An Overview of an Acidic Uranium Mine Pit Lake (Caldas, Brazil): Composition of the Zooplankton Community and Limnochemical Aspects

Abstract

Water samples were collected quarterly for 1 year from the newly created Osamu Utsumi uranium mine pit lake, Brazil, which is affected by acid mine drainage (AMD). The water presented mean pH values of 3.8, high mean electrical conductivity values (2391 lS/ cm), manganese (74 mg/L), sulfate (1413 mg/L) and uranium (3 mg/L). The density of rotifera was significantly higher than that of cladoceran. Rotifera Keratella americana, K. cochlearis and the Cladocera Bosminopsis deitersi, Bosmina sp., are being reported for the first time in samples from a uranium pit lake with AMD. Of the species registered, the order Bdelloidea was the most important in terms of density (17,500-77,778 ind/m 3 ), since it occurred throughout the whole sampling period. The combined effect of moderately acidic pH and other potential stress factors, such as high concentrations of stable and radioactive contaminants, probably influenced the zooplankton species composition in the pit lake.

Rotifer Diversity in the Acidic Pyrite Mine Pit Lakes in the Sudety Mountains (Poland)

“…In general, we observed a relatively low number of rotifer taxa (27 in total) in the three water bodies. This has also been observed in other water ecosystems with low pH, such as the identification of only one species in the most acidic Australian lake (Moser and Weisse 2011) and in an acidic meromictic lake in the Czech Republic (Hrdinka et al 2013), three species in Chicken Creek lake (pH 2.4-2.9; Derham 2004), four taxa in an acidic uranium mine pit lake in Brazil (Ferrari et al 2015), nine taxa in three acidic lakes in Lusatia Germany (pH 2-4; Wollmann et al 2000), and 23 species in the Blue Waters, Stockton, and WO5B lakes (pH 3.9-4.4;Derham 2004). Substantially fewer rotifer species were found in an acidic quarry lake by Horyath and Hummon (1980).…”

“…Apart from pH, the most important factors appeared to be chloride, sulphate, calcium, and DO, all of which affected the occurrence and quantitative structure of rotifer assemblages. High concentrations of sulphate, Fe, Ca, Mg, Mn, Zn, Cu, and Cd were shown to influence zooplankton species composition in other acidic pit lakes (Moser and Weisse 2011;Ferrari et al 2015).…”

Composição Da Comunidade Zooplanctônica Em Um Pequeno Corpo D’água Raso No Sul De Minas Gerais

“…As relações desses organismos com os fatores abióticos e bióticos do ambiente permitem o uso desta comunidade em monitoramento e recuperação da qualidade das águas. No sul do estado de Minas Gerais, pesquisadores estudaram a estrutura e dinâmica populacional do zooplâncton em diversos ambientes aquáticos (LANDA et al, 2007;NEGREIROS et al, 2010;SANTOS-WISNIEWSKI et al, 2011;FERRARI et al, 2015). Entretanto, a maioria dos estudos estão concentrados em grande corpos d'água e principalmente, nos pequenos ecossistemas aquáticos no vale do Rio Doce (MAIA-BARBOSA et al, 2014).…”

Effects of recreational fishing on zooplankton communities of drainage system reservoirs at an open‐pit mine

“…Apart from their key role in the trophic cascade, zooplankton also represents useful bioindicators (Ejsmont‐Karabin, ; Ersoy, Brucet, Bartrons, & Mehner, ; Pociecha & Bielańska‐Grajner, ). The relevant biological traits include the following: behavioural and morphological diversity related to nutrition, short life‐cycle, fast adaptation to environmental changes and sensitive reactions to various disruptions, such as fluctuations in water level, oxygen and thermal conditions, pollution (Ferrari et al, ; Goździejewska et al, ; Goździejewska, Gwoździk, Kulesza, Bramowicz, & Koszałka, ; Goździejewska & Karpowicz, ). These features, which demonstrate the functional diversity of zooplankton, can be used to assess the state and biological potential of aquatic ecosystems (Jeppesen et al, ; Vogt, Peres‐Neto, & Beisner, ) as well as to help to optimise the functionality of an artificial reservoir (Merrix‐Johnes, Thackeray, & Ormerod, ; von Sperling & Grandcham, ), that is the maintenance of both technological efficiency (effective treatment of water) and ecological potential.…”