Ecological assessment of streams in the Powder River Structural Basin, Wyoming and Montana, 2005-06

Anthropogenic activities, such as oil and natural gas development (ONGD), have significantly altered the landscape. It is often challenging to identify the mechanistic processes underlying ecological responses to land‐use change (LUC). In aquatic ecosystems, alterations to habitat and food availability and water quality associated with increased LUC are key mechanistic pathways that deserve management consideration. We used structural equation modeling to evaluate how LUC associated with ONGD could influence macroinvertebrate and fish across 40 sites in six headwater streams in the Wyoming Range of the Upper Green River Basin, Wyoming. The most important mechanistic pathway varied, but responses were frequently driven by a direct effect of LUC or related to changes in food availability and water quality. Habitat complexity was the least important mechanistic pathway in our models. Our results also highlight that responses may reflect an organism's degree of habitat or resource specialization and/or sensitivity to changes in water quality. Habitat pathways were more important for habitat specialists (e.g., Mottled Sculpin, Cottus bairdii), food pathways were more important for food specialists (e.g., Colorado River Cutthroat Trout, Oncorhynchus clarki pleuriticus; Mountain Sucker, Catostomus platyrhynchus), and sensitivity to increased salinity was important for intolerant species (e.g., O. clarki, C. bairdii, and predatory macroinvertebrates). Continued identification of the specific mechanisms underlying species’ responses to increased LUC will aid in the conservation of ecologically and economically important species.

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“…, Peterson et al. ). In fact, recent studies have found that increased salinity was positively related to ONGD (Olmstead et al.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A mechanistic understanding of ecological responses to land‐use change in headwater streams

Walker

Walters

2019

Ecosphere

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“…There has been some criticism that organisms typically used in laboratory toxicity experiments are not sensitive enough to the effects of salts. However, streams draining the Powder River Structural Basin naturally contain relatively high concentrations of TDS with concurrently elevated conductivities . In a study to monitor the long‐term effects of produced water on the middle Powder River in Montana, Stagliano found the macroinvertebrate community to be “non‐impaired.” That study found a total of 64 taxa, and an average of 28 taxa per site.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While the quality of produced waters is variable within the Powder River Structural Basin, some contain large quantities of sodium bicarbonate . Sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO 3 ) is a generally innocuous substance at low to moderate concentrations and occurs naturally in ground and surface waters.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Acute toxicity of sodium bicarbonate, a major component of coal bed natural gas produced waters, to 13 aquatic species as defined in the laboratory

Harper

Farag

Skaar

2014

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

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Water produced during coal bed natural gas (CBNG) extraction in the Powder River Structural Basin of Wyoming and Montana (USA) may contain concentrations of sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) of more than 3000 mg/L. The authors evaluated the acute toxicity of NaHCO3, also expressed as bicarbonate (HCO3(-)), to 13 aquatic organisms. Of the 13 species tested, 7 had a median lethal concentration (LC50) less than 2000 mg/L NaHCO3, or 1300 mg/L HCO3(-). The most sensitive species were Ceriodaphnia dubia, freshwater mussels (Lampsilis siliquoidea), pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus), and shovelnose sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus platorynchus). The respective LC50s were 989 mg/L, 1120 mg/L, 1249 mg/L, and 1430 mg/L NaHCO3, or 699 mg/L, 844 mg/L, 831 mg/L, and 1038 mg/L HCO3(-). Age affected the sensitivity of fathead minnows, even within life stage. Two days posthatch, fathead minnows were more sensitive to NaHCO3 and HCO3(-) compared with 4-d-old fish, even though fish up to 14 d old are commonly used for toxicity evaluations. The authors recommend that ion toxicity exposures be conducted with organisms less than 24 h posthatch to ensure that experiments document the most sensitive stage of development. The results of the present study, along with historical and current research regarding the toxicity of bicarbonate, may be useful to establish regulatory standards for HCO3(-). This article is a US Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

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Missouri River Basin

Galat¹,

Braaten²,

Guy³

et al. 2023

Rivers of North America

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Ecological assessment of streams in the Powder River Structural Basin, Wyoming and Montana, 2005-06

Cited by 3 publications

References 8 publications

A mechanistic understanding of ecological responses to land‐use change in headwater streams

A mechanistic understanding of ecological responses to land‐use change in headwater streams

Acute toxicity of sodium bicarbonate, a major component of coal bed natural gas produced waters, to 13 aquatic species as defined in the laboratory

Missouri River Basin

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