginning approximately 9 mo posthatch. During the exposure period, measurements of growth, bioenergetics, and behavior were made; thyroid function and accumulation were quantified postexposure. Whole‐body concentrations of both congeners were lower in red‐eared sliders compared with snapping turtles after 6 mo of exposure. Snapping turtles receiving BDE‐47 had significantly elevated standard metabolic rates after 3 mo and 4 mo of exposure (p = 0.014 and p = 0.019, respectively). When exposed to BDE‐99, red‐eared sliders were slower to right themselves after having been inverted (p