Effects of energy development on wetland plants and macroinvertebrate communities in Prairie Pothole Region wetlands

Abstract

Energy production in the Williston Basin, USA, results in the coproduction of highly saline, sodium chloride-dominated water (brine). The Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) overlies the northeastern portion of the Williston Basin. Although PPR wetlands span a range of salinity, the dominant salt is sodium sulfate, and salinities are much lower than brine. Introduction of brine to wetlands can result in pronounced water-quality changes; however, the ecological effects of such contamination are poorly understood. We examined the effects of brine contamination on primary productivity, emergent macrophyte tissue chemistry, and invertebrate communities from 10 wetlands in the PPR. Based on a recognized Contamination Index (CI) used to identify brine contamination in the PPR, water-quality samples indicated that six wetlands were uncontaminated while four were contaminated. Across this gradient, we observed a significant decrease in above-ground biomass and a significant increase in tissue chloride concentrations of hardstem bulrush (Schoenoplectus acutus) with increased CI values. Additionally, a significant decrease in macroinvertebrate taxonomic richness with increased CI values was observed. These findings provide needed insight on the biological effects of brine contamination on PPR wetlands.

Pond permanence is a key determinant of aquatic macroinvertebrate community structure in wetlands

“…However, numerous other wetland studies have cited the importance of salinity (e.g. Preston & Ray, ), turbidity (Maurer et al., ; Stewart & Downing, ) and phosphorus (McCormick, Shuford, & Rawlik, ; Silver, Thompson, et al., ) in structuring aquatic macroinvertebrate communities. The only relationship to water quality that we detected in our study system was a mild association ( r 2 = .139) between sodium and a variation in community composition along our second ordination axis.…”

Modeling the effects of thiamethoxam on Midwestern farm ponds and emergent wetlands

“…The values reported by Fennessy et al (1994) for Illinois wetlands convert to 44.1 to 375.3 g C/m 2 for emergent plants, 1.80 to 2.70 for floating leaved plants, and 6.30 to 8.10 for submerged aquatic plants. Preston and Ray (2017) measured bulrush biomass values that ranged from 18 to 60 g C/m 2 for prairie potholes. The values for Alabama bulrush convert to 788, 1553, and 2713 g C/m 2 , whereas cattails were 199, 337, and 624 g C/m 2 for June, August, and November, respectively.…”

“…For comparison, Fennessy et al (1994) reported biomass values for emergent (49-417 g dry wt/0.5 m 2 ), floating leaved (2-3 g dry wt/0.5 m 2 ), and submerged (7-9 g dry wt/0.5 m 2 ) aquatic plants in low-flow constructed wetlands in Illinois. Preston and Ray (2017) measured bulrush biomass values that ranged from 18 to 60 g C/m 2 for prairie potholes. Behrends et al (1994) reported total dry matter for several species of emergent aquatic plants sampled from wetlands in Alabama.…”

Fate and behavior tools related to inland spill response—Workshop on the U.S. Geological Survey’s role in Federal science support

“…Previous studies have identified contamination of wetlands and groundwater resources, including drinking water aquifers, located on U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Tribal, and public lands, and numerous groups have expressed concern over the potential risk of contamination (Preston and Ray, 2017;Peterman and others, 2010). Currently, the extent of such contamination across the Williston Basin is unknown, and there is a need for scientificbased information to assess this threat.…”