Tolerance of benethic macroinvertebrate populations and communities to heavy metals: The influence of previous exposure
- Colorado State Univ., Fort Collins, CO (United States)
I tested the hypothesis that benthic macroinvertebrate populations and communities from a stream polluted by historic mining operations developed tolerance to heavy metals. Benthic communities obtained from a reference (Cache la Poudre River) and a chronically-polluted (Arkansas River) stream in Colorado were transferred to the CSU Stream Research Laboratory and placed into one of 16 experimental streams. Communities in treated experimental streams were exposed to 220 {mu}g Zn/L, 24 {mu}g Cu/L and 2.2 {mu}g Cd/L for 10 d. I used a two-way factorial design (location x treatment) to measure the effects on population-level (abundance of dominant taxa) and community-level (species richness, community composition) responses to metals. Effects of metals were significantly greater on the mayflies Rhithrogena hageni, Baetis sp., and Ephemerella infrequens from the Cache la Poudre River than from the Arkansas River. In addition, effects of metals on some community-level variables, such as species richness and abundance of mayflies, were greater in the Cache la Poudre streams. My results demonstrate that macroinvertebrate populations and communities are capable of acclimation and/or adaptation to low-level metal exposures.
- OSTI ID:
- 95766
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9507129-; ISSN 0012-9623; TRN: 95:004728-0031
- Journal Information:
- Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America, Vol. 76, Issue 2; Conference: 80. anniversary of the transdisciplinary nature of ecology, Snowbird, UT (United States), 30 Jul - 3 Aug 1995; Other Information: PBD: Jun 1995
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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