Adaptation of Periphytic Communities in Model Streams to a Quaternary Ammonium Surfactant

Abstract

The ability of periphytic communities to mineralize the quaternary ammonium surfactant dodecyltrimethylammonium chloride (C12TMAC) was studied in model streams receiving river water amended with 10% final effluent from a sewage treatment plant. In August 1989, clay substrata were placed in each streambed and allowed to colonize with periphyton for three weeks. Subsequently, three streams were continuously dosed with 50, 250, or 1,250 lg/L C12TMAC for an eight-week period, while a fourth stream served as an undosed control. Before dosing, half-lives for mineralization of radiolabeled C12TMAC by periphyton from the model streams were approximately 5 d, and C12TMAC turnover times were >3,000 h. After dosing with surfactant, mineralization halflives for C12TMAC by periphyton decreased to 0.03 d within four weeks, and turnover times declined to 6 h within six weeks. By contrast, half-lives for mineralization of C12TMAC by periphyton in the untreated control stream increased from 5 to 29 d, and turnover times remained at >3,000 h during the eight-week test period. Results from a similar experiment conducted during the spring of 1990 confirmed a rapid adaptation of periphytic communities to Cl2TMAC. This study demonstrated that periphytic communities adapted to and mineralized C12TMAC upon exposure under simulated in situ conditions.

Literature Review and Analysis of Biological Complexity in Model Stream Ecosystems: Influence of Size and Experimental Design

“…Conducted well, these systems will provide ecologically realistic, relevant, and interpretable findings for use in ecological risk assessment and the use of low application factors to project responses in the real world. Farris et al, 1989Farris et al, , 1994Genter et al, 1987, , 1993aSchwab et al, 1992;Cuffney et al, 1990 12 Landrum et al, 1984;Giesy et al, 1983aGiesy et al, , 1983b Pignatello et al, 1986;Hedtke and Arthur, 1985;Hedtke et al, 1986 540.00 Hedtke et al, 1989;Pratt and Bowers, 1990;Schultz and Hermanutz, 1990;Hermanutz, 1990 540 …”

Widespread Microbial Adaptation to l-Glutamate-N,N-diacetate (L-GLDA) Following Its Market Introduction in a Consumer Cleaning Product

“…1 Occurrence of microbial adaptation is usually demonstrated experimentally or inferred by comparing biodegradation in preexposed versus pristine sites. Adaptation has been seen in a variety of environmental compartments including fresh 2 and estuarine water, 3 periphyton, 4 sediment, 5−7 aquifers, 8 soil, 9,10 activated sludge, 11,12 and septic tank systems. 13 It has also been observed for a wide range of chemicals including toluene, 8 monosubstituted phenols, 14 nitrophenols, 1,8 aromatic amines, 12 polychlorinated biphenyls, 15 hydrocarbon mixtures, 9,16−18 cationic, [4][5][6][7]19 nonionic, 19 and anionic 13,19 surfactants, amino-carboxylic acid chelating agents, 2,3,11 herbicides, 20 and pesticides.…”

“…Adaptation has been seen in a variety of environmental compartments including fresh 2 and estuarine water, 3 periphyton, 4 sediment, 5−7 aquifers, 8 soil, 9,10 activated sludge, 11,12 and septic tank systems. 13 It has also been observed for a wide range of chemicals including toluene, 8 monosubstituted phenols, 14 nitrophenols, 1,8 aromatic amines, 12 polychlorinated biphenyls, 15 hydrocarbon mixtures, 9,16−18 cationic, [4][5][6][7]19 nonionic, 19 and anionic 13,19 surfactants, amino-carboxylic acid chelating agents, 2,3,11 herbicides, 20 and pesticides. 10 L-Glutamate-N,N-diacetate (L-GLDA), is an aminocarboxylate chelating agent and builder sold under the commercial name Dissolvine GL-47-S (Akzo Nobel, Amersfoort, The Netherlands).…”