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Detecting copper toxicity in sediments: from the subindividual level to the population level
- Source :
- Journal of Applied Ecology. 54:1331-1342
- Publication Year :
- 2016
- Publisher :
- Wiley, 2016.
-
Abstract
- Summary 1.Sediments accumulate chemicals that can be toxic to biota and often contribute to aquatic ecosystem decline. Measuring mortality in laboratory-bred organisms is a common way to assess sediment toxicity. However, mortality-based responses of resilient laboratory organisms may not reflect indigenous macroinvertebrate responses, which can be relatively more sensitive to sediment toxicants. A possible solution is to also measure responses at the sub-individual level. 2.Several organism responses to sediment copper toxicity were assessed in a field-based microcosm. Responses of laboratory-bred chironomids and snails deployed in microcosms were compared at sub-individual (metabolomic and gene expression), individual (survival and dry weight) and population (reproduction) levels, and contrasted to the abundance of colonizing macroinvertebrates in the microcosms. 3.Colonizing macroinvertebrate abundance showed a range of sensitivities based on EC50 (effect dose 50% change). Chironomidae made up 94.5% of the microcosm macroinvertebrates, with Paratanytarsus the most sensitive genus (EC50: 89 mg/kg copper) and Procladius the least sensitive (EC50: 681 mg/kg). 4.Survival of laboratory-bred organisms was the least sensitive response, comparable to decreased abundance of the least sensitive macroinvertebrate. Juvenile production in the snail, Potamopyrgus antipodarum, was the most sensitive population level response (EC50: 121 mg/kg), in contrast the snail Physella acuta was relatively more tolerant (EC50: 298 mg/kg). 5.Changes in sub-individual responses (gene expression and metabolite abundance) in laboratory-bred chironomid, Chironomus tepperi, were evident at 60 mg/kg. These changes likely reflect the direct effects of copper exposure and represent metal-specific responses. 6.Synthesis and applications. We showed that copper toxicity in sediments could be readily detected through changes in gene expression and metabolites in laboratory-bred chironomids exposed in field-based microcosms. These responses were more sensitive than mortality, and detected copper levels that caused microcosm chironomid populations to decline. These novel approaches will provide managers with new tools to better assess sediment toxicity. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
- Subjects :
- 0301 basic medicine
education.field_of_study
Ecology
biology
Population
Copper toxicity
Zoology
Biota
010501 environmental sciences
medicine.disease
biology.organism_classification
Physella acuta
01 natural sciences
Chironomidae
03 medical and health sciences
030104 developmental biology
Toxicity
medicine
Procladius
education
Microcosm
0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 13652664 and 00218901
- Volume :
- 54
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Journal of Applied Ecology
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi...........584f065df58dc2c7aafb75ea2fb323a6