Effects of DDT Spraying for Forest Insects on Maine Trout Streams

Warner, Kendall; Fenderson, Owen C.

doi:10.2307/3798171

Cited by 25 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…This negative relationship is supported by beetle populations that inversely track DDE concentrations; the proportion of beetles in the guano rebounded in the decades after DDTuse started to decline, and they declined slightly in the most recent decades coincident with a marginal increase in DDE concentrations. The reduction in prey availability of beetles may have thus caused swifts to consume a greater proportion of true bugs (figure 2a), which were less affected by DDT applications than beetles [32,33]. Although there might be alternative explanations for why many birds prefer to consume beetles over true bugs when given a choice [34][35][36], including that true bugs have greater chemical defences [37], such a shift in diet for swifts has energetic consequences because beetles can provide greater caloric value than true bugs [38].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Historical pesticide applications coincided with an altered diet of aerially foraging insectivorous chimney swifts

et al. 2012

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Numerous environmental pressures have precipitated long-term population reductions of many insect species. Population declines in aerially foraging insectivorous birds have also been detected, but the cause remains unknown partly because of a dearth of long-term monitoring data on avian diets. Chimney swifts (Chaetura pelagica) are a model aerial insectivore to fill such information gaps because their roosting behaviour makes them easy to sample in large numbers over long time periods. We report a 48-year-long (1944 -1992) dietary record for the chimney swift, determined from a well-preserved deposit of guano and egested insect remains in Ontario (Canada). This unique archive of palaeo-environmental data reflecting past chimney swift diets revealed a steep rise in dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and metabolites, which were correlated with a decrease in Coleoptera remains and an increase in Hemiptera remains, indicating a significant change in chimney swift prey. We argue that DDT applications decimated Coleoptera populations and dramatically altered insect community structure by the 1960s, triggering nutritional consequences for swifts and other aerial insectivores.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Historical pesticide applications coincided with an altered diet of aerially foraging insectivorous chimney swifts

et al. 2012

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“…maturation to the age of first reproduction. In contrast, cutthroat trout, brown trout, and brook trout populations generally recovered from DDT sprayings in one to two years (Warner andFenderson 1962, Schoenthal 1963), because immigration can occur from residual populations upstream or downstream of affected areas. When recolonization sources are limited, however, impacts to and recovery of salmonids from DDT sprayings may be prolonged because of the bioaccumulation of DDT by the fish and remobilizadon of DDT at the onset of colder temperatures when fat reserves are metabolized.…”

Section: Fishmentioning

confidence: 99%

Overview of case studies on recovery of aquatic systems from disturbance

Niemi

DeVore

Detenbeck

et al. 1990

Environmental Management

373

247

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/ An extensive review of the published literature identified more than 150 case studies in which some aspect of resilience in freshwater systems was reported. Approximately 79% of systems studied were Iotic and the remainder lentic. Most of the stressor types were chemical with DDT (N = 29) and rotenone (N = 15) the most common. The most common nonchemical stressors were logging activity (N = 16), flooding (N = 8), dredging (N = 3), and drought (N = 7).The variety of endpoints to which recovery could be measured ranged from sparse data for phytoplankton (N = 13), periphyton (N = 6), and macrophytes (N = 8) to relatively more data for fish (N = 412) and macroinvertebrates (N = 698). Unfortunately the same characteristics were rarely measured consistently among sites. For example, with respect to fish, more than 30 different species were studied and recovery was measured in many ways, most commonly on the basis of: (1) first reappearance of the species, (2) return time of predisturbance densities, and (3) return time of predisturbance average individual size. Based on these criteria, all systems in these studies seem to be resilient to most disturbances with most recovery times being less than three years. Exceptions included when (1) the disturbance resulted in physical alteration of the existing habitat, (2) residual pollutants remained in the system, or (3) the system was isolated and recolonization was suppressed.The inherent capacity of an aquatic system to recover naturally from a stressor has been a neglected consideration in environmental assessments (Cairns 1978(Cairns , 1980. Primary reasons for this neglect are a lack of appreciation for the importance of recovery of an aquatic system following exposure to a stressor, and the lack of predisturbance data to properly assess whether a system has recovered. Most ecological research has focused on understanding how various stressors alter the chemical, physical, and biological function and structure of aquatic ecosystems. Once the effects are documented, funding generally has not been available to continue long-term studies of these systems (Likens 1983). Long-term studies of natural ecosystems are likely the only vehicle by which the recovery phase of a system can be understood.The lack of an appreciation for understanding the

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“…Distcnce ,(kin) mally high levels in brook trout tissue 3-16 months following treatment (Warner andFenderson 1962, Graham andScott 1958) and may have been responsible for delayed mortality observed in the fall and early winter when it was remobilized during metabolism of fat reserves (Graham 1958). The spatial extent of pulse disturbances affected recovery times by increasing the distance source populations must migrate to recolonize disturbed areas.…”

Section: Characteristics Of Pulse Disturbances Affecting Recovery Ratesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Anadromous fish present an extreme example of migratory controls on recovery. Following aerial spraying of DDT onto watersheds in Aroostook County, Maine, USA, recovery of brook trout populations to predisturbance densities required 4-5 yr (Warner and Fenderson 1962). The only source for repopulation of younger age classes was spawning of adult fish which require 4+ yr to mature.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Times for reappearance or recovery of population density following pulse disturbances did not differ significantly among members of different trophic guilds (benthic insectivores, omnivores, generalized insectivores, herbivore-detrivores, insectivore-piscivores; Kruskal-Wallis, P > 0.05). Fish species commonly switch to alternative prey items during initial phases of recovery (Kingsbury and Kreutzweiser 1987, Warner andFenderson 1962), and subsequent recolonization by macroinvertebrates is relatively rapid following pulse disturbances (Niemi and others 1990).Reproductive guilds vary by substrate type used for spawning, level of parental investment, degree of development of respiratory organs or adaptation to low dissolved oxygen levels in larval fish, and time of spawning (Table 3) (Balon 1975(Balon , 1984. Recovery times of spedes reappearance or population densities varied fignificanfly among the most common reproductive guilds represented in available data (Kruskal-WaUis, P < 0.05; see Figure 7A).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Recovery of temperate-stream fish communities from disturbance: A review of case studies and synthesis of theory

Detenbeck

DeVore

Niemi

et al. 1992

Environmental Management

218

219

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ABSTRACT/To evaluate the relative effect of autecologic factors, site-specific factors, disturbance characteristics, and community structure on the recovery of temperate-stream fish communities, we reviewed case histories for 49 sites and recorded data on 411 recovery end points. Most data were derived from studies of low-gradient third-or fourth-order temperate streams located in forested or agricultural watersheds. Species composition, species richness, and total density all recovered within one year for over 70% ot systems studied. Lotic fish communities were not resilient to press disturbances (e.g., mining, logging, channelization) in the absence of mitigation efforts (recovery time >5 to >52 yr) and in these cases recovery was limited by habitat quality. Following pulse disturbances, autecological factors, site-specific factors, and disturbance-specific factors all affected rates of recovery. Centrarchids and minnows were most resilient to disturbance, while salmonid populations were least resilient of all families considered. Species within rock-substrate/nest-spawning guilds required significantly longer time periods to either recolonize or reestablish predisturbance population densities than did species within other reproductive guilds. Recovery was enhanced by the presence of refugia but was delayed by barriers to migration, especially when source populations for recolonization were relatively distant. Median population recovery times for systems in which disturbances occurred during or immediately prior to spawning were significantly less than median recovery times for systems in which disturbances occurred immediately after spawning. There was little evidence for the influence of biotic interactions on recovery rates.While studies of the effect of natural and anthropogenie disturbances on fish populations are common, relatively few studies examine the recovery of fish populations and communities (Niemi and others 1990). Data on recovery rates of aquatic communities are necessary not only for establishing exceedance criteria for water quality standards (Platkin 1988), but also for testing current ecological theory (Resh and others 1988, Yount and. Theories concerning the role of biotic versus abiotic control of fish communities (Schoener 1987), the role of succession in streams (Fisher 1983), island biogeugraphy theory (Minshall and others 1983), life history strategies, zoogeographical constraints, the effects of euvironmenud wiriability, and the effect of food web complexity on the stability of fish communities (Horwi~ 1978, DeAngelis and others 1989, Poff and Ward 1990, Reice and others 1990 are all relevant to the study of recovery processes. In this study, we review case ifistories containing data orl iish recovery rates in temperate streams and explore the KEY WORDS: Fish; Recovery; Disturbance; Stream; Communities *Author to whom corres|xmdence should be addressed. application of theories of community ecology to these data.Early studies of the recovery process in streams considered only featu...

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Effects of DDT Spraying for Forest Insects on Maine Trout Streams

Cited by 25 publications

References 3 publications

Historical pesticide applications coincided with an altered diet of aerially foraging insectivorous chimney swifts

Historical pesticide applications coincided with an altered diet of aerially foraging insectivorous chimney swifts

Overview of case studies on recovery of aquatic systems from disturbance

Recovery of temperate-stream fish communities from disturbance: A review of case studies and synthesis of theory

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