Harry V. Leland

Effects of copper on development of the fathead minnow, Pimephales promelas Rafinesque

Abstract Embryos of the fathead minnow, Pimephales promelas Rafinesque, were exposed to total copper concentrations (Cu T ) of 0.6, 61, 113, 204, 338 and 621 μg/l from 5 to 10 h post-fertilization through 2 days post-hatch. A decrease in hatching time was observed with increasing total copper concentration but there was no decrease in embryonic developmental rate. Therefore, embryos hatched at earlier stages of development. Significant ( P ≤ 0.05) declines in percent survival and percent total hatch were observed at 621 μg/l Cu T ) but not at 338 μg/l Cu T or lower concentrations. The percentage of embryos with abnormalities was greater at 338 and 621 μg/l Cu T than at 204 μg/l Cu T and lower concentrations. Individuals exposed to copper during early development were then exposed to the same test concentrations for 28 days post-hatch. Survivors at 113 through 338 μg/l Cu T were at earlier stages of development than were control fish. The percentage of fish surviving decreased with increasing copper concentration over the range 61 through 204 μg/l Cu T . The percentage of fish surviving at 204 μg/l Cu T was not significantly different from that at 338 μg/l Cu T , and there were no survivors at 621 μg/l Cu T . Surviving larvae at all copper concentrations from 61 through 621 μg/l Cu T showed decreased length, weight and coefficient of condition compared to controls. The percentage of larvae with abnormalities increased significantly with increasing copper concentration. The calculated 96-h LC 50 (larval stage) was 250 μg/l Cu T and the 28-day LC 50 (larval stage) was approximately 123 μg/l Cu T .

Use of detrended correspondence analysis to evaluate factors controlling spatial distribution of benthic insects

Detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) was evaluated for its effectiveness in displaying factors controlling the spatial distribution of benthic insects in an oligotrophic stream where an experimental gradient (copper) that selectively affects population abundances was imposed. DCA proved to be highly sensitive to differences among samples and consistently provided ecologically meaningful species ordinations.Seasonality of taxa was the major gradient displayed by DCA prior to copper exposure when data for all sampling dates were included. Sensitivity of taxa to copper was a more important factor affecting community structure than was seasonality during periods of continuous exposure to copper (2.5 to 15 µg l-1 CuT; approximately 12 to 75 ng l-1 Cu2+. When pre-dose data for each sampling date were ordinated independently, substratum composition and biological interactions were the major gradients displayed in species ordinations. During periods of exposure, sensitivity of taxa to copper was the primary gradient. This gradient also reflected a generally greater sensitivity to copper of herbivorous than of detritivorous or predatory benthic insects. DCA revealed the persistence, eleven months after dosing ceased, of differences in community structure between the control and high treatment (5 and 10 µg l-1 CuT) sections. Differences between sections were not evident on this sampling date from total biomass or total density (numerical) estimates.

Trace elements in Corbicula fluminea from the San Joaquin River, California.

(i) Trace element concentrations in soft tissue of the benthic bivalve, Corbicula fluminea, from the San Joaquin River and its major tributaries were examined during the primary irrigation season in relation to the spatial variation in concentrations of major, minor and trace constituents in riverwater and sediments. (ii) Selenium concentrations in Corbicula from perennial flow reaches of the San Joaquin River and its major tributaries varied directly with the solute (less than or equal to 0.45 microns) Se concentrations of riverwater. Elevated concentrations occurred in clams from sites with substantial discharge originating as subsurface drainage and irrigation return flows. Both tissue and solute Se concentrations declined from June through the end of the primary irrigation season. (iii) Arsenic concentrations in Corbicula from perennial flow reaches of the San Joaquin River varied directly with the HNO3-extractable (pH 2) As:Fe ratio of suspended matter, providing evidence that sorption to oxyhydroxide surfaces is an important control on the biological availability of As. However, Corbicula from several tributaries draining alluvium derived from the Sierra Nevada had lower As concentrations than would be predicted by the relation developed for perennial flow sites of the San Joaquin River. Arsenic concentrations in Corbicula from the Tuolumne and Merced Rivers and upstream reaches of the San Joaquin River were higher than in clams from the downstream perennial flow reaches of the San Joaquin River. Concentrations of As in clams from downstream perennial flow reaches of the San Joaquin River increased from June through the end of the primary irrigation season. (iv) Mercury concentrations in Corbicula were elevated in upstream reaches of the San Joaquin River, in the Merced and Tuolumne Rivers, and in tributaries draining the Coast Ranges. Mean Cd and Cu concentrations in Corbicula were elevated in the Merced and Tuolumne Rivers, Orestimba Creek and a perennial flow reach of the San Joaquin River which receives water directly from the Delta Mendota Canal. Concentrations of Ni in clams from the San Joaquin River decreased downstream of the Delta Mendota Pool. (v) Boron and Mo were not accumulated by Corbicula despite high solute concentrations (means as high as 2960 micrograms Bl-1 and 9 micrograms Mol-1) in riverwater during the primary irrigation season. This bivalve may not be an appropriate bioindicator of B and Mo enrichment. Concentrations of Cr, Pb, Ag, V and Zn in Corbicula exhibited little geographic variability in the drainage. (vi) Regression analysis revealed no clear evidence of synergistic or antagonistic interactions among As, Cd, Cu, Hg, Ni and Se in their uptake by Corbicula.

Temporal variation in plankton assemblages and physicochemistry of Devils Lake, North Dakota

Seasonal and annual variation in biomass and structure of algal assemblages of hyposaline Devils Lake were examined in relation to turbidity, ambient concentrations of major ions, trace elements and nutrients, and the standing crop of herbivores. Lake level declined during the early years of study, but rose markedly in subsequent years as historically large volumes of water flowed into this hydrologically-closed basin. Winter algal assemblages were dominated (in biomass) most years by small, non-motile chlorophytes ( Choricystis minor, Kirchneriella lunaris or Dunaliella sp.), or Euglena sp. in the most saline sub-basin. Spring assemblages were dominated by diatoms (Stephanodiscus cf. minutulus, Surirella peisonis, Cyclotella meneghiniana and Entomoneis paludosa were especially prominent) or chlorophytes ( C. minor) until the lake level rose. C. minor abundances then declined in spring assemblages and diatoms ( Stephanodiscus cf. agassizensis and S. niagarae; E. paludosa in the more saline sub-basins) dominated. The potential for nitrogen-deficient conditions for phytoplankton growth was evidenced most summers and early autumns by consistently high concentrations of reactive-P relative to inorganic-N and blooms of the N-fixing cyanophyte Aphanizomenon flos-aquae; Microcystis aeruginosa typically was a co-dominant (>30% of biomass) in these assemblages. Pulses of diatoms ( S. cf. agassizensis and C. meneghiniana) occurred in summers following unusually prolonged periods of calm weather or large water inflows. Physical (irradiance, turbulence) and chemical (major nutrients) variables were the primary factors associated with phytoplankton growth. Transparency and major nutrient concentrations accounted for more of the annual variation in phytoplankton structure than did salinity. Seasonal abundance patterns of the dominant zooplankton (the copepod Diaptomus sicilis; the cladocerans Ceriodaphnia quadrangula, Chydorus sphaericus, Daphnia pulex and Diaphanosoma birgei; and the rotifers Brachionus spp., Filinia longiseta, Keratella cochlearis and K. quadrata) also indicated variation in algal populations related to grazing.

Use of Detrended Correspondence Analysis in Evaluating Factors Controlling Species Composition of Periphyton

Detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) was evaluated for its usefulness in elucidating relationships among samples and among species of periphyton in an oligotrophic stream, and for its effectiveness in displaying major gradients where an experimental gradient (copper) affecting species composition was imposed. It was highly sensitive to differences among samples and consistently provided ecologically meaningful species ordinations. Gradients related to seasonality of taxa and year-to-year differences in population densities were evident in DCA ordinations if data for all sampling dates were included, and these gradients complicated interpretation of the copper gradient. Clear discontinuities between samples in control and copper-treated stream sections existed only if data for each sampling date were ordinated separately. Prior to copper exposure, stage of succession of the community was the major gradient displayed in species ordinations. During periods of exposure, sensitivity of taxa to copper was the primary factor controlling the spatial distribution of periphyton. Stage of succession was a secondary gradient during exposure and complicated interpretation of the copper gradient after a major disturbance event (flooding).