Bacterial communities are sensitive indicators of contaminant stress

With many environments worldwide experiencing at least some degree of anthropogenic modification, there is great urgency to identify sensitive indicators of ecosystem stress. Estuarine organisms are particularly vulnerable to anthropogenic contaminants. This study presents bacterial communities as sensitive indicators of contaminant stress. Sediments were collected from multiple sites within inner and outer zones of three heavily modified and three relatively unmodified estuaries. Bacterial communities were censused using Automated Ribosomal Intergenic Spacer Analysis and analysed for a suite of metal and PAH contaminants. Shifts in both bacterial community composition and diversity showed strong associations with sediment contaminant concentrations, particularly with metals. Importantly, these changes are discernable from environmental variation inherent to highly complex estuarine environments. Moreover, variation in bacterial communities within sites was limited. This allowed for differences between sites, zones and estuaries to be explained by variables of interest such as contaminants that vary between, but not within individual sites.     

Constraints on spatial variability in soft-sediment communities affected by contamination from an Antarctic waste disposal site

A small-scale (<500 m length) transect-based survey was conducted in December 1998 to examine the spatial distribution of soft-sediment communities and of concentrations of heavy metals and hydrocarbons in sediments in Brown Bay, adjacent to an abandoned waste dump, at Casey Station, Antarctica. Samples were taken along three transects at increasing distances (nine stations) from the shore-line waste dump. A gradient of contamination was detected, but concentrations of contaminants were very variable with "hotspots" or high levels of contaminants at some stations. Multivariate analysis revealed that the distribution of soft-sediment communities was distinctly different between the inner, middle and outer stations. Abundances of most taxa were very variable with few patterns apparent, but some fauna displayed an abundance gradient from the inner to the outer part of the bay. Many taxa had maximum abundances at outer stations and minimum at inner stations. Multivariate correlations between environmental variables and soft-sediment communities indicated that combinations of some metals (Cd, Cu, Sn, Pb) and grain size (mainly finer fractions, fine sands and coarse silts) were the variables that best "matched" the community patterns within Brown Bay. This study indicated that there were significant correlations between the presence of contaminants and the distribution and composition of soft-sediment communities over very small spatial scales.     

Spatial processes determine planktonic diatom metacommunity structure of headwater streams

Headwater streams are interesting ecological systems for studies of metacommunities given their high degrees of isolation, unidirectionality of water flow and hierarchical organization in the drainage network. In addition, for passively dispersing aquatic organisms (e.g. planktonic diatoms), connectivity between sites is unidirectional, which implies a higher isolation of headwaters, leading to a greater dispersal limitation between streams. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relative importance of local environmental (i.e., physicochemical variables) and spatial (i.e., distance between sites) components to the planktonic diatom community in 28 headwater streams of the Cerrado, central region of Brazil. Due the fact that each sampling point was located in a different headwater stream, we expected that spatial components (a proxy for diatom dispersal) were more important than local environmental conditions to the structure of the diatom metacommunity. We found 51 morphospecies of diatoms (Bacillariophyceae). The community composition of diatoms showed strong spatial variation, which was also indicated by high beta diversity (mainly contributed by the turnover component). The variation in diatom community composition, species richness, total density, and Local Contribution to Beta Diversity (LCBD) of headwaters streams was explained solely by spatial factors. Based on these results, we inferred that due to dispersal limitation, the diatom communities of these headwaters tend to show distinct species composition, with high species turnover among the local communities. We highlight the importance of headwater streams as reservoirs of biodiversity for a riverine diatom metacommunity.     

水体叶绿素a和硅藻群落时空分布及影响因子的对比分析——以云贵高原异龙湖为例

藻类是湖泊生态系统中重要的初级生产者,物种多样性高且对水环境变化敏感,其生产力水平与群落构建模式是反映湖泊环境梯度和生态系统特征的可靠指标。其中硅藻优势属种的演替模式及其环境条件识别,是开展湖泊生态健康和环境质量评价的重要内容。本文选择亚热带地区浅水湖泊异龙湖开展季节调查,对20个采样点的叶绿素a和硅藻群落组成等指标开展分布特征及其驱动因子的定量评价,系统分析藻类变化的时空模式、驱动因子及其指标异同。2020年12月一2021年9月,异龙湖水环境特征的季节波动明显,综合营养指数TSI平均为74.76,总体处于富营养水平。在80个水体样品中共发现硅藻21属68种,群落结构以浮游类型(平均占比79.33%±20.69%)的耐中富营养种为主;在4个季节的调查中,膜糊直链藻Aulacoseira ambigua(61.62%±20.26%)为优势种。主成分分析显示,硅藻群落组成存在明显的空间差异和季节变化。冗余分析和方差分解等结果表明,水体营养因子(TN、TP和N:P)是影响叶绿素a浓度空间变化的重要因子(解释方差为19.08%±11.4%),水温和水深梯度的影响较小(9.63%±11.31%...     

Metal accumulation within salt marsh environments: A review

A comprehensive assessment of the chemical and physical factors affecting metal accumulation and cycling within salt marshes is presented. The effects that changes in physico-chemical properties (redox potential, salinity, pH, etc.) have upon metal mobility, speciation and consequent biological availability are described together with the implications for salt marsh habitat loss. Salt marshes act as very efficient sinks for metal contaminants although metal concentrations in halophytes do not generally reflect environmental contamination levels. Marine angiosperms, particularly Zostera marina, do however, reflect external metal concentrations and can therefore be used as biomonitors. Evidence suggests that the concentration of heavy metals in the sediments of most estuaries is not sufficiently high to cause ill effects to salt marsh plants although further investigations are necessary to assess potential threats of pollutants upon the health of these intertidal ecosystems.     

Desalinization of running waters: II. Benthic diatom communities: A comparative field study on responses to decreasing salinities

Desalinization effects on benthic diatom communities were investigated in two adjacent streams in Northern Thuringia, the creek Urbach and the river Helbe. Salt-saturated stockpile effluents had been introduced into the Urbach until 1996, resulting in fluctuating chloride concentrations with maximum values up to 25.4 g · 1⁻¹ (Helbe: max. 3.7 g · 1⁻¹).

The diatom vegetation and hydrographical and chemical data of an Urbach site were compared to those of a sampling site further downstream. Monthly sampling in 1996 started at the end of salt influx in January. Reference samples from the years 1995, 1986 and 1963 were evaluated along with the 1996 samples.

After termination of the introduction of salt-loaded effluents, relative abundances of brackish water species greatly decreased within three months. The Halobion Index (Ziemann 1982), reflecting osmotic and ion composition effects on diatoms, decreased until May 1996, then stabilized. In summer 1996, several diatoms had a mass development, showing that salinization impacts had previously overruled effects of other environmental variables.     

Iron and Manganese in Groundwater: Using Kriging and GIS to Locate High Concentrations in Buncombe County,North Carolina

For health, economic, and aesthetic reasons, allowable concentrations (as suggested by the United States Environmental Protection Agency) of the secondary contaminants iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn) found present in drinking water are 0.3 and 0.05 mg/L, respectively. Water samples taken from private drinking wells in rural communities within Buncombe County, North Carolina contain concentrations of these metals that exceed secondary water quality criteria. This study predicted the spatial distribution of Fe and Mn in the county, and evaluated the effect of site environmental factors (bedrock geology, ground elevation, saprolite thickness, and drinking water well depth) in controlling the variability of Fe and Mn in groundwater. A statistically significant correlation between Fe and Mn concentrations, attributable to bedrock geology, was identified. Prediction models were created using ordinary kriging and cokriging interpolation techniques to estimate the presence of Fe and Mn in groundwater where direct measurements are not possible. This same procedure can be used to estimate the trend of other contaminants in the groundwater in different areas with similar hydrogeological settings.     

湖北梁子湖近百年来环境演变历史及驱动因素分析

湖泊生态系统的修复必须建立在历史生态环境演化过程与驱动机制认识的基础之上.针对草型湖泊演化历史研究相对不足的现状,以长江中游典型草型湖泊梁子湖为研究对象,结合210Pb和137Cs年代测试,通过对沉积柱高分辨率的多指标分析(硅藻、元素地球化学和粒度)以及流域历史资料重建近百年来梁子湖生态环境的演化过程,并在此基础上利用冗余分析定量区分影响该湖泊生态环境演化的关键驱动因子.结果显示,沉积物总磷和重金属元素Cu是影响该湖泊生态环境演化的2个显著变量,它们分别单独解释硅藻组合的12.7%和8.5%变率.这表明近百年来人类活动引起的营养输入对梁子湖生态环境演化起关键性作用,而重金属污染也是影响梁子湖环境演变的重要因子.本研究结果可以为梁子湖及长江中下游其他类似湖泊的环境治理提供科学依据.     

Relative importance of multiple environmental variables in structuring benthic macroinfaunal assemblages in chronically metal-polluted salt marshes

In this study, we assessed importance of sediment-associated trace metals in structuring benthic macroinfaunal assemblages along multiple environmental gradients in chronically polluted salt marshes of the Arthur Kill - AK (New York, USA). More than 90% of benthic macroinfaunal communities at the northern AK sites consisted of a considerably large number of only a few polychaete and oligochaete species. Approximately 70% of among-site variances in abundance and biomass of benthic macroinfaunal communities was strongly associated with a few environmental variables; only sediment-associated mercury consistently contributed to a significant proportion of the explained variances in species composition along natural environmental gradients (e.g., salinity). Although sediment-associated copper, lead, and zinc were substantially elevated at some of the AK sites, their ecological impacts on benthic macroinfaunal communities appeared to be negligible. These findings suggest that cumulative metal-specific impacts may have played an important role in structuring benthic macroinfaunal communities in chronically polluted AK ecosystems.     

Study of the spatial and historical distribution of sediment inorganic contamination in the Toulon bay (France)

This study presents trace elements levels in surface and deep sediments of the Toulon bay (SE France) subjected to anthropogenic inputs (navy base, harbors, etc.). The studied elements (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Zn) are defined as priority contaminants in aquatic systems. Fifty-five points scattered on the entire bay were sampled, allowing the determination of contaminants distribution with a high resolution. Several approaches were used to assess the degree of contamination and the potential toxicity of the Toulon bay sediments: comparison to the French legislation, surface-weighted average metal concentrations, enrichment factors (EF), geoaccumulation indices (Igeo), trace element stock calculation and comparison to sediment quality guidelines. A principal component analysis was performed to reveal common behavior of the studied contaminants. Results demonstrated the very high contamination of the small bay, especially in Hg (EF up to 1500), Cu, Pb and Zn, with export to the large bay further governed by hydrodynamics.     

Toxicological impact assessment of heavy metal contamination on macrobenthic communities in southern coastal sediments of Korea

In the heavily industrialized Masan Bay of southern coast, Korea, the potential harmful effects of heavy metals (Cd, Co, Cu, Ni, Pb, Sn, Zn, and Hg) were evaluated in terms of the pollution load index (PLI) and ecological risk assessment index (ERI) methods, and the results obtained were considered alongside the health of the macrobenthic fauna communities. The results revealed that the bay sediments, especially in the inner bay and the outfall area of a sewage treatment plant, are exposed to moderate to serious levels of metal pollution. Hg and Cd contributed the most to the potential toxicity response indices in sediments recently deposited in the bay. The potential ecological risk assessment of heavy metals in the bay was highlighted by the use of the benthic biological pollution index (BPI), suggesting that the ERI is a useful toxicity response index, which can quantify the overall ecological risk level to a target environment.     

Selection of bioindicators for monitoring marine environmental quality in the Bay of Fundy,Atlantic Canada

Distribution of metals, PAH's and PCB's in lobsters, mussels, and sediments were used to assess marine environmental quality of the Bay of Fundy. This study demonstrates that the lobster (Homarus americanus) is a better bioindicator for monitoring contaminants in the marine environment and has a greater capacity for the uptake and accumulation of contaminants than the mussel (Mytilus edulis) and sediments. A definite pattern in the spatial distribution of lobster Cu, Cd, and Ag was evident. The distribution of organic contaminants for both mussels and lobsters in the Bay of Fundy lacked a spatial trend, and organic contaminants were undetectable in sediments from all sites. The Gulf Watch Programme, which monitors chemicals in mussels in the Bay of Fundy, did not indicate a problem with high levels of Cu, Cd, and Zn in the ecosystem. Analytes below the detection limit, such as in mussels and sediments, increase the difficulties of chemical analysis and detection for environmental monitoring. Deficiencies of mussels in monitoring the Bay of Fundy were discussed.     

Flood defence in the Blackwater Estuary, Essex, UK: the impact of sedimentological and geochemical changes on salt marsh development in the Tollesbury Managed Realignment site

Recent changes in the UK's coastal defence strategy have resulted in the introduction of Managed Realignment (MR), a technique which attempts to establish salt marshes on low-lying coastal farmland. This work investigates the impact of MR, in particular on the interactions between sediment movement, changes in heavy metal concentrations and salt marsh development. Pre- and post-inundation samples were collected and analysed between 1995 and 1997. Sediment transport patterns (1996) demonstrated that sediment particles were distributed by tides around the site, resulting in a change in the spatial distribution of the metals which was related to the sediment particle size distribution. Despite the presence of some metal contaminants found within the MR site, vegetated salt marsh has developed since 1997. However, heavy metals such as Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn exhibited relative depletion in the sediment developing with salt marsh in 1997, which is in agreement with data indicating that concentrations of metals within sediments is related to frequency of tidal inundation. During initial development of the site, sediment transport was the main factor controlling metal distribution, however, subsequently the frequency of tidal inundation became the most significant factor. Further work may allow for prediction of how future MR sites will develop with respect to redistribution of sediments and subsequent transport of contaminants in the dissolved phase.     

The use of kelp sieve tube sap metal composition to characterize urban runoff in southern California coastal waters

This study introduces an innovative method for biomonitoring using giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) sieve tube sap (STS) metal concentrations as an indication of pollution influence. STS was sampled from fronds collected from 10 southern California locations, including two reference sites on Santa Catalina Island. Using ICP-MS methodology, STS concentrations of 17 different metals were measured (n = 495). Several metals associated with pollution showed the highest STS concentrations and most seasonal variation from populations inside the Port of Los Angeles/Long Beach. Lowest concentrations were measured at less-urbanized areas: Santa Catalina Island and Malibu. Some metals showed a spatial gradient in STS metal concentration with increasing distance from point sources (i.e. Los Angeles River). Cluster analyses indicate that polluted seawater may affect kelp uptake of metals essential for cellular function. Results show that this method can be useful in describing bioavailable metal pollution with implications for accumulation within an important ecosystem.     

Investigation of heavy metal pollutants at various depths in the Gulf of Izmit

In this study, we report results concerning the accumulation of heavy metals in seawater from Izmit Bay. The bay was divided into the three parts: the eastern, the central and the western basins. The goal of this study was to determine levels of heavy metals at various depths in the bay between April 2008 and May 2010. Liquid–liquid extractions were performed on seawater samples. An atomic absorption spectrophotometer was used to measure levels of six metals: lead, cadmium, chromium, iron, manganese and zinc. We applied our results to evaluate the status of pollution in the Gulf of Izmit. Significant seasonal differences in metal concentrations and higher concentrations of many metals in water near the shore are evidence for uncontrolled release of pollutants in the water.     

Macrozoobenthic community structure in a large shallow lake: Disentangling the effect of eutrophication and wind-wave disturbance

Biological communities in shallow lakes are often subject to the combined effects of eutrophication and wind-wave disturbance. However, their relative importance in regulating macrozoobenthic community assembly has not been well addressed. In the present study, a monthly sampling of macrozoobenthos and environmental parameters was conducted at ten sites from December 2012 to November 2013 in Lake Hongze, the fourth largest freshwater lake in China, which has undergone serious water quality deterioration over the past few decades. A total of 30 taxa were recorded during the 12 sampling occasions, including 6 chironomids, 6 bivalves, 4 gastropods, 4 oligochaetes, 4 polychaetes, 4 crustaceans and 2 other aquatic insects. The mean abundance and biomass of total macrozoobenthos varied greatly among the ten sites and presented distinctive taxonomic composition between the protected bays and the offshore zone. Three eutrophication parameters (including permanganate index (COD_Mn), chlorophyll a, and total phosphorus in surficial sediments) and three wind-wave variables (including Secchi depth, turbidity, and mean effective fetch) were highly related to spatial variation of macrozoobenthic assemblages. When eutrophication variables were controlled, there was a significant correlation between community similarity and wind-wave disturbance condition, and vice versa. Variation partitioning showed that wind wave disturbance explained 15.9% of the variation in benthic community composition, slightly lower than that explained by eutrophication (17.9%). These results indicate that wind-wave disturbance is as important as eutrophication in regulating benthic community structure in this large shallow lake. Wind-wave disturbance imposed opposite effects on benthic community relative to eutrophication, and were more prominent in the offshore zone weakening the role of eutrophication.     

The spatial and temporal distribution of heavy metals in sediments of Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong

Victoria Harbour has received substantial loadings of pollutants from industrial and municipal wastewater discharged since the 1950s. Inputs of contaminants have declined dramatically during the last two decades as a result of better controls at the source and improved wastewater treatment facilities. To assess the spatial and temporal changes of metal contaminants in sediments in Victoria Harbour, core and grab sediments were collected. The central harbour areas were generally contaminated with heavy metals. The spatial distribution of trace metals can probably be attributed to the proximity of major urban and industrial discharge points, and to the effect of tidal flushing in the harbour. In the sediment cores, the highest concentrations of trace metals were observed to have accumulated during the 1950s-1980s, corresponding with the period of rapid urban and industrial development in Hong Kong. From the late 1980s, there has been a major decline in the concentrations of trace metals, due to a reduction in industrial activities and to the enactment of wastewater pollution controls in the territory. The Pb isotopic compositions of the sediments revealed the anthropogenic inputs of Pb to the harbour. The (206)Pb/(207)Pb ratios varied from 1.154 to 1.190, which were lower than those of background geological materials in Hong Kong ((206)Pb/(207)Pb: 1.201-1.279). The data also indicated that the Pb in the harbour sediments most likely originated from mixed sources, including the leaded gasoline used in the past and other anthropogenic sources.     

Modern diatom assemblages in surface sediments from shallow lakes and streams in southern Pampas (Argentina)

Diatom assemblages preserved in continental sedimentary successions of the southern Pampas (Argentina) can provide useful indicators of past environmental changes. Ecological data, however, are scarce. In order to provide modern data for diatom-based paleoenvironmental reconstructions, sediments from shallow lakes and streams of the region were analyzed. A total of 131 diatom species were identified. Canonical correspondence analysis was used to identify the physical and chemical environmental parameters that best explained the distribution of taxa. Cocconeis placentula, Hippodonta hungarica, Navicula veneta, Cyclotella meneghiniana and Nitzschia amphibia were the most widely extended species. The highest percentage variance in diatom data was explained by conductivity and nutrient concentrations. Diatom assemblage composition was more variable in shallow lakes than in streams, which is in agreement with the different hydrological and geomorphological characteristics of these environments. The results obtained in the present work provide useful analogues for paleoenvironmental reconstructions of water bodies in southern Pampas.     

Environmental determinants of species turnover of aquatic Heteroptera in freshwater ecosystems of the Western Ghats,India

Partitioning beta diversity into its two components of spatial turnover and nestedness is a more robust method for checking spatial variability in biological communities than calculating the total beta diversity alone. The relative contribution of spatial turnover and nestedness has been used to test the effects of climatic, environmental, spatial and temporal variables on community composition. In this study, we tested the effects of environmental factors and microhabitat features on total beta diversity and its spatial turnover and nestedness components using a comprehensive dataset of aquatic Heteroptera collected from four types of permanent freshwater habitats (i.e. streams, ponds, rock tanks and reservoirs) in the Western Ghats of India. We observed that communities in all four types of habitats were predominantly shaped by dissimilarity caused due to spatial turnover (>85 %). Each type of habitat showed the presence of one or more species uniquely associated with it, which might contribute to the turnover between communities. The abiotic environment (climatic factors, topological factors, soil characteristics and microhabitat features) as well as assemblage structure differed significantly between habitat types. Communities in each type of habitat were affected by different environmental factors, such as precipitation and temperature patterns for streams, altitude and rocky substrate for rock tanks, and soil characteristics and the presence of aquatic macrophytes for ponds and reservoirs. Assemblages observed in the four types of permanent habitats are thus compositionally distinct due to species replacements between local communities, which in turn are strongly influenced by environmental variables. Similar to previous studies, our results show that spatial turnover largely measures the same phenomenon as total beta diversity on a regional scale.