Mercury and selenium loading in mountaintop mining impacted alkaline streams and riparian food webs

Use of Riparian Spiders as Sentinels of Persistent and Bioavailable Chemical Contaminants in Aquatic Ecosystems: A Review

“…However, some contaminants including Hg, Se, and PCBs are retained in riparian spider tissues and, in some cases, riparian spiders have been used to demonstrate the potential exposure of terrestrial predators to these contaminants (Gann et al, 2015). As discussed above, some studies have shown that levels of contaminants in riparian spider tissues are correlated with contaminant levels in the environment (e.g., Abeysinghe et al, 2017; Gann et al, 2015; Gerson et al, 2020; Otter et al, 2013; Raikow et al, 2011; Richmond et al, 2018; Walters et al, 2010, 2018). If the relationships between chemical concentrations in riparian spiders and sediments, water, or other sentinels, such as fish or dragonflies, are consistent among sites, then the concentration of any given contaminant in spiders could be predicted from these other media and biota, and vice versa.…”

“…Correspondence between contaminant concentrations in riparian spiders and ambient levels in the environment or tissues of other sentinels (e.g., fish) has been qualitatively established for Hg, Se, PCBs, and pharmaceuticals (Abeysinghe et al, 2017; Gann et al, 2015; Gerson et al, 2020; Otter et al, 2013; Raikow et al, 2011; Richmond et al, 2018; Walters et al, 2018). For example, Gann et al (2015) found that Hg concentrations in riparian spiders were elevated in lake habitats where fish tissue concentrations were also elevated, and Richmond et al (2018) found that pharmaceutical concentrations in riparian spiders were highest at sites dominated by treated wastewater effluent (i.e., the primary source of pharmaceutical contamination).…”

“…Gann et al (2015) determined that riparian spiders collected from riverine and wetland habitats were more contaminated with Hg than those from open‐water habitats. Gerson et al (2020) found that Se, but not Hg, concentrations in riparian spiders were correlated with the percentage of watershed area subjected to mining. Habitat and land cover/land use have been linked to contaminant levels in fish (Driscoll et al, 2007; Drenner et al, 2013; Eagles‐Smith et al, 2016; Evers et al, 2007) and should be explored further for riparian spiders.…”

“…Factors in column 1 are defined and reviewed in the text and in Supporting Information, Table S3. 1, Anderson et al, 1973; 2, Maelfait and Hendrickx, 1998; 3, Torres and Johnson, 2001; 4, Du Laing et al, 2002; 5, Tojal et al, 2002; 6, Hendrickx et al, 2004; 7, Cristol et al, 2008; 8, Schipper et al, 2008; 9, Walters et al, 2008; 10, Zhang et al, 2009; 11, Walters et al, 2010; 12, Zhang et al, 2010; 13, Raikow et al, 2011; 14, Ramirez et al, 2011; 15, Wyman et al, 2011; 16, Edmonds et al, 2012; 17, Tsui et al, 2012; 18, Otter et al, 2013; 19, Tweedy et al, 2013; 20, Wang et al, 2013; 21, Marr et al, 2014; 22, Speir et al, 2014; 23, Bartrons et al, 2015; 24, Gann et al, 2015; 25, Kwon et al, 2015; 26, Ortiz Jr. et al, 2015; 27, Pennuto and Smith, 2015; 28, Alberts and Sullivan, 2016; 29, Chaves‐Ulloa et al, 2016; 30, Kim and Kim, 2016; 31, Laws et al, 2016; 32, Moy et al, 2016; 33, Sullivan et al, 2016; 34, Abeysinghe et al, 2017; 35, Hepp et al, 2017; 36, Kraus et al, 2017; 37, Tavshunsky et al, 2017; 38, Archer et al, 2018; 39, Howie et al, 2018; 40, Richmond et al, 2018; 41, Walters et al, 2018; 42, Beaubien et al, 2019; 43, Ortega‐Rodriguez et al, 2019; 44, Qiu et al, 2019; 45, Rodenhouse et al, 2019; 46, Beaubien et al, 2020; 47, Bergmann and Graça, 2020; 48, Gerson et al, 2020; 49, Koch et al, 2020; 50, Naslund et al, 2020; 51, Cetinić et al 2021; 52, Hannappel et al, 2021; 53, Kraus et al, 2021; 54, Ku et al, 2021; 55, Previšić et al, 2021.…”

Pressures on Boreal Riparian Vegetation: A Literature Review

“…While we will not go into detail in the different types of mines, it is worth mentioning that their normal activity and their proneness for accidental leakages make them a risk for the local and regional environment. The surroundings of mines have different water chemistry and more polluted sediments (Leppänen et al, 2017), higher concentrations of pollutants in riparian soil (Saint-Laurent et al, 2010) and accumulation of pollutants in the riparian food web (Gerson et al, 2020) in comparison with sites distant from mines. Riparian soils, moss and vegetation around mines can contain high concentrations of pollutants, even after the mine has been terminated (Qiu et al, 2005, but see Bailey et al, 2002).…”