Wojciech Fialkowski

Biomonitoring of trace metals in the Gulf of Gdansk, using mussels (Mytilus trossulus) and barnacles (Balanus improvisus)

In a preliminary biomonitoring study, accumulated trace metal concentrations (Cu, Zn, Fe, Cd, Pb, Mn, Ni) have been measured in the mussel Mytilus trossulus and the barnacle Balanus improvisus collected in the Gulf of Gdansk, Poland in 1998. Mussels were collected from five sites in May 1998, and from one site in each of January and February 1998. Barnacles were collected simultaneously from four of the five sites in May 1998. Analysis of covariance has shown significant geographical and temporal differences in the local bioavailabilities of trace metals to mussels and barnacles, as reflected in the concentrations of accumulated trace metals. It is concluded that the mussel and barnacle are suitable biomonitors to employ in programmes designed to assess changes in metal pollution in the Gulf of Gdansk, one of the most metal polluted parts of the Baltic Sea, due to the outflow of the River Vistula.

The sandhopper Talitrus saltator as a trace metal biomonitor in the Gulf of Gdansk, Poland

There are significant differences between the accumulated trace metal concentrations (Zn, Cd, Cu, Pb, Ag, Ni, Fe, Mn) of the talitrid amphipod crustacean Talitrus saltator collected from the strandline of sites around the Gulf of Gdansk, Southern Baltic in July 1996, after allowance for size effects by analysis of covariance. These have resulted from significant geographical differences in the local bioavailabilities of trace metals, which are variably dependent on outflows from the River Vistula (Zn, Cd, Fe, Mn) or from local sources around the Gulf (Cu, Pb). The use of an easily collected littoral organism has established a baseline measure of local trace metal pollution against which future changes can be compared.

Seasonal variation in trace metal concentrations in three talitrid amphipods from the Gulf of Gdansk, Poland

Talitrid amphipod crustaceans are increasingly being used as biomonitors of trace metal bioavailabilities in coastal waters, and it is important to understand how other factors, in addition to metal pollution, might affect their accumulated body concentrations. Seasonal variation (April–October 2000) in body concentrations of copper, zinc, cadmium, iron, manganese, lead and nickel has been investigated in three species, Orchestia cavimana, Talitrus saltator and Talorchestia deshayesii, from the region of the Gulf of Gdansk (including the Vistula Lagoon), Poland, an area with considerable temperature variation between summer and winter. Seasonal variation in the body metal concentrations of talitrid amphipod crustaceans was confirmed in each population, but only copper showed a consistent pattern. Copper concentrations fell from early to late summer, perhaps either as a result of the replacement of the older overwintering generation by the younger spring one, or as a result of the loss of haemocyanin in autumn amphipods entering a period of low metabolic activity. Metal concentration data for T. saltator from Gdynia-Osada Rybacka compared with equivalent data for 1996 and 1998 show a significant drop in metals associated with the influx of the Vistula river water, which occurred in 1998, following a major flood event in 1997.

Mayfly larvae (Baetis rhodani and B. vernus) as biomonitors of trace metal pollution in streams of a catchment draining a zinc and lead mining area of Upper Silesia, Poland

Larvae of two Baetis species were used to investigate spatial and temporal variability in the bioavailabilities of cadmium, copper, lead, zinc and iron in the river Biala Przemsza and its tributaries draining an area of lead and zinc mining in Upper Silesia, Poland. Accumulated metal concentrations were measured in April, May, August and November 2000. Both species indicated significant local geographical variability in availabilities of zinc, iron, lead and cadmium, but not copper. Accumulated concentrations of lead, zinc and cadmium confirmed the high general contamination of the Biala Przemsza system by these three trace metals. Larvae showed little seasonal variation in concentrations of cadmium, copper, lead and iron. Accumulated zinc concentrations were low in Baetis rhodani in August, perhaps as a result of insufficient time for high concentrations to accumulate since hatching of the larvae. Samples collected in August most nearly matched criteria of the greatest availability of larvae for collection and their size homogeneity, minimising the possibilities of any effect of differential larval size and/or age on accumulated metal concentrations. Mayfly larvae are members of a suite of potential stream biomonitors in Central Europe, which together can provide information on the different sources of bioavailable trace metals present in aquatic ecosystems.

A pilot study of heavy metal accumulations in a barnacle from the Salton Sea, Southern California☆

Accumulations of Fe, Cu, Zn, Cd, Sn, Hg and Pb in body tissues and egg masses of Balanus amphitrite were measured with an inductively coupled plasma source mass spectrometer (ICP-MS). Barnacles proved to be a good choice as a sentinel species for monitoring of heavy metals. A comparison of their levels in the animals inhabiting the Salton Sea with those from coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean showed that the sea, contrary to expectations, has not been severely contaminated by heavy metals. The accumulations of the metals in barnacle bodies and eggs varied markedly between the stations but appeared least where organic pollution was highest.

Biomonitoring of trace metals along the Baltic coast of Poland using the sandhopper Talitrus saltator (Montagu) (Crustacea: Amphipoda)

Abstract In a biomonitoring survey, accumulated trace metal concentrations (Cu, Zn, Fe, Cd, Pb, Mn, Ni) have been measured in the talitrid amphipod crustacean Talitrus saltator collected from 13 sites along the Baltic coast of Poland in June Analysis of covariance has shown significant geographical differences in the local bioavailabilities of copper, zinc, iron and manganese. There have been changes in the bioavailabilities of trace metals around the Gulf of Gdansk between 1996 and 1998 reflected in changes in amphipod metal concentration, availabilities of zinc, cadmium and manganese falling, and that of lead rising.

The sandhopper Talitrus saltator (Crustacea: Amphipoda) as a biomonitor of trace metal bioavailabilities in European coastal waters

The amphipod crustacean Talitrus saltator is an established, easily accessible, biomonitor of trace metal bioavailabilities in coastal waters. We have carried out a geographically widespread collection of T. saltator from European shores, stretching from the north-west Atlantic through the Baltic to the Mediterranean. A primary aim of the work was to establish a database of accumulated trace metal concentrations (Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn) in this biomonitor. Statistical analysis has shown significant geographical differences in the bioavailabilities of all the metals, the most distinct being copper, iron and manganese. It has proved possible to identify unusually high accumulated concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn in this biomonitor, indicative of high metal bioavailability at a particular site. These may serve as reference points for future biomonitoring programmes seeking to identify metal contamination in coastal waters.

Bioaccumulation of arsenic and silver by the caddisfly larvae Hydropsyche siltalai and H. pellucidula: a biodynamic modeling approach.

Biodynamic modeling was used to investigate the uptake and bioaccumulation of arsenic and silver from water and food by two Hydropsychid caddisfly larvae: Hydropsyche siltalai and Hydropsyche pellucidula. Radiotracer techniques determined the uptake rate constants of arsenic and silver from water, and assimilation efficiencies from food, and their subsequent loss rate constants after accumulation from either route. The uptake rate constants (±SE) of As and Ag from solution were 0.021±0.005 and 0.350±0.049Lg(-1)day(-1), respectively, for H. siltalai, and 0.435±0.054 and 0.277±0.021Lg(-1)day(-1), respectively, for H. pellucidula in moderately hard synthetic water at 10°C. The assimilation efficiencies (±SE) of As and Ag from radiolabeled ingested food were 46.0±7.7% and 75.7±3.6%, respectively, for H. siltalai, and 61.0±4.2% and 52.6±8.6%, respectively, for H. pellucidula. Ag, but not As, AEs were significantly different between species. The AE of Ag differed from the AE of As in H. siltalai, but not in H. pellucidula. Mean efflux rate constants after accumulation of metals from solution or food ranged from 0.039 to 0.190day(-1). The efflux rate constants of As and Ag accumulated from solution were significantly lower than those of As and Ag assimilated from ingested food in both species. Experimentally derived ku and ke values were then used to predict As and Ag tissue concentrations in hydropsychids collected from 13 UK sites, including metal-contaminated streams in Cornwall. Arsenic and silver concentrations in environmental water and food (suspended particles) samples were measured. Biodynamic models successfully predicted accumulated As and Ag concentrations in resident H. siltalai and H. pellucidula at each site. The models also showed that more than 95% of accumulated As and almost 100% of accumulated Ag in H. siltalai and H. pellucidula are derived from ingested food rather than from water.

Caddisflies Hydropsyche spp. as biomonitors of trace metal bioavailability thresholds causing disturbance in freshwater stream benthic communities

Demonstration of an ecotoxicological effect of raised toxic metal bioavailabilities on benthic macroinvertebrate communities in contaminated freshwater streams typically requires the labour-intensive identification and quantification of such communities before the application of multivariate statistical analysis. A simpler approach is the use of accumulated trace metal concentrations in a metal-resistant biomonitor to define thresholds that indicate the presence of raised trace metal bioavailabilities causing ecotoxicological responses in populations of more metal-sensitive members of the community. We explore further the hypothesis that concentrations of toxic metals in larvae of species of the caddisfly genus Hydropsyche can be used to predict metal-driven ecotoxicological responses in more metal-sensitive mayflies, especially ephemerellid and heptageniid mayflies, in metal-contaminated rivers. Comparative investigation of two caddisflies, Hydropsyche siltalai and Hydropsyche angustipennis, from metal-contaminated rivers in Cornwall and Upper Silesia, Poland respectively, has provided preliminary evidence that this hypothesis is applicable across caddisfly species and contaminated river systems. Use of a combined toxic unit approach, relying on independent data sets, suggested that copper and probably also arsenic are the drivers of mayfly ecotoxicity in the River Hayle and the Red River in Cornwall, while cadmium, lead and zinc are the toxic agents in the Biala Przemsza River in Poland. This approach has great potential as a simple tool to detect the more subtle effects of mixed trace metal contamination in freshwater systems. An informed choice of suitable biomonitor extends the principle to different freshwater habitats over different ranges of severity of trace metal contamination.

Production estimates of Nemoura cinerea (Retz.) and Nemurella pictetii Klap. (Plecoptera) from two small lowland streams in Southern Poland

Nemoura cinerea and Nemurella pictetii populations were studied in two lowland streams in southern Poland. The size‐frequency and the Zelinka methods were employed to estimate their production. The production, as measured by the two methods, proved strongly dependent upon the character of the microhabitat. The differences in the production values obtained by each method, as well as the applicability of the methods are discussed.