No such thing as a free meal: organotin transfer across the freshwater–terrestrial interface

Abstract

SUMMARY1 Emergent aquatic insects can represent an important subsidy to terrestrial ecosystems but may also transport accumulated contaminants across ecosystem boundaries when larvae develop in contaminated sediments. 2 We sampled tetragnathid spiders (terrestrial predators), larval chironomids (spider prey of aquatic origin) and terrestrial insects (terrestrial prey) from two contaminated and two control sites in the Norfolk Broads (U.K.) to determine whether the organotin compound tributyltin (TBT) is transferred by emergent aquatic insects. TBT, a biocide in antifoulant paints, was prohibited in the U.K. in 1987 and globally since 2008 but persists in sediments for decades. Combining stable-isotope analyses commonly used in ecology with ecotoxicological methods enabled us to test whether aquatic subsidies could transport organotin to terrestrial predators. N-enrichment along this short food chain, chironomid DBT concentrations were significantly greater than those of their spider predators. Biota sediment accumulation factors (sediments to chironomids) and biomagnification factors (chironomids to spiders) were below the thresholds defining the occurrence of bioaccumulation and biomagnification. 5 Although biomagnification was not detected, it is of concern that butyltins are still present in freshwater food webs c. 25 years since last known TBT use in the U.K., and continue to be transferred to terrestrial consumers.

Influences of the antidepressant fluoxetine on stream ecosystem function and aquatic insect emergence at environmentally realistic concentrations

“…We found a non-significant decrease in individual biomass of emerged dipteran adults; this is contradictory to results observed in our previous study (Richmond et al 2016). Alterations to dipteran emergence can have cascading effects throughout the environment, as emerged insects serve as an important resource subsidy to terrestrial landscapes (Baxter et al 2005), and can facilitate the movement of contaminants to riparian predators (Laws et al 2016). Fluoxetine and 65 other pharmaceuticals were recently detected in riparian spiders which feed exclusively on emerged aquatic insects (Richmond et al 2018), further explaining that fluoxetine may enable greater rates of stream-riparian contaminant flux.…”

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

“…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.…”

Fostering integration of freshwater ecology with ecotoxicology

“…This prompted Laws et al . () to investigate the transfer of tributyltin (TBT), a widespread organotin compound, not only within aquatic food webs, but also from freshwater to terrestrial consumers feeding on aquatic prey. Although there was no evidence for biomagnification in these consumers, the study discovered a disturbing environmental legacy of butyltins, showing that TBT persisted in the examined food webs 25 years after its last known use in the country, the U.K., and that it continued to be transferred to terrestrial consumers even after this long period.…”

“…While elucidating indirect effects of contaminants arising from trophic interactions is clearly important, an additional argument for considering trophic interactions in ecotoxicology is to understand the transfer of toxic chemicals through food webs and to assess the consequences for biomagnification. This prompted Laws et al (2016) to investigate the transfer of tributyltin (TBT), a widespread organotin compound, not only within aquatic food webs, but also from freshwater to terrestrial consumers feeding on aquatic prey. Although there was no evidence for biomagnification in these consumers, the study discovered a disturbing environmental legacy of butyltins, showing that TBT persisted in the examined food webs 25 years after its last known use in the country, the U.K., and that it continued to be transferred to terrestrial consumers even after this long period.…”