Evaluation of Bioassays Versus Contaminant Concentrations in Explaining the Macroinvertebrate Community Structure in the Rhine-Meuse Delta, the Netherlands

Abstract

It is often assumed that bioassays are better descriptors of sediment toxicity than toxicant concentrations and that ecological factors are more important than toxicants in structuring macroinvertebrate communities. In the period 1992 to 1995, data were collected in the enclosed Rhine-Meuse delta, The Netherlands, on macroinvertebrates, sediment toxicity, sediment contaminant concentrations, and ecological factors. The effect of various groups of pollutants (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, trace metals, oil, polychlorinated biphenyls) and of ecological variables on the structure of the macroinvertebrate community were quantified. Ecological factors explained 17.3% of the macroinvertebrate variation, while contaminants explained 13.8%. Another 14.7% was explained by the covariation between ecological variables and contaminants. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons explained a larger part of the variation than trace metals. The contributions of oil and polychlorinated biphenyls were small but significant. Elevated contaminant concentrations were significantly associated with differences in the macroinvertebrate food web structure. The response in bioassays (Vibrio fischeri, Daphnia magna, Chironomus riparius) was susceptible to certain contaminants but also to certain ecological factors. There was a weak correlation between in situ species composition and bioassays; 1.9% of in situ macroinvertebrate variation was explained by the bioassay responses. This seems to contradict the validity of using bioassays for a system-oriented risk assessment. Possible reasons for this discrepancy might be the manipulations of the sediment before the test and a higher pollutant tolerance of the in situ macroinvertebrates. Thus, macroinvertebrate field surveys and laboratory bioassays yield different types of information on ecotoxicological effects, and both are recommended in sediment risk assessment procedures.

Trace metal availability and effects on benthic community structure in floodplain lakes

“…Percentages of explained variation by environmental and pollution variables are in the same range as found in other studies. In the Dutch Rhine-Meuse Delta and Dutch river branches, 45 to 72% of the variation in species composition could be explained by ecological and contaminant variables together [14].…”

Assessing condition of macroinvertebrate communities and sediment toxicity in the St. Lawrence River at Massena Area-of-Concern

“…Prior work also indicated that habitat was a main driver of benthic communities in the Massena AOC (USFWS, 1979) and noted the relationship between habitat alteration and macroinvertebrate populations in the St. Lawrence River (Patch and Busch, 1986). Other investigations have found that habitat comparability is a critical requirement for assessing sediment-dwelling macroinvertebrate communities (Bond et al, 2014;Breneman et al, 2000;Cummins and Lauff, 1969;Panis et al, 1995;Peeters et al, 2001;Simpson et al, 1986;Smit et al, 1995). Reinhold-Dudok van Heel and den Besten (1999) used a similar substrate-classification approach (grouped sites by grain size and organic matter) to control for sediment heterogeneity while evaluating the impacts of contamination on macroinvertebrate communities.…”

“…Historical data collected by the NYSDEC Stream Biomonitoring Unit and others, however, indicate that benthic community structure was not necessarily correlated with the presence of PCBs (Novak et al, 1988;Peeters et al, 2001). The Grasse River contains a 7.2-mile stretch of unremediated PCB-contaminated sediments originating from the ALCOA plant at the uppermost point in the AOC (http:// www.thegrasseriver.com/index.html, accessed September 5, 2013).…”

Environmental risk assessment on aquatic-terrestrial gradients in a freshwater tidal area

“…Test materials Reinhold-Dudok van Heel and Den Besten (1999) and Peeters et al (2001) provide an extended description of the area selected for this study. Sediments and soils were sampled in 1999 along two sites comprising gradients of aquatic to terrestrial locations: 1) shallow water, 2) shallow water with reeds, 3) an intertidal mud flat, 4) reed vegetation, and 5) a marsh forest.…”

“…Because of seasonal high river discharges, the area is flooded once or twice each year, having caused widespread contamination of the terrestrial as well as the aquatic environment. Previous studies indicated serious environmental risks in the aquatic environment (Den Besten et al, 1995;Peeters et al, 2001), but little or no information is available concerning the terrestrial environment. With the decrease of industrial and domestic contamination over the past decades (Admiraal et al, 1993), the overall quality of newly deposited sediments in the river Rhine has improved.…”