Can a copper sulphate pulse below toxic threshold change plankton communities?
Keywords:
principal response curve, microcosmsAbstract
More field relevant ecological assessments, apart from single species tests using standard species, are needed to better predict agrochemical effects at higher ecosystems levels. Therefore, an experiment using a non-target aquatic community was used to test the hypothesis of the negative effect of a single pulse of copper sulfate on plankton abundance, structure, richness and diversity endpoints. Microcosms (20 l volume) were established during 21 days of experimentation, using six replicates for controls and with two concentrations of copper sulfate (High treatment, H: 20 µg Cu l−1; and Low treatment, L: 2 µg Cu l−1), both within the copper legal threshold following the Water Framework Directive (2000). The general lineal model found significant differences at the phytoplankton abundance endpoint at the end of the experiment, with an increase of phytoplankton abundance in L treatments dominated by the smaller cell size class. The principal response curve on zooplankton data, despite being insignificant, pointed out some dissimilarities in abundance and structure between treatments and controls: treatments showed lower abundances and were richer in cladocerans and copepods than the control microcosm where rotifers and nauplii were dominant. This indicated that trends change in community structure due to the effects of copper sulfate, and that even if the copper concentrations under study were within legal limits, they showed potential to induce changes in planktonic communities.
References
Baird, D.J., Burton, G.A. (Eds.), 2001. Ecological variability: Separating natural from anthropogenic causes of ecosystem impairment. Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) Foundation, Pensacola, FL.
Boletín Oficial del Estado (BOE) (Official Bulletin of the State Gazette), 2011. http://www.boe.es/boe/dias/2011/01/22/pdfs/BOE-A-2011–1139.pdf
Connell, J.H., 1978. Diversity in tropical rain forests and coral reefs. Science 199, 1302–1310.
Del Arco, A.I., Guerrero, F., Jiménez-Gómez, F., Parra, G., 2014. Shifts across trophic levels as early warning signals of copper sulfate impacts in plankton communities. Appl. Ecol. Environ. Res. 12, 493–503.
Downing, A.L., Leibold, M.A., 2010. Species richness facilities ecosystem resilience in aquatic food webs. Freshw. Biol. 55, 2123–2137.
Downing, J.A., 2010. Emerging global role of small lakes and ponds: little things mean a lot. Limnetica 29, 9–24.
European Commission, 2002. Working document. Guidance document on aquatic ecotoxicology. http://ec.europa.eu/food/plant/pesticides/approval_active_substances/docs/wrkdoc10_en.pdf
Frampton, G.K., Van den Brink, P.J., Gould, P.J.L., 2000. Effects of spring precipitation on a temperate arable collembolan community analyses using Principal Response Curves. Appl. Soil Ecol. 14, 231–248.
García-Muñoz, E., Guerrero, F., Parra, G., 2011. Larval escape behavior in anuran amphibians as a wetland rapid pollution biomarker. Mar. Freshw. Behav. Physiol. 44, 109–123.
Gilbert, J.D., de Vicente, I., Jiménez-Melero, R., Parra, G., Guerrero, F., 2014. Selecting priority conservation areas based on zooplankton diversity: the case of Mediterranean wetlands. Mar. Freshw. Res. 65, 857–871.
Guerrero, F., Castro, M.C., 1997. Chlorophyll a of size-fractionated phytoplankton at a temporary hypersaline lake. Int. J. Salt Lake Res. 5, 253–260.
Gui, Y., Grant, G., 2008. Joint effects of density dependence and toxicant exposure on Drosophyla melanogaster populations. Ecotoxicol. Environ. Saf. 70, 236–243.
Hanazato, T., 1997. Moderate impact by an insecticide increases species richness in a zooplankton community: results obtained in experimental ponds. J. Fac. Sci. Shinshu Univ. 32, 37–46.
Hanazato, T., 1998. Response of a zooplankton community to insecticide application in experimental ponds: a review and the implications of the effects of chemicals on the structure and functioning of freshwater communities. Environ. Pollut. 101, 361–373.
Hanazato, T., 2001. Pesticide effects on freshwater zooplankton: an ecological perspective. Environ. Pollut. 112, 1–10.
Hillis, D.G., Lissemore, L., Sibley, P.K., Solomon, K.R., 2007. Effects of Monensin on zooplankton communities in aquatic microcosms. Environ. Sci. Technol. 41, 6620–6626.
Huston, M.A., 2014. Disturbance, productivity, and species diversity: empiricism vs. logic in ecological theory. Ecology 95, 2382–2396.
Kerr, S.R., 1974. Theory of size distribution in ecological communities. J. Fish. Res. Board Can. 31, 1859–1862.
Lenwood, W.H., Ronald, D.A., Jay, V.K., Brent, L.L., 1998. Acute and chronic toxicity of copper to the estuarine copepod Eurytemora affinis. Final Report. EPA. University of Maryland and Delaware. USA.
Menge, B.A., Sutherland, J.P., 1987. Community regulation: variation in disturbance, competition, and predation in relation to environ mental stress and recruitment. Am. Nat. 130, 730–757.
Montes, C., Sala, O., 2007. La evaluación de los ecosistemas del milenio. Las relaciones entre el funcionamiento de los ecosistemas y el bienestar humano. (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. The relationships between ecosystems functioning and human well-being. In Spanish.). Ecosistemas 16, 137–147.
OECD, 2006. Guidance document on simulated freshwater lentic field tests (outdoor microcosms and mesocosms). OECD series on testing and assessment, number 53.
Oertli, B., Dominique, A.J., Raphae, E.C., Juge, L., Cambin, D., Lachavanne, J.B., 2002. Does size matter? The relationship between pond area and biodiversity. Biol. Conserv. 104, 59–70.
Oliva, M., Garrido, M.C., Pérez, E., Gonzales de Canales, M.L., 2007. Evaluation of acute copper toxicity during early life stages of gilthead seabream, Sparus aurata. J. Environ. Sci. Health 42, 525–533.
Ortega, F., Parra, G., Guerrero, F., 2006. Usos del suelo en las cuencas hidrográficas de los humedales del Alto Guadalquivir: importancia de una adecuada gestión. (Land uses in the hydrographic basins of the Alto Guadalquivir wetlands: The importance of a suitable management. In Spanish). Limnetica 25, 723–732.
Pérez, P., Beiras, R., Fernández, E., 2010. Monitoring copper toxicity in natural phytoplankton assemblages: application of Fast Repetition Rate fluorometry. Ecotoxicol. Environ. Saf. 73, 1292–1303.
Relyea, R.A., 2005. The lethal impact of round up on aquatic and terrestrial amphibians. Ecol. Appl. 15, 1118–1124.
Reynolds, C.S., 1984. The ecology of freshwater phytoplankton. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Reynolds, C.S., 1995. The intermediate disturbance hypothesis and its applicability to planktonic communities: comments on the views of Padisák and Wilson. New Zeal. J. Ecol. 19, 219–225.
Rodríguez, J., Li, W.K.W., 1994. The size structure and metabolism of the pelagic ecosystem. Sci. Mar. 58, 1–2.
Rodríguez, V., Guerrero, F., 1994. Chlorophyll a of size-fractionated summer phytoplankton blooms at a coastal station in Málaga Bay, Alboran Sea. Estuar. Coast. Shelf Sci. 39, 413–419.
Rojo, C., Rodríguez, J., 1994. Seasonal variability of phytoplankton size structure in a hypertrophic lake. J. Plankton Res. 16, 317–335.
Rosko, J.J., Rachlin, J.W., 1977. The effect of cadmium, copper, mercury, zinc and lead on cell division, growth, and chlorophyll a content of the chlorophyte Chlorella vulgaris. B. Torrey Bot. Club 3, 226–233.
Sanderson, H., Laird, B., Brain, R., Wilson, C.J., Solomon, K.R., 2009. Detectability of fifteen aquatic micro/mesocosms. Ecotoxicol. 18, 838–845.
Stampfli, N.C., Knillmann, S., Liess, M., Beketov, M.A., 2011. Environmental context determines community sensitivity of freshwater zooplankton to a pesticide. Aquat. Toxicol. 104, 116–124.
Sunda, W.G., Huntsman, S.A., 1995. Regulation of copper concentration in the oceanic nutricline by phytoplankton uptake and regeneration cycles. Limnol. Oceanogr. 40, 132–137.
Twiss, M.R., Rattan, K.J., Sherrell, R.M., McKay, R.M.L., 2004. Sensitivity of phytoplankton to copper in Lake Superior. J. Great Lakes Res. 30, 245–255.
Van den Brink, P.J., Hattink, J., Bransen, F., Donk, E.V., Brock, T.C.M., 2000. Impact of the fungicide carbendazim in freshwater microcosms. II. Zooplankton, primary producers and final conclusions. Aquat. Toxicol. 48, 251–264.
Van den Brink, P.J., Ter Braak, C.J.F., 1999. Principal responses curves: analysis of time-dependent multivariate responses of a biological community to stress. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 18, 138–148.
Van Wijngaarden, R.P.A., Brock, T.C.M., Douglas, M.T., 2005. Effects of chlorphyrifos in freshwater model ecosystems: the influence of experimental conditions on ecotoxicological thresholds. Pest. Manag. Sci. 61, 923–935.
Water Framework Directive, 2000. Water Framework Directive of the European Parliament and the Council, of 23 October 2000, establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy. Off. J. Eur. Communities 327, 1–72.
Winner, R.W., Owen, H.A., 1991. Seasonal variability in the sensitivity of freshwater phytoplankton communities to a chronic copper stress. Aquat. Toxicol. 19, 73–88.
Published
Issue
Section
License
Manuscripts must be original. They must not be published or be under consideration for publication elsewhere, in whole or in part. It is required that the lead author of accepted papers complete and sign the MSU Press AEHM Author Publishing Agreement and provide it to the publisher upon acceptance.
