Paleolimnology can provide the missing long‐term perspective in ecotoxicology research

Korosi, Jennifer B.; Thienpont, Joshua R.; Smol, John P.; Blais, Jules M.

doi:10.1002/ieam.1935

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 6 publications

(8 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Paleolimnological approaches continue to make important contributions to our understanding of the processes of chemical and biological recovery following acidification, by providing necessary information on preacidification conditions and the range of natural variability. , For example, Jeziorski et al used a paleolimnological approach, interpreted in the context of lab bioassays and long-term monitoring, to demonstrate that lakewater calcium decline, a legacy of decades of acid rain, negatively impacts Daphnia populations and can inhibit recovery of zooplankton from acidification. Labaj et al compared multiproxy palaeolimnological records from Sudbury (Canada) and nearby Killarney Provincial Park to tease apart the influence of metal contamination on biological recovery from acidification.…”

Section: Case Studies In Paleo-ecotoxicologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, each of these approaches are still conducted on relatively short time scales (hours to a few years) because of logistical constraints, when a longer-term perspective is critical for characterizing the full range of natural variability needed to contextualize complex and nuanced responses of ecosystems to pollutants . We have argued for the development of a new research framework that better integrates the principles of ecotoxicology with the use of lake or other sediment cores as natural archives of environmental change (the field of paleolimnology), providing the critical long-term perspective that is largely missing in ecotoxicology . The purpose of this Critical Review is to document specific examples where paleolimnology has already contributed to advancing aquatic ecotoxicology and discuss new opportunities to utilize lake sediment core records to directly test conclusions drawn from lab/mesocosm experiments in natural ecosystems, over long time scales.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Paleo-ecotoxicology: What Can Lake Sediments Tell Us about Ecosystem Responses to Environmental Pollutants?

Korosi

Thienpont

Smol

et al. 2017

Environ. Sci. Technol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The development of effective risk reduction strategies for aquatic pollutants requires a comprehensive understanding of toxic impacts on ecosystems. Classical toxicological studies are effective for characterizing pollutant impacts on biota in a controlled, simplified environment. Nonetheless, it is well-acknowledged that predictions based on the results of these studies must be tested over the long-term in a natural ecosystem setting to account for increased complexity and multiple stressors. Paleolimnology (the study of lake sediment cores to reconstruct environmental change) can address many key knowledge gaps. When used as part of a weight-of-evidence framework with more traditional approaches in ecotoxicology, it can facilitate rapid advances in our understanding of the chronic effects of pollutants on ecosystems in an environmentally realistic, multistressor context. Paleolimnology played a central role in the Acid Rain debates, as it was instrumental in demonstrating industrial emissions caused acidification of lakes and associated ecosystem-wide impacts. "Resurrection Ecology" (hatching dormant resting eggs deposited in the past) records evolutionary responses of populations to chronic pollutant exposure. With recent technological advances (e.g., geochemistry, genomic approaches), combined with an emerging paleo-ecotoxicological framework that leverages strengths across multiple disciplines, paleolimnology will continue to provide valuable insights into the most pressing questions in ecotoxicology.

show abstract

Section: Case Studies In Paleo-ecotoxicologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Paleo-ecotoxicology: What Can Lake Sediments Tell Us about Ecosystem Responses to Environmental Pollutants?

Korosi

Thienpont

Smol

et al. 2017

Environ. Sci. Technol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Cladocerans are highly sensitive to metal contamination; for example, copper increases mortality, reduces brood size, and decreases growth rate in laboratory experiments (Koivisto et al 1992). Because of the broad distribution, rapid reproduction, and high abundances of cladocerans in most lakes, they are often considered in aquatic biomonitoring programs and are key to many paleoecotoxicological assessments (Zawisza et al 2016;Korosi et al 2017;Leppänen et al 2018). Cladocera are also sensitive to water temperature (Nevalainen et al 2013), and as such the recovery of zooplankton communities in Sudbury may also be affected by climate change (Palmer et al 2013), legacy metal contamination or toxicity (Khan et al 2012;Yan et al 2016), overland ephippial dispersal (Gray and Arnott 2011), and changes in predation pressures including the increased abundance of small planktivores such as yellow perch (Perca flavescens; Yan et al 2004;Webster et al 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Linking changes in sedimentary Cladocera assemblages to limnological variables in 67 Sudbury (Ontario, Canada) lakes reflecting various degrees of metal smelter impacts

Simmatis

Paterson

Edwards

et al. 2021

Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Despite extensive records of chemical recovery, relatively little is known about recovery of aquatic biota in Sudbury (Ontario, Canada). Cladocera (Branchiopoda) are key components of lake food webs and understanding spatial patterns in their assemblages may emphasize ecosystem recovery challenges. Paleolimnological techniques complement and provide long-term context to modern monitoring. Cladoceran remains from the surface sediments of 67 lakes across a gradient of smelter impacts were examined to determine which measured limnological factors mostly influenced assemblage composition. Lakes were divided into four categories by acidification histories and location: Acidified (pH <6) Urban, Acidified Non-urban, Acidified Killarney, and Reference (pH >6) lakes. Specific conductance, nutrients, alkalinity, and lake depth significantly structured assemblages. Most assemblages were dominated by generalist taxa. Relative abundances of Alona taxa varied strongly along alkalinity and pH gradients. Lakes with high metal concentrations were generally less diverse and dominated by generalist taxa, although metals often co-occurred with other stressors. Recovery targets could be affected by these chemical factors. These data provide useful information for future environmental inferences from cladocerans in metal smelting regions.

show abstract

“…Whenever metal ions are present in a mixture, they interact, producing additive, synergistic or antagonistic effects on exposed organisms (Sprague, ). Despite the widespread documentation of metal contamination in aquatic ecosystems, relatively little is known about the long‐term impacts of metal exposures on populations of aquatic organisms, especially on multi‐decadal to centennial time scales through past millennia (Korosi, Thienpont, Smol, & Blais, , b).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rock glaciers in crystalline catchments: Hidden permafrost‐related threats to alpine headwater lakes

Ilyashuk

Psenner

et al. 2017

Global Change Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A global warming‐induced transition from glacial to periglacial processes has been identified in mountainous regions around the world. Degrading permafrost in pristine periglacial environments can produce acid rock drainage (ARD) and cause severe ecological damage in areas underlain by sulfide‐bearing bedrock. Limnological and paleolimnological approaches were used to assess and compare ARDs generated by rock glaciers, a typical landform of the mountain permafrost domain, and their effects on alpine headwater lakes with similar morphometric features and underlying bedrock geology, but characterized by different intensities of frost action in their catchments during the year. We argue that ARD and its effects on lakes are more severe in the alpine periglacial belt with mean annual air temperatures (MAAT) between −2°C and +3°C, where groundwater persists in the liquid phase for most of the year, in contrast to ARD in the periglacial belt where frost action dominates (MAAT < −2°C). The findings clearly suggest that the ambient air temperature is an important factor affecting the ARD production in alpine periglacial environments. Applying the paleoecological analysis of morphological abnormalities in chironomids through the past millennium, we tested and rejected the hypothesis that unfavorable conditions for aquatic life in the ARD‐stressed lakes are largely related to the temperature increase over recent decades, responsible for the enhanced release of ARD contaminants. Our results indicate that the ARDs generated in the catchments are of a long‐lasting nature and the frequency of chironomid morphological deformities was significantly higher during the Little Ice Age (LIA) than during pre‐ or post‐LIA periods, suggesting that lower water temperatures may increase the adverse impacts of ARD on aquatic invertebrates. This highlights that temperature‐mediated modulations of the metabolism and life cycle of aquatic organisms should be considered when reconstructing long‐term trends in the ecotoxicological state of lakes.

show abstract

Paleolimnology can provide the missing long‐term perspective in ecotoxicology research

Cited by 7 publications

References 6 publications

Paleo-ecotoxicology: What Can Lake Sediments Tell Us about Ecosystem Responses to Environmental Pollutants?

Paleo-ecotoxicology: What Can Lake Sediments Tell Us about Ecosystem Responses to Environmental Pollutants?

Linking changes in sedimentary Cladocera assemblages to limnological variables in 67 Sudbury (Ontario, Canada) lakes reflecting various degrees of metal smelter impacts

Rock glaciers in crystalline catchments: Hidden permafrost‐related threats to alpine headwater lakes

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About