scholarly journals The effects of sediment quality on benthic macroinvertebrates in the River Murray, Australia

2009 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 70 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. R. Townsend ◽  
V. J. Pettigrove ◽  
M. E. Carew ◽  
A. A. Hoffmann

Aquatic sediments act as a sink for pollutants that potentially impact on aquatic communities. However, spatial correlations between pollution, hydrology, catchment disturbance and other factors make it difficult to determine the impact of sediment pollution. Field-based microcosm experiments utilising aquatic macroinvertebrates are one approach to isolating the biological effects of sediment pollution on aquatic biota. A field-based microcosm experiment was used to assess the effects of sediment from 14 sites along the River Murray system, Australia. Aquatic ecosystem declines have been observed in this river, but few studies have investigated the quality of its sediments or their biological impact. Chironomidae (midge larvae) dominated the microcosm experiment and were useful as bioindicators of sediment quality. Community composition, high incidences of larval mouthpart deformities in Procladius paludicola and skewed sex ratios in Tanytarsus fuscithorax indicated sediments from irrigation districts were having a toxic effect, but only nutrients were detected at biologically relevant concentrations and these did not correlate with species responses. The present study showed that the biological endpoints used in the microcosm approach can elucidate sediment toxicity even in the absence of supporting sediment chemistry and could successfully be applied to examine changes in sediment quality along a river system.

2001 ◽  
Vol 58 (5) ◽  
pp. 950-960 ◽  
Author(s):  
U Borgmann ◽  
W P Norwood ◽  
T B Reynoldson ◽  
F Rosa

Application of the Sediment Quality Triad approach to non-pH-stressed Sudbury area lakes clearly demonstrated increased metal (Cd, Co, Cu, and Ni) contamination, decreased abundances of some benthic invertebrates (amphipods, pisidiid clams, and tanytarsiid midges), and severe sediment toxicity to amphipods and mayflies. However, the bioavailability of metals and the cause of biological effects cannot be identified from these data. Bioaccumulation measurements, however, clearly demonstrated increased Cd, Co, and Ni bioavailability to Hyalella. Copper concentrations in Hyalella were not elevated, in spite of much higher sediment Cu concentrations. Nickel was the only metal accumulated in sufficient amounts to cause toxicity. Toxicity in Hyalella caged above the sediments was equivalent to that of animals exposed directly in sediment, demonstrating that effects were due to dissolved metal and not metals in the solid phase. Copper concentrations in overlying water were much lower than Ni concentrations and insufficient to account for toxicity. Including bioaccumulation data with traditional measurements of sediment chemistry, benthic community composition, and sediment toxicity allows quantification of metal bioavailability and identification of the cause of toxicity. This approach results in a much more complete assessment of the biological impacts of metals in sediments.


2020 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 295-309
Author(s):  
J. Trowell ◽  
G. Gilron ◽  
K. Graf ◽  
L. Patterson ◽  
C. Chan ◽  
...  

Abstract On 11 January 2014, a Canadian Pacific Railway train derailed on the Canadian National Railway Company's Yale Subdivision, Mile 122.7, in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. This derailment resulted in the partial release of metallurgical coal from three rail cars into, and adjacent to, Silver Creek. Following the derailment and subsequent spill, a comprehensive coal recovery program was implemented. As part of the program, coal deposits were removed from the Silver Creek mainstem in the right-of-way during the stabilization work. A total of approximately 143 tonnes of mixed coal, organic and mineral fines were removed during this program. Subsequently, using a weight-of-evidence sediment quality triad approach, a two-year Aquatic Impact Assessment was conducted to evaluate whether the remaining residual coal in Silver Creek and Burnaby Lake presented the potential for impact to the aquatic environment. Lines-of-evidence (LOEs) were evaluated, including sediment chemistry, sediment toxicity, bioaccumulation potential and coal content. The majority of the data from exposed sampling locations indicated that there was low potential for impact, based on the assessed LOEs. Hence, given the overall low potential for residual impacts from the coal deposits in the Silver Creek–Burnaby Lake ecosystem, no further clean up or monitoring was recommended.


2000 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 365-398 ◽  
Author(s):  
Q. Rochfort ◽  
L. Grapentine ◽  
J. Marsalek ◽  
B. Brownlee ◽  
T. Reynoldson ◽  
...  

Abstract Urban wet-weather sources of pollution such as Stormwater and combined sewer overflows (CSOs) can contribute significantly to the contamination of receiving waters, particularly in sediment depositional areas near outfalls. Analyses of sediment chemistry alone are not sufficient to fully assess the effects of these discharges. Toxicity testing and evaluations of benthic invertebrate communities, in conjunction with chemical analyses, provide a more complete characterization. This study assessed relationships among three separate aspects of the benthic environment:sediment chemistry (metals, PAHs and nutrients) and particle size, sediment toxicity (ten endpoints with four benthic taxa), and benthic invertebrate community structure. In this initial survey, ten sites in five different study areas, representing a range of receiving water environments exposed to Stormwater and CSO discharges, were sampled in October 1998. Results of analyses indicated that while contaminant (metals and PAHs) concentrations were relatively high in sediments, biological effects were not evident Toxicity of sediments was low and altered benthic communities were not detected. Neither toxicity endpoints nor benthic community descriptors were related to sediment contaminant levels. To improve the power of these assessments, future investigations of Stormwater and CSO discharge impacts should use “upstream/downstream” sampling designs and study sites with minimal variability of habitat conditions.


2016 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 151
Author(s):  
Ivanildo Surini De Souza ◽  
Priscila Araújo Da Silva

Pacoti estuary is located on the East coast of Ceará State/Brazil and is influenced by several sources of pollution. The sediment quality in three sampling stations was evaluated through an integrated approach. The sediments obtained were analyzed geochemically with respect to texture, organic matter, phosphorus, nitrogen and concentration of metals (Fe, Pb, Cu and Zn). Additionally, the metal loading in the sediment was determined considering a toxic risk quotient (RQ) and enrichment factor (EF). The ecotoxicological approach consisted of acute and chronic toxicity tests with species of marine invertebrates. The geochemical and ecotoxicological data were integrated using qualitative and technical criteria for multivariate analysis. The analyses showed a moderate change in the quality of the sediment Pacoti and there are influences of different contaminant sources. For this reason, one cannot disregard the input of other contaminants, not measured in this study, which probably may also have been relevant for sediment toxicity.  Nonetheless, the data suggest that Pb and Cu metals as well as N tended to quality degradation in depositional areas and the sediment had some influence on the biological effects observed.


2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Triyoni Purbonegoro ◽  
Muhammad Reza Cordova ◽  
Rachma Puspitasari ◽  
Dwi Hindarti

Jakarta Bay coastal ecosystem is known suffered from water pollution and habitat degradation. Solid and fluid waste from households and several industrial areas flow and ended up in the bay. Ecotoxicological studies are needed to assess the effects of pollutant on marine organism, including phytoplankton as the primary producer. Therefore chemical analysis and toxicity test were performed to investigate the impact of Jakarta Bay Sediments to marine diatoms Chaetoceros gracilis. Heavy metals concentration especially Cu, Pb, Cd, and Hg in the sediments were lower than in previous studies. It could be related to the stricter environmental regulations which started enforced at the end of 1990s. Meanwhile, PAH and pesticide were higher than in previous studies. Increasing activities and maritime traffic in surrounding area of Tanjung Priok Port area and most likely comes from other adjacent harbors (Muara Baru, Muara Angke, and Marina Ancol harbor) and the massive usage of the pesticide compound in the households of the Jakarta City area were suspected to be the reasons. Estuaries area and locations <10 km were identified and predicted would produce harmful effects since the concentration of Zn and Hg in those area exceeded Probable Effects Level (PEL) of Sediment Quality Guidelines (SQG). The growth responses of Chaetoceros gracilis were varied greatly. Most of the sites (24 from 31 sites) showed inhibition effects on the growth of diatoms, ranged from 1.75-35.33 % (17.75±9.59 %) relative to control, with the highest inhibition value was at Cengkareng Drain estuary (M2). The relationship between the concentration of contaminants and the inhibition response could not be clearly explained, however, there is an assumption that low concentrations of some heavy metals were suspected to give adverse effects on diatom’s growth.Keywords: sediment, toxicity, marine diatoms, Chaetoceros gracilis, Jakarta BayEkosistem Teluk Jakarta dikenal mengalami pencemaran air dan degradasi habitat. Limbah cair dan padat berasal dari perumahan dan industri mengalir dan berakhir di teluk tersebut. Kajian ekotoksikologi diperlukan untuk mengetahui pengaruh pencemar terhadap organisme laut termasuk fitoplankton sebagai produsen primer. Analisis kimia dan uji toksisitas dilakukan untuk mengetahui dampak sedimen Teluk Jakarta terhadap diatom laut Chaetoceros gracilis. Konsentrasi logam berat terutama Cu, Pb, Cd, dan Hg dalam sedimen lebih rendah dari penelitian sebelumnya. Hal tersebut berkaitan dengan peraturan lingkungan ketat yang mulai diberlakukan pada akhir 1990-an. Namun demikian, konsentrasi PAH dan pestisida lebih tinggi dari penelitian sebelumnya. Hal tersebut diduga kuat akibat dari peningkatan aktivitas dan lalu lintas maritim di daerah sekitar Pelabuhan Tanjung Priok, juga kemungkinan besar berasal dari pelabuhan lain yang berdekatan (Muara Baru, Muara Angke, dan pelabuhan Marina Ancol) serta akibat penggunaan besar-besaran senyawa pestisida kegiatan rumah tangga di wilayah Kota Jakarta. Daerah dan lokasi estuaria <10 km diidentifikasi dan diprediksi akan menghasilkan efek berbahaya karena konsentrasi Zn dan Hg di area tersebut melebihi Probable Effects Level (PEL) dari Pedoman Kualitas Sedimen (SQG). Respon pertumbuhan diatom laut Chaetoceros gracilis sangat bervariasi. Sebagian besar stasiun (24 dari 31 stasiun) menunjukkan efek penghambatan pada pertumbuhan diatom, berkisar antara 1,75-35,33% (17,75 ± 9,59%) relatif terhadap kontrol, dengan nilai penghambatan tertinggi di muara Sungai Cengkareng (M2). Hubungan antara konsentrasi kontaminan dan respon penghambatan tidak dapat dijelaskan dengan lebih pasti namun terdapat asumsi konsentrasi rendah dari beberapa logam berat diduga memberikan efek buruk pada pertumbuhan diatom.Kata Kunci: sedimen, toksisitas, diatom laut, Chaetoceros gracilis, Teluk Jakarta


2003 ◽  
Vol 60 (3) ◽  
pp. 352-360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Uwe Borgmann

Unlike Canadian Water Quality Guidelines, Canadian Interim Sediment Quality Guidelines (ISQGs) are not based on clear cause–effect relationships. They were derived using a modified U.S. National Status and Trends Program (NSTP) approach in which biological effects were compared with contaminant concentrations in field-collected sediments. Exceeding an assessment value indicates an increased likelihood of toxic effects, but correlation is not proof of cause, and it cannot be assumed that the contaminant present in excess of the assessment value is necessarily responsible for the observed effects. This has sometimes caused confusion and misinterpretation of the toxicological significance of sediment chemistry data. An alternative approach to computing sediment guidelines, based on estimating the bioavailable contaminant concentration and comparing this with concentrations known to be toxic, is proposed. Examples are given of guidelines for cadmium, copper, nickel, lead, and zinc computed using both methods for toxicity data collected from sediments in Canadian Shield lakes near smelters. The cause–effect based guidelines can be much higher than those computed using the NSTP approach. They can also be higher than toxic thresholds estimated from experiments with metal-spiked sediments. Only true cause–effect based guidelines should be used for predicting the cause of toxicity in sediments.


2019 ◽  
Vol 660 ◽  
pp. 851-864 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zengliang Luo ◽  
Qiting Zuo ◽  
Quanxi Shao ◽  
Xiangyi Ding

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 775
Author(s):  
Mary McGann

The benthic foraminifers Bulimina denudata and Eggerelloides advenus are commonly abundant in offshore regions in the Pacific Ocean, especially in waste-discharge sites. The relationship between their abundance and standard macrofaunal sediment toxicity tests (amphipod survival and sea urchin fertilization) as well as sediment chemistry analyte measurements were determined for sediments collected in 1997 in Santa Monica Bay, California, USA, an area impacted by historical sewage input from the Hyperion Outfall primarily since the late 1950s. Very few surface samples proved to be contaminated based on either toxicity or chemistry tests and the abundance of B. denudata did not correlate with any of these. The abundance of E. advenus also did not correlate with toxicity, but positively correlated with total solids and negatively correlated with arsenic, beryllium, chromium, lead, mercury, nickel, zinc, iron, and TOC. In contrast, several downcore samples proved to be contaminated as indicated by both toxicity and chemistry data. The abundance of B.denudata positively correlated with amphipod survival and negatively correlated with arsenic, cadmium, unionized ammonia, and TOC; E. advenus negatively correlated with sea urchin fertilization success as well as beryllium, cadmium, and total PCBs. As B. denudata and E. advenus are tolerant of polluted sediments and their relative abundances appear to track those of macrofaunal toxicity tests, their use as cost- and time-effective marine sediment toxicity tests may have validity and should be further investigated.


Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 1427
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Solarska-Ściuk ◽  
Kinga Adach ◽  
Sylwia Cyboran-Mikołajczyk ◽  
Dorota Bonarska-Kujawa ◽  
Agnieszka Rusak ◽  
...  

Silicon dioxide, in the form of nanoparticles, possesses unique physicochemical properties (size, shape, and a large surface to volume ratio). Therefore, it is one of the most promising materials used in biomedicine. In this paper, we compare the biological effects of both mesoporous silica nanoparticles extracted from Urtica dioica L. and pyrogenic material. Both SEM and TEM investigations confirmed the size range of tested nanoparticles was between 6 and 20 nanometers and their amorphous structure. The cytotoxic activity of the compounds and intracellular ROS were determined in relation to cells HMEC-1 and erythrocytes. The cytotoxic effects of SiO2 NPs were determined after exposure to different concentrations and three periods of incubation. The same effects for endothelial cells were tested under the same range of concentrations but after 2 and 24 h of exposure to erythrocytes. The cell viability was measured using spectrophotometric and fluorimetric assays, and the impact of the nanoparticles on the level of intracellular ROS. The obtained results indicated that bioSiO2 NPs, present higher toxicity than pyrogenic NPs and have a higher influence on ROS production. Mesoporous silica nanoparticles show good hemocompatibility but after a 24 h incubation of erythrocytes with silica, the increase in hemolysis process, the decrease in osmotic resistance of red blood cells, and shape of erythrocytes changed were observed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Deshu Mamo Mekuria ◽  
Alemnew Berhanu Kassegne ◽  
Seyoum Leta Asfaw

Abstract Addis Ababa City’s river ecosystem is under extreme pressure as a result of inappropriate practices of dumping domestic and industrial wastes; thus, threatening its ability to maintain basic ecological, social and economic functions. Little Akaki River which drains through Addis Ababa City receives inorganic and organic pollutants from various anthropogenic sources. Most of inorganic pollutants such as toxic heavy metals released into the river are eventually adsorbed and settle in the sediment. The objective of this study was to evaluate the enrichment levels, pollution load and ecological risks of selected heavy metals (Zn, Cr, Cd and Pb) using various indices. The mean concentrations of heavy metals in Little Akaki River sediment were: Zn (78.96 ± 0.021–235.2 ± 0.001 mg/kg); Cr (2.19 ± 0.014–440.8 ± 0.003 mg/kg); Cd (2.09 ± 0.001–4.16 ± 0.0001 mg/kg) and Pb (30.92 ± 0.018–596.4 ± 0.066 mg/kg). Enrichment factor values indicated that sediments were moderate to significantly enriched with Zn and Cr; moderate to very highly enriched with Pb, and very highly enriched in all sampled sites with Cd. Geo-accumulation index and contamination factor values indicated that the sediments were moderate to very highly contaminated with toxic Cd and Pb. The decreasing order of pollution load index (PLI) in downstream was: (S9) > (S4) > (S8) > (S3) > (S6) > (S10) > (S5) > (S2) > (S7) > (S1). PLI and hierarchical cluster analysis revealed that the highest pollution load occurred in the lower course of the river (S9) which may be due to metals inputs from anthropogenic sources. The ecological risk (RI = 350.62) suggested that the contaminated Little Akaki River sediment can pose considerable ecological risks of pollution. The concentrations of Zn, Cr, Cd and Pb in Little Akaki River sediment surpassed eco-toxicological guideline limits of USEPA (threshold effect concentration) and CCME (Interim Sediment Quality Guidelines). Thus, the contaminated sediments can pose adverse biological effects on sediment dwelling organisms.


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