Sensitivity to acidic pH in benthic invertebrate assemblages with different histories of exposure to metals

Courtney, Lisa A.; Clements, William H.

doi:10.2307/1468285

Cited by 63 publications

(63 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…We suggest that Arkansas River communities have been restructured by longterm heavy-metal pollution and the resulting assemblages are more susceptible to UV-B radiation. This finding is consistent with our previous studies that showed that metal-polluted communities in the Arkansas River were more susceptible to acidification (Courtney and Clements 2000) and predation by stoneflies (Clements 1999), compared to communities from reference sites.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

The Cost of Tolerance: Sensitivity of Stream Benthic Communities to Uv-B and Metals

Kashian

Zuellig

Mitchell

et al. 2007

Ecological Applications

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Abstract. The ability to tolerate disturbance is a defense strategy that minimizes the effects of damage to fitness and is essential for sustainability of populations, communities, and ecosystems. Despite the apparent benefits of tolerance, there may be an associated cost that results in a deficiency of a system to respond to additional disturbances. Aquatic ecosystems are often exposed to a variety of natural and anthropogenic disturbances, and the effects of these compound perturbations are not well known. In this investigation, we examine whether tolerance to one stressor, metals, results in a cost of increased sensitivity to an additional stressor, ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation.Heavy metal pollution is recognized as a major environmental problem in Rocky Mountain streams. These high-elevation, typically clear streams may be at particular risk to elevated UV-B levels associated with reduced levels of ozone. Microcosm experiments were conducted using natural stream benthic communities collected from a reference site and a site with a long-term history of heavy-metal pollution. Direct and interactive effects of heavy metals and UV-B radiation on structural and functional characteristics of benthic communities were evaluated among four treatments: control, UV-B, metals, and metal and UV-B. Communities from the metal-polluted site were more tolerant of metals but less tolerant to UV-B compared to reference communities. Increased mayfly drift and reduced metabolism in response to metal exposure were observed in reference communities but not in the metal-polluted communities. In contrast to these results, UV-B radiation significantly reduced community metabolism, total macroinvertebrate abundance, and abundances of mayflies, caddisflies, and dipterans from the metal-polluted site, but had no effects on benthic communities from the reference site. ANOSIM results demonstrated that community responses differed among treatments at both sites. Metals had the largest impact on community differences at both sites, while UV-B had greater impacts at the metal-polluted site. This research demonstrates the need to account for potential costs associated with tolerance and that these costs can result in behavioral, structural, and functional impacts to benthic communities.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

The Cost of Tolerance: Sensitivity of Stream Benthic Communities to Uv-B and Metals

Kashian

Zuellig

Mitchell

et al. 2007

Ecological Applications

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“…Interestingly, the increased tolerance for one set of stressors often results in greater susceptibility to other, novel stressors. Stream microcosm experiments have shown that metal-tolerant communities were more susceptible to acidification [37], UV-B radiation [38], and predation [35] compared with reference communities. These findings suggest that communities retain a long-term record of exposure that may persist long after a contaminant has dissipated or degraded [39].…”

Section: Effects Of Contaminantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

How do aquatic communities respond to contaminants? It depends on the ecological context

Clements

Hickey

Kidd

2012

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

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Recognizing patterns in nature and using these observations to generate and test hypotheses are fundamental components of scientific inquiry [1]. The science of ecotoxicology aims to identify patterns that describe population and community responses to contaminants. Our ability to predict these responses is generally greatest for communities that change consistently in response to a specific contaminant or class of contaminants, thereby providing a direct path to extrapolation, hypothesis testing, and scientific inference (see Predicting the Effects of Contaminants). Although evidence suggests that some communities respond similarly to both natural and anthropogenic stressors [2], we know that regional variation in how communities are composed as a result of environmental, historical, biogeographical, or climatic factors complicates our ability to identify general patterns. Several studies have reported that the effects of contaminants on populations and communities vary along environmental In This Issue: ET&C FOCUSFocus articles are part of a regular series intended to sharpen understanding of current and emerging topics of interest to the scientific community.Abstract-Context dependency refers to variation in ecological patterns and processes across environmental or spatiotemporal gradients. Research on context dependency in basic ecology has focused primarily on variation in the relative importance of species interactions (e.g., competition and predation) among communities. In this Focus article, the authors extend this concept to include variation in responses of communities to contaminants and other anthropogenic stressors. Because the structure of communities varies naturally along environmental gradients, their responses to contaminants may also vary. Similar to the way in which aquatic toxicologists assess abiotic factors associated with contaminant bioavailability, observations about context dependency could be used to test hypotheses about ecological mechanisms responsible for differences in sensitivity among communities. Environ. Toxicol.

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“…Klerks and Levinton 1992). However, the benefits of tolerance come with an energetic cost, making organisms more susceptible to novel stresses (such as low pH - Courtenay and Clements 2000); there is thus a trade-off between tolerance to current stressors and sensitivity to novel ones (Kiffney and Clements 2003). Community effects of metal pollution typically include a reduction in the abundance and diversity of the biota (e.g.…”

Section: Effects Of Low Ph and Ecotoxic Metalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mining Impacts on the Fresh Water Environment: Technical and Managerial Guidelines for Catchment Scale Management

Younger

Wolkersdorfer

2004

Mine Water and the Environment

216

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Sensitivity to acidic pH in benthic invertebrate assemblages with different histories of exposure to metals

Cited by 63 publications

References 36 publications

The Cost of Tolerance: Sensitivity of Stream Benthic Communities to Uv-B and Metals

The Cost of Tolerance: Sensitivity of Stream Benthic Communities to Uv-B and Metals

How do aquatic communities respond to contaminants? It depends on the ecological context

Mining Impacts on the Fresh Water Environment: Technical and Managerial Guidelines for Catchment Scale Management

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