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Mykrä H, Aroviita J, Tolonen K, Turunen J, Weckström K, Weckström J, Hellsten S. Detecting mining impacts on freshwater ecosystems using replicated sampling before and after the impact. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2024; 196:635. [PMID: 38900337 PMCID: PMC11190011 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-024-12812-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 06/11/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
Detecting human impact on freshwater ecosystems is problematic without rigorous assessment of temporal changes. Assessments of mining impacts are further complicated by the strong influence of local catchment geology on surface waters even in unmined environments. Such influence cannot be effectively considered by using broad-scale reference frameworks based on regionalization and stream types. Using the BACI (Before-After Control-Impact) design, we examined the impact of mining discharges on freshwater algae and macroinvertebrate communities resulting from the rerouting of treated wastewaters through a pipeline to larger water bodies in Northern and North-Eastern Finland. Impacted sites and control sites were sampled 1 to 2 years before and 1 to 3 years after the pipelines became operational. Stream diatom communities recovered from past loadings upstream of the pipeline (which was no longer impacted by wastewaters) after rerouting of the wastewaters, while no changes downstream from the pipeline were detected. Upstream from the pipeline, diatom species richness increased and changes in relative abundances of the most common diatom taxa as well as in the overall community composition were observed. The effects of the pipeline were less evident for stream macroinvertebrate communities. There was an indication that regional reference conditions used in national biomonitoring may not represent diatom communities in areas with a strong geochemical background influence. Lake profundal macroinvertebrate communities were impacted by past loadings before the construction of the pipeline, and the influence of the pipeline was observed only as changes in the abundances of a few individual species such as phantom midges (which increased in abundance in response to discharges directed through the pipeline). Our results highlight the variable influence of mining discharges on aquatic communities. Statistically strong monitoring programmes, such as BACI designs, are clearly needed to detect these influences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heikki Mykrä
- Finnish Environment Institute, Nature Solutions, P.O. Box 413, 90014, Oulu, FI, Finland.
| | - Jukka Aroviita
- Finnish Environment Institute, Marine and Freshwater Solutions, P.O. Box 413, 90014, Oulu, FI, Finland
| | - Kimmo Tolonen
- Finnish Environment Institute, Nature Solutions, P.O. Box 413, 90014, Oulu, FI, Finland
| | - Jarno Turunen
- Finnish Environment Institute, Marine and Freshwater Solutions, P.O. Box 413, 90014, Oulu, FI, Finland
| | - Kaarina Weckström
- University of Helsinki, Ecosystems and Environment Research Programme, and Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS), (Viikinkaari 1), P.O. Box 65, 00014, Helsinki, FI, Finland
| | - Jan Weckström
- University of Helsinki, Ecosystems and Environment Research Programme, and Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS), (Viikinkaari 1), P.O. Box 65, 00014, Helsinki, FI, Finland
| | - Seppo Hellsten
- Finnish Environment Institute, Marine and Freshwater Solutions, P.O. Box 413, 90014, Oulu, FI, Finland
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2
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Kuglerová L, Hasselquist EM, Sponseller RA, Muotka T, Hallsby G, Laudon H. Multiple stressors in small streams in the forestry context of Fennoscandia: The effects in time and space. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 756:143521. [PMID: 33243494 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2020] [Revised: 09/29/2020] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
In this paper we describe how forest management practices in Fennoscandian countries, namely Sweden and Finland, expose streams to multiple stressors over space and time. In this region, forestry includes several different management actions and we explore how these may successively disturb the same location over 60-100 year long rotation periods. Of these actions, final harvest and associated road construction, soil scarification, and/or ditch network maintenance are the most obvious sources of stressors to aquatic ecosystems. Yet, more subtle actions such as planting, thinning of competing saplings and trees, and removing logging residues also represent disturbances around waterways in these landscapes. We review literature about how these different forestry practices may introduce a combination of physicochemical stressors, including hydrological change, increased sediment transport, altered thermal and light regimes, and water quality deterioration. We further elaborate on how the single stressors may combine and interact and we consequently hypothesise how these interactions may affect aquatic communities and processes. Because production forestry is practiced on a large area in both countries, the various stressors appear multiple times during the rotation cycles and potentially affect the majority of the stream network length within most catchments. We concluded that forestry practices have traditionally not been the focus of multiple stressor studies and should be investigated further in both observational and experimental fashion. Stressors accumulate across time and space in forestry dominated landscapes, and may interact in unpredictable ways, limiting our current understanding of what forested stream networks are exposed to and how we can design and apply best management practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lenka Kuglerová
- Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden.
| | - Eliza Maher Hasselquist
- Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden; Water Quality Impacts Unit, Natural Resources Institute Finland, Helsinki, Finland
| | | | - Timo Muotka
- Ecology and Genetics Research Unit, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland; Finnish Environment Institute, Freshwater Centre, Oulu, Finland
| | - Göran Hallsby
- Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Hjalmar Laudon
- Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden
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3
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Mykrä H, Kuoppala M, Nykänen V, Tolonen K, Turunen J, Vilmi A, Karjalainen SM. Assessing mining impacts: The influence of background geochemical conditions on diatom and macroinvertebrate communities in subarctic streams. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2021; 278:111532. [PMID: 33130404 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.111532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2019] [Revised: 08/16/2020] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Mining has changed landscapes locally in northern Fennoscandia and there is an increasing pressure for exploitation of the remaining mineral deposits of the region. Mineral deposits, even if unmined, can strongly influence stream water chemistry, stream biological communities and the ability of organisms to tolerate stressors. Using data sampled from six mining areas with three active (gold and chrome), two closed (gold) and one planned mine (phosphate), we examined how mineral deposits and mining influence water chemistry and diatom and macroinvertebrate communities in subarctic streams in Finnish Lapland. We supplemented the data by additional samples compiled from databases and further assessed how variation in background geological conditions influences bioassessments of the impacts arising from mining. We found that water specific conductivity was elevated in our study streams draining through catchments with a high mineral potential. Mining effects were mainly seen as increased concentration of nitrogen. Influence of mineral deposits was detected in composition of diatom and macroinvertebrate communities, but communities in streams in areas with a high mineral potential were as diverse as those in streams in areas with a low mineral potential. Mining impacts were better detected for diatoms using a reference condition based on sites with a high than low mineral potential, while for macroinvertebrates, the responses were generally less evident, likely because of only minor effects of mining on water chemistry. Community composition and frequencies of occurrence of macroinvertebrate taxa were, however, highly similar between mine-influenced streams and reference streams with a high potential for minerals indicating that the communities are strongly structured by the natural influence of mineral deposits. Incorporating geochemistry into the reference condition would likely improve bioassessments of both taxonomic groups. Replicated monitoring in potentially impacted sites and reference sites would be the most efficient framework for detecting environmental impacts in streams draining through mineral-rich catchments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heikki Mykrä
- Finnish Environment Institute, Freshwater Centre, P.O. Box 413, FI-90014, Oulu, Finland.
| | - Minna Kuoppala
- Finnish Environment Institute, Freshwater Centre, P.O. Box 413, FI-90014, Oulu, Finland
| | - Vesa Nykänen
- Geological Survey of Finland, P.O. Box 77, FI-96101, Rovaniemi, Finland
| | - Katri Tolonen
- Finnish Environment Institute, Freshwater Centre, P.O. Box 413, FI-90014, Oulu, Finland
| | - Jarno Turunen
- Finnish Environment Institute, Freshwater Centre, P.O. Box 413, FI-90014, Oulu, Finland
| | - Annika Vilmi
- Finnish Environment Institute, Freshwater Centre, P.O. Box 413, FI-90014, Oulu, Finland
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Tekin E, Diamant ES, Cruz‐Loya M, Enriquez V, Singh N, Savage VM, Yeh PJ. Using a newly introduced framework to measure ecological stressor interactions. Ecol Lett 2020; 23:1391-1403. [DOI: 10.1111/ele.13533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2020] [Revised: 02/13/2020] [Accepted: 04/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Elif Tekin
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of California Los Angeles CA90095USA
- Department of Computational Medicine the David Geffen School of Medicine University of California Los Angeles CA USA
| | - Eleanor S. Diamant
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of California Los Angeles CA90095USA
| | - Mauricio Cruz‐Loya
- Department of Computational Medicine the David Geffen School of Medicine University of California Los Angeles CA USA
| | - Vivien Enriquez
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of California Los Angeles CA90095USA
| | - Nina Singh
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of California Los Angeles CA90095USA
| | - Van M. Savage
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of California Los Angeles CA90095USA
- Department of Computational Medicine the David Geffen School of Medicine University of California Los Angeles CA USA
- Santa Fe Institute Santa Fe NM87501USA
| | - Pamela J. Yeh
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of California Los Angeles CA90095USA
- Santa Fe Institute Santa Fe NM87501USA
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Liu S, Wu B, Seddique AA, Zhang H, Zhu A, Liu J, Shi X. Distribution, sources and chemical screening-level assessment of toxic metals in the northern Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2020; 150:110676. [PMID: 31744605 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.110676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2019] [Revised: 10/11/2019] [Accepted: 10/17/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The present study aims to examine the distribution, sources and potential risks of toxic metals in the northern Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh. We found Cu, Pb, Zn and Hg exhibited similar spatial distribution pattern. Influenced by the Ganges-Brahmaputra River and the Karnafuli River, there were higher concentrations of these metals associated with the finer sediment and higher TOC in the northeastern portion of the study area. Moreover, coal transportation was assumed to account for the distinctive spatial distribution of As with higher concentration down the Port of Chittagong in the eastern boundary. Chemical-screening level assessment demonstrated the majority of the metals exceeded the threshold effect values, indicating certain possibility of adverse effect. The concentrations of Ni were higher than the possible hazardous values, suggesting high possibility of harmful consequences. The uncontaminated sediments mainly distributed in northwestern and the central portions affected by the delta erosion and marine transported sediments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shengfa Liu
- Key Laboratory of Marine Sedimentology and Environmental Geology, First Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao, 266061, China; Laboratory for Marine Geology, Qingdao National Oceanography Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266061, China.
| | - Bin Wu
- Key Laboratory of Marine Sedimentology and Environmental Geology, First Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao, 266061, China; Laboratory for Marine Geology, Qingdao National Oceanography Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266061, China
| | - Ashraf Ali Seddique
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University, Mymensingh, 2220, Bangladesh
| | - Hui Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Marine Sedimentology and Environmental Geology, First Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao, 266061, China; Laboratory for Marine Geology, Qingdao National Oceanography Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266061, China
| | - Aimei Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Marine Sedimentology and Environmental Geology, First Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao, 266061, China; Laboratory for Marine Geology, Qingdao National Oceanography Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266061, China
| | - Jianguo Liu
- Laboratory for Marine Geology, Qingdao National Oceanography Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266061, China; Key Laboratory of Ocean and Marginal Sea Geology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510301, China
| | - Xuefa Shi
- Key Laboratory of Marine Sedimentology and Environmental Geology, First Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao, 266061, China; Laboratory for Marine Geology, Qingdao National Oceanography Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266061, China
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Mykrä H, Sarremejane R, Laamanen T, Karjalainen SM, Markkola A, Lehtinen S, Lehosmaa K, Muotka T. Local geology determines responses of stream producers and fungal decomposers to nutrient enrichment: A field experiment. AMBIO 2019; 48:100-110. [PMID: 29663267 PMCID: PMC6297103 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-018-1057-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2017] [Revised: 03/12/2018] [Accepted: 04/05/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
We examined how short-term (19 days) nutrient enrichment influences stream fungal and diatom communities, and rates of leaf decomposition and algal biomass accrual. We conducted a field experiment using slow-releasing nutrient pellets to increase nitrate (NO3-N) and phosphate (PO4-P) concentrations in a riffle section of six naturally acidic (naturally low pH due to catchment geology) and six circumneutral streams. Nutrient enrichment increased microbial decomposition rate on average by 14%, but the effect was significant only in naturally acidic streams. Nutrient enrichment also decreased richness and increased compositional variability of fungal communities in naturally acidic streams. Algal biomass increased in both stream types, but algal growth was overall very low. Diatom richness increased in response to nutrient addition by, but only in circumneutral streams. Our results suggest that primary producers and decomposers are differentially affected by nutrient enrichment and that their responses to excess nutrients are context dependent, with a potentially stronger response of detrital processes and fungal communities in naturally acidic streams than in less selective environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heikki Mykrä
- Freshwater Centre, Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE), P.O. Box 413, 90014 Oulu, Finland
| | - Romain Sarremejane
- Department of Ecology & Genetics, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 8000, 90014 Oulu, Finland
| | - Tiina Laamanen
- Freshwater Centre, Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE), P.O. Box 413, 90014 Oulu, Finland
| | | | - Annamari Markkola
- Department of Ecology & Genetics, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 8000, 90014 Oulu, Finland
| | - Sirkku Lehtinen
- Department of Ecology & Genetics, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 8000, 90014 Oulu, Finland
| | - Kaisa Lehosmaa
- Department of Ecology & Genetics, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 8000, 90014 Oulu, Finland
| | - Timo Muotka
- Department of Ecology & Genetics, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 8000, 90014 Oulu, Finland
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Skalski JR, Richins SM, Townsend RL. A statistical test and sample size recommendations for comparing community composition following PCA. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0206033. [PMID: 30356253 PMCID: PMC6200243 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0206033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2017] [Accepted: 10/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Many investigations of anthropogenic and natural impacts in ecological systems attempt to detect differences in ecological variables or community composition. Frequently, ordination procedures such as principal components analysis (PCA) or canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) are used to simplify such complex data sets into a set of primary factors that express the variation across the original variables. Scatterplots of the first and second principal components are then used to visually inspect for differences in community composition between treatment groups. We present a multidimensional extension of analysis of variance based on an analysis of distance (ANODIS) that can be used to formally test for differences in community composition using 1, 2, or more dimensions of a PCA or CCA of the original sample observations. The statistical tests of significance are based on F-statistics adapted for the analysis of this multidimensional data. Because the analysis is parametric, power and sample size calculations useful in the design of field studies can be readily computed. The use of ANODIS is illustrated using bivariate PCA scatterplots from three published studies. Statistical power calculations using the noncentral F-distribution are illustrated.
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Affiliation(s)
- John R. Skalski
- School of Aquatic & Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Shelby M. Richins
- School of Aquatic & Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Richard L. Townsend
- School of Aquatic & Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
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Hasselquist EM, Lidberg W, Sponseller RA, Ågren A, Laudon H. Identifying and assessing the potential hydrological function of past artificial forest drainage. AMBIO 2018; 47:546-556. [PMID: 29098602 PMCID: PMC6072640 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-017-0984-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2017] [Revised: 10/06/2017] [Accepted: 10/12/2017] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Drainage of forested wetlands for increased timber production has profoundly altered the hydrology and water quality of their downstream waterways. Some ditches need network maintenance (DNM), but potential positive effects on tree productivity must be balanced against environmental impacts. Currently, no clear guidelines exist for DNM that strike this balance. Our study helps begin to prioritise DNM by: (1) quantifying ditches by soil type in the 68 km2 Krycklan Catchment Study in northern Sweden and (2) using upslope catchment area algorithms on new high-resolution digital elevation models to determine their likelihood to drain water. Ditches nearly doubled the size of the stream network (178-327 km) and 17% of ditches occurred on well-draining sedimentary soils, presumably making DNM unwarranted. Modelling results suggest that 25-50% of ditches may never support flow. With new laser scanning technology, simple mapping and modelling methods can locate ditches and model their function, facilitating efforts to balance DNM with environmental impacts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eliza Maher Hasselquist
- Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Skogsmarksgränd, 901 83 Umeå, Sweden
| | - William Lidberg
- Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Skogsmarksgränd, 901 83 Umeå, Sweden
| | - Ryan A. Sponseller
- Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Umeå University, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden
| | - Anneli Ågren
- Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Skogsmarksgränd, 901 83 Umeå, Sweden
| | - Hjalmar Laudon
- Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Skogsmarksgränd, 901 83 Umeå, Sweden
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9
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Fornaroli R, Ippolito A, Tolkkinen MJ, Mykrä H, Muotka T, Balistrieri LS, Schmidt TS. Disentangling the effects of low pH and metal mixture toxicity on macroinvertebrate diversity. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2018; 235:889-898. [PMID: 29351889 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2017.12.097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2017] [Revised: 12/19/2017] [Accepted: 12/24/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
One of the primary goals of biological assessment of streams is to identify which of a suite of chemical stressors is limiting their ecological potential. Elevated metal concentrations in streams are often associated with low pH, yet the effects of these two potentially limiting factors of freshwater biodiversity are rarely considered to interact beyond the effects of pH on metal speciation. Using a dataset from two continents, a biogeochemical model of the toxicity of metal mixtures (Al, Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn) and quantile regression, we addressed the relative importance of both pH and metals as limiting factors for macroinvertebrate communities. Current environmental quality standards for metals proved to be protective of stream macroinvertebrate communities and were used as a starting point to assess metal mixture toxicity. A model of metal mixture toxicity accounting for metal interactions was a better predictor of macroinvertebrate responses than a model considering individual metal toxicity. We showed that the direct limiting effect of pH on richness was of the same magnitude as that of chronic metal toxicity, independent of its influence on the availability and toxicity of metals. By accounting for the direct effect of pH on macroinvertebrate communities, we were able to determine that acidic streams supported less diverse communities than neutral streams even when metals were below no-effect thresholds. Through a multivariate quantile model, we untangled the limiting effect of both pH and metals and predicted the maximum diversity that could be expected at other sites as a function of these variables. This model can be used to identify which of the two stressors is more limiting to the ecological potential of running waters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riccardo Fornaroli
- Department of Earth and Environmental Science (DISAT), University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy.
| | - Alessio Ippolito
- European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), Via Carlo Magno 1, 43126 Parma, Italy
| | - Mari J Tolkkinen
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Heikki Mykrä
- Finnish Environment Institute, Freshwater Centre, Oulu, Finland
| | - Timo Muotka
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland; Finnish Environment Institute, Natural Environment Centre, Oulu, Finland
| | - Laurie S Balistrieri
- US Geological Survey, and University of Washington, School of Oceanography, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Travis S Schmidt
- US Geological Survey, Colorado Water Science Center, Fort Collins, CO, USA
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10
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Beppler C, Tekin E, Mao Z, White C, McDiarmid C, Vargas E, Miller JH, Savage VM, Yeh PJ. Uncovering emergent interactions in three-way combinations of stressors. J R Soc Interface 2017; 13:rsif.2016.0800. [PMID: 27974577 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2016.0800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2016] [Accepted: 11/23/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding how multiple stressors interact is needed to predict the dynamical outcomes of diverse biological systems, ranging from drug-resistant pathogens that are combated and treated with combination drug therapies to ecosystems impacted by environmental toxicants or disturbances. Nevertheless, extensive studies of higher-order (more than two component) interactions have been lacking. Here, we conduct experiments using 20 three-drug combinations and their effects on the bacterial growth of Escherichia coli We report our measurements of growth rates in single, pairwise and triple-drug combinations. To uncover emergent interactions, we derive a simple framework to calculate expectations for three-way interactions based on the measured impact of each individual stressor and of each pairwise interaction. Using our framework, we find that (i) emergent antagonisms are more common than emergent synergies and (ii) emergent antagonisms are more common and emergent synergies are more rare than would be inferred from measures of net effects that do not disentangle pairwise interactions from three-way interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Casey Beppler
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.,Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, The Molecular Biology Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Elif Tekin
- Department of Biomathematics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Zhiyuan Mao
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.,Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, The Molecular Biology Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Cynthia White
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Cassandra McDiarmid
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Emily Vargas
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Jeffrey H Miller
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, The Molecular Biology Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Van M Savage
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.,Department of Biomathematics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.,Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM 87501, USA
| | - Pamela J Yeh
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
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11
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Jonsson M, Burrows RM, Lidman J, Fältström E, Laudon H, Sponseller RA. Land use influences macroinvertebrate community composition in boreal headwaters through altered stream conditions. AMBIO 2017; 46:311-323. [PMID: 27804095 PMCID: PMC5347524 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-016-0837-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2016] [Revised: 07/02/2016] [Accepted: 10/04/2016] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Land use is known to alter the nature of land-water interactions, but the potential effects of widespread forest management on headwaters in boreal regions remain poorly understood. We evaluated the importance of catchment land use, land cover, and local stream variables for macroinvertebrate community and functional trait diversity in 18 boreal headwater streams. Variation in macroinvertebrate metrics was often best explained by in-stream variables, primarily water chemistry (e.g. pH). However, variation in stream variables was, in turn, significantly associated with catchment-scale forestry land use. More specifically, streams running through catchments that were dominated by young (11-50 years) forests had higher pH, greater organic matter standing stock, higher abundance of aquatic moss, and the highest macroinvertebrate diversity, compared to streams running through recently clear-cut and old forests. This indicates that catchment-scale forest management can modify in-stream habitat conditions with effects on stream macroinvertebrate communities and that characteristics of younger forests may promote conditions that benefit headwater biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Micael Jonsson
- Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Umeå University, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden
| | - Ryan M. Burrows
- Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 901 83 Umeå, Sweden
- Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD 4111 Australia
| | - Johan Lidman
- Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Umeå University, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden
| | - Emma Fältström
- Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Umeå University, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden
- Sweden Water Research AB, Ideon Science Park, Scheelevägen 15, 223 70 Lund, Sweden
| | - Hjalmar Laudon
- Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 901 83 Umeå, Sweden
| | - Ryan A. Sponseller
- Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Umeå University, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden
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12
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Wu B, Li X, Song J, Hu L, Shi X. Impact of extreme metal contamination at the supra-individual level in a contaminated bay ecosystem. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2016; 557-558:102-109. [PMID: 26994798 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.03.047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2015] [Revised: 03/07/2016] [Accepted: 03/08/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Anthropogenic stressors impact the global environment and adversely affect the health of organisms and humans. This study was designed as an attempt to evaluate the ecological consequences of severe metal contamination at the supra-individual level based on a field investigation in Jinzhou Bay (JZB), North China in 2010. The chemical results showed high concentrations of metals in the sediment of JZB that were ~129 times greater than the local geochemical background. Furthermore, the measured metals exhibited considerably high toxicity potential indicated by sediment quality guidelines (SQGs). The mean SQGs quotients suggested the overall toxicity incidence was >70% in locations neighboring the Wulihe River mouth. Biomonitoring revealed 116 individuals distributed among a mere 6 species, 4 of which were polychaetes, at 33% of the sampling sites. Thus, few benthic organisms were present in the damaged community structures across the region, which was consistent with the extreme metal contamination. Moreover, the sediment quality assessment, in a weight of evidence framework, demonstrated that the sediment throughout the entire JZB was moderately to severely impaired, especially in the vicinity of the Wulihe River mouth. By synthesizing the present and previous chemical-biological monitoring campaigns, a possible cause-effect relationship between chemical stressors and benthic receptors was established. We also found that the hydrodynamics, sediment sources, and geochemical characteristics of the metals (in addition to the sources of the metals) were responsible for the geochemical distribution of metals in JZB. The significance of the overall finding is that the deleterious responses observed at the community level may possibly be linked to the extreme chemical stress in the sediment of JZB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Wu
- Key Laboratory of Marine Sedimentology and Environmental Geology, First Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Qingdao 266061, PR China; Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, PR China.
| | - Xuegang Li
- Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, PR China
| | - Jinming Song
- Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, PR China
| | - Limin Hu
- Key Laboratory of Marine Sedimentology and Environmental Geology, First Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Qingdao 266061, PR China
| | - Xuefa Shi
- Key Laboratory of Marine Sedimentology and Environmental Geology, First Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Qingdao 266061, PR China
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Mykrä H, Tolkkinen M, Markkola AM, Pirttilä A, Muotka T. Phylogenetic clustering of fungal communities in human‐disturbed streams. Ecosphere 2016. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.1316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- H. Mykrä
- Thule InstituteUniversity of Oulu P.O. Box 7300 FI‐90014 Oulu Finland
- Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE)University of Oulu, Freshwater Centre P.O. Box 413 FI‐90014 Oulu Finland
| | - M. Tolkkinen
- Pöyry Finland Oy Tutkijantie 2 FI‐90590 Oulu Finland
| | - A. M. Markkola
- Department of BiologyUniversity of Oulu P.O. Box 3000 FI‐90014 Oulu Finland
| | - A.‐M. Pirttilä
- Department of BiologyUniversity of Oulu P.O. Box 3000 FI‐90014 Oulu Finland
| | - T. Muotka
- Department of BiologyUniversity of Oulu P.O. Box 3000 FI‐90014 Oulu Finland
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14
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Tolkkinen M, Mykrä H, Annala M, Markkola AM, Vuori KM, Muotka T. Multi-stressor impacts on fungal diversity and ecosystem functions in streams: natural vs. anthropogenic stress. Ecology 2015; 96:672-83. [PMID: 26236864 DOI: 10.1890/14-0743.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Biological assemblages are often subjected to multiple stressors emerging from both anthropogenic activities and naturally stressful conditions, and species' responses to simultaneous stressors may differ from those predicted based on the individual effects of each stressor alone. We studied the influence of land-use disturbance (forest drainage) on fungal decomposer assemblages and leaf decomposition rates in naturally harsh (low pH caused by black-shale dominated geology) vs. circumneutral streams. We used pyrosequencing to determine fungal richness and assemblage structure. Decomposition rates did not differ between circumneutral and naturally acidic reference sites. However, the effect of forest drainage on microbial decomposition was more pronounced in the naturally acidic streams than in circumneutral streams. Single-effect responses of fungal assemblages were mainly related to geology. Community similarity was significantly higher in the naturally acidic disturbed sites than in corresponding reference sites, suggesting that land-use disturbance simplifies fungal assemblages in naturally stressful conditions. Naturally acidic streams supported distinct fungal assemblages with many OTUs (operational taxonomic unit) unique to these streams. Our results indicate that fungal assemblages in streams are sensitive to both structural and functional impairment in response to multiple stressors. Anthropogenic degradation of naturally acidic streams may decrease regional fungal diversity and impair ecosystem functions, and these globally occurring environments therefore deserve special attention in conservation planning.
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15
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Tolkkinen M, Mykrä H, Markkola AM, Muotka T. Human disturbance increases functional but not structural variability of stream fungal communities. Funct Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mikko Tolkkinen
- Finnish Environment Institute Freshwater Centre P.O. Box 413 FI‐90014 Oulu Finland
| | - Heikki Mykrä
- Finnish Environment Institute Freshwater Centre P.O. Box 413 FI‐90014 Oulu Finland
- Thule Institute University of Oulu P.O. Box 7300 Oulu FIN‐90014 Finland
| | | | - Timo Muotka
- Department of Ecology University of Oulu P.O. Box 3000 Oulu 90014 Finland
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