Effects of Acidification on Metal Accumulation by Aquatic Plants and Invertebrates. 1. Constructed Wetlands

Abstract

Compared were concentrations of Al, Cd, Ca, Cu, Fe, Hg, Pb, Mg, Mn, Ni, P , and Zn in water, plants, and aquatic insects of three acidified (pH -5.0) and three nonacidified (pH -6.5) constructed wetlands. Concentrations of Zn in water and bur-reed (Sparganium americanum) were higher in acidified wetlands than in nonacidified wetlands. Floating nonrooted plants contained mean concentrations of Fe, Mg, and Mn that were higher than recommended maximum levels for poultry feed. The mean concentrations of all metals in insects were below recommended maximum levels for poultry feed and below levels that cause toxic effects in wild birds. Smaller than expected increases of metal concentrations in the water of acidified wetlands were probably due to limited mobilization of metals from the sediments and insignificant changes in sedimentation of aqueous metals. Calcium was lower in acidified than in nonacidified wetland water, but the Ca content of insects and bur-reed was not lower. Low concentrations of Ca in aquatic insects from both groups of wetlands indicate that calcium-rich crustaceans and mollusks are probably important to female waterfowl and their young during the spring, when invertebrates make up the majority of the diet. Although toxic effects from metal ingestion seem to be unlikely consequences of wetland acidification, the adverse effect of low pH on the occurrence of crustaceans and mollusks could threaten egg production and development of young.

Mercury contents in aquatic macrophytes from two reservoirs in the Paraíba do Sul: Guandú river system, SE Brazil

“…Metal accumulation in aquatic macrophytes is known to vary among species; for example, emergent aquatic macrophytes usually accumulate lower amounts of metals than submerged or floating species (Albers & Camardese, 1993). Metal uptake by these plants is dependent on exposure pathways.…”

The Bioavailability and Toxicity of Aluminum in Aquatic Environments

“…Tissue contents ranging from several hundred to several thousand µg Al · g -1 dry weight were also observed in macrophytes sampled in acidic lakes in northwestern New Jersey (Sprenger and McIntosh, 1989), southern Finland (Lehtonen, 1989), constructed wetlands at the Pautuxent Wildlife Research Center in Maryland (Albers and Camardese, 1993a), and an acid-mine drainage impacted watershed in Pennsylvania (Engleman and McDiffett, 1996).…”

Effects of Anthropogenic Activities on the Elemental Concentration in Surface Sediment of Oxbows

“…Our results showed that there were no significant differences between aquatic vegetation types in the elemental concentration of sediment. Submerged aquatic macrophytes mostly can uptake higher quantity of metals than emergent aquatic macrophytes (Albers and Camardese 1993;Cardwell et al 2002). Earlier studies demonstrated metal uptake correlation between aquatic macrophytes and sediment concentrations.…”

“…Vystavna et al (2012) ), and in the case of Velke Kozmalovce, the Pb concentration was lower 66±8 mg kg −1 compared to our results. The metal accumulation is known to vary significantly between aquatic macrophytes species (Albers and Camardese 1993;Cardwell et al 2002). Some studies demonstrated that aquatic macrophytes as emergent plants are an integral part of all wetland functions (Dunbabin and Bowmer 1992).…”

“…Several studies have demonstrated that submerged macrophytes accumulate heavy metals directly from the water (Dunbabin and Bowmer 1992;Cardwell et al 2002). This explains that the uptake of metals by submerged macrophytes was higher than the uptake by emergent aquatic macrophytes (Dunbabin and Bowmer 1992;Albers and Camardese 1993;Cardwell et al 2002). The emergent macrophytes' element uptake by roots is the primary source of metal from the sediment (Crowder 1991).…”