Addressing ecological concepts in ecological risk assessment
- Environmental Science and Research Foundation, Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
- Sandia National Lab., Albuquerque, NM (United States)
In practice, ecological risk assessments commonly focus on risks to individual species living in a particular, stable habitat. This approach fails to incorporate a number of important ecological concepts which can affect the results of the assessment. Ecological succession can result in different habitat, with different species, on the geographical area at risk during the time the stressor is present on the site. Thus, the species selected as the endpoint may not exist at the site or its habitat may be dramatically altered in the future. Natural variability in populations may also change the size of the endpoint species population such that it becomes more or less sensitive to the stressor within a short period of time. Indirect or delayed effects may result in impacts to populations which are distant in time or space from the site of interest. Finally, endpoint species, often selected because of socioeconomic importance, may not be the most ecologically important species on the site. These limitations can only be addressed by long-term, wide-scale data collection efforts which are used to develop comprehensive, dynamic ecological models with well characterized sensitivity and uncertainty. The models can be used to estimate impacts to all populations at a site or populations distant in time or space. While many small, short-term assessments do not have access to such data collection and modeling capability, Long Term Ecological Research sites, National Environmental Research Parks, and other similar facilities can be used to collect baseline data and develop models. Individual risk assessment efforts can then use these databases and models as they become available.
- OSTI ID:
- 230889
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9511137--; ISBN 1-880611-03-1
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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