Response of Chesapeake Bay phytoplankton communities to low levels of toxic substances

Sanders, James G.; Cibik, S. J.

doi:10.1016/0025-326x(88)90399-2

Cited by 29 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Fisher and Frood [30] found a similar relationship between growth rate and cellular load of copper in four species of diatoms, and Sanders and Cibik [31] reported a decline in the abundance of large centric diatoms when natural communities were exposed to arsenic. However, diatom species are known to show differential responses to toxicants; small diatoms are favored under arsenic exposure, whereas chain‐forming centric diatoms proliferated after silver inputs [31]. We also detected this differential response.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Effect of copper on the photochemical efficiency, growth, and chlorophyllAbiomass of natural phytoplankton assemblages

Perez

Estévez-Blanco

Beiras

et al. 2006

Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry

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In this investigation, we have tested the potential usefulness of variable fluorescence, i.e., the potential photochemical efficiency of photosystem II (F(v)/F(m)), determined with a fast repetition rate fluorometer (FRRF), as an indicator of the effect of metal pollution on natural phytoplankton assemblages. Phytoplankton populations were collected from an eutrophic embayment and exposed to different copper concentrations within the ppb range for 4 d. Enhanced photosynthesis was found for Cu concentrations of 10 and 20 microg/L, at very short exposure times (1 and 5 h). However, after 72 h even at 10 microg/L of Cu, F(v)/F(m)-values were significantly lower than those measured in the control. The highest Cu concentration tested (80 microg/L) caused a statistically significant decrease of F(v)/F(m) after 5 h. This response was contrasted with parallel determinations of chlorophyll a concentration, measurements of photosynthetic O2 production rates, and changes in the taxonomic composition and size structure of the microplankton communities. A reduction in overall particle size was found at Cu concentrations of 80 and 40 microg/L. Enhanced abundance of flagellates and the diatom Pseudonitzschia pungens was observed at 20 microg/L of copper. This study demonstrates the utility of this methodological approach as a rapid, nondestructive way for detecting trace-metal toxicity on natural phytoplankton.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Effect of copper on the photochemical efficiency, growth, and chlorophyllAbiomass of natural phytoplankton assemblages

Perez

Estévez-Blanco

Beiras

et al. 2006

Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry

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“…As a result, larger organisms have longer half-lives for chemicals in the body and higher tissue bioaccumulations, and seem thus more sensitive to stress conditions than small species. In addition, Sanders and Cibik (1988) showed in laboratory experiments that contamination with arsenic and silver would induce a decrease in average diatom size.…”

Section: Evolution Of Diatom Communitiesmentioning

confidence: 97%

Recovery potential of periphytic biofilms translocated in artificial streams after industrial contamination (Cd and Zn)

et al. 2012

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Metal wastes can significantly disturb aquatic communities, particularly photosynthetic organisms, the main primary producers in freshwater running ecosystems. In this study, biofilms and diatoms were used as bioindicators to characterize the kinetics of biofilm recovery. An experimental decontamination study was conducted under laboratory conditions, after biofilm colonisation at a site subject to discharge of industrial metals (Zn and Cd) and in parallel at an upstream site, metal-free, considered as a control. After 24 days of colonisation, biofilms were translocated and maintained in the laboratory for 56 days under clean conditions (control and decontamination) or metal contamination. Various tests were conducted from the community level--measures of metal bioaccumulation, cell densities and taxonomic investigations, to the individual level--measures of teratological forms. After 56 days of decontamination, Zn and Cd concentrations in decontaminated biofilms showed a sharp decline, respectively ranging from 6.7 ± 2 to 4 ± 2.5 mg Zn g⁻¹ DW and from 207.6 ± 24.5 to 45.4 ± 9.9 μg Cd g⁻¹ DW. However, at the end of the experiment bioaccumulations remained significantly higher than concentrations in control biofilms. Despite a diatom evolution in biofilm assemblages, taxonomic inventories did not demonstrate a complete restoration of diatom communities in biofilms under decontamination conditions compared with controls, since metal-resistant species initially present after colonisation at the contaminated site, such as Eolimna minima, persisted in high abundance in decontaminated biofilms. Biofilms kept under metal pressure showed very high bioaccumulation capacities and a sharp decline of species diversity which allowed identification of some resistant species. Regarding these first results on the behaviour of diatom biofilms under experimental decontamination conditions, improvement of the natural hydrosystem's chemical state appears quickly, but an eventual return to good ecological status appears delayed, with the persistence of metal-tolerant species even after 56 days.

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“…At an irradiance of 20 p E M-2 s -1, growth rates in the Westerschelde calculated as qc (Fig . 7b) Francisco Bay (Alpine & Cloern, 1988), an environment that is heavily polluted with toxic metals (Luoma & Phillips, 1988 showed that increasing amounts of inorganic toxicants stimulated the development from larger towards smaller phytoplankton species (Sanders & Cibik, 1988). Eutrophication and waste water discharge may have a similar effect upon phytoplankton size distribution (Marshall & Lacouture, 1986) .…”

Section: Pollutionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial and temporal variation in community composition and photosynthetic characteristics of phytoplankton in the upper Westerschelde estuary (Belgium, SW Netherlands)

et al. 1993

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Community composition, biomass and primary production of phytoplankton were studied in the easternmost section of the Westerschelde estuary in 1984 . Photosynthetic characteristics were compared with distribution of some dominant phytoplankton species along a salinity gradient from 5 to 22% . . Spring phytoplankton, with Cyclotella meneghiniana (freshwater) and Skeletonema costatum (marine) as the dominant species grew faster than summer phytoplankton . In summer, biomass achieved its maximum, due to the riverine Scenedesmus species and the marine diatoms Thalassiosira levanderi and Ditylum brightwellii, as dominants . Growth conditions were more favourable to phytoplankton communities above 15%., than below this salinity . The data were compared with previous studies (1972) of species composition in the area .

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Response of Chesapeake Bay phytoplankton communities to low levels of toxic substances

Cited by 29 publications

References 10 publications

Effect of copper on the photochemical efficiency, growth, and chlorophyllAbiomass of natural phytoplankton assemblages

Effect of copper on the photochemical efficiency, growth, and chlorophyllAbiomass of natural phytoplankton assemblages

Recovery potential of periphytic biofilms translocated in artificial streams after industrial contamination (Cd and Zn)

Spatial and temporal variation in community composition and photosynthetic characteristics of phytoplankton in the upper Westerschelde estuary (Belgium, SW Netherlands)

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