Investigating Freshwater Periphyton Community Response to Uranium with Phospholipid Fatty Acid and Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis Analyses
Periphyton communities can be used as monitors of ecosystem health and as indicators of contamination in lotic systems. Measures of biomass, community structure and genetic diversity were used to investigate impacts of uranium exposure on periphyton. Laboratory exposures of periphyton in river water amended with uranium were performed for 5 days, followed by 2 days of uranium depuration in unamended river water. Productivity as measured by biomass was not affected by concentrations up to 100 µg L-1 uranium. Phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) profiles and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) banding patterns found no changes in community or genetic structure related to uranium exposure. We suggest that the periphyton community as a whole is not impacted by exposures of uranium up to a dose of 100 µg L-1. These findings have significance for the assessment and prediction of uranium impacts on aquatic ecosystems.
- Research Organization:
- Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-76RL01830
- OSTI ID:
- 985036
- Report Number(s):
- PNNL-SA-55162
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 99(4):730-738, Journal Name: Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 99(4):730-738
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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