Metal and proton toxicity to lake zooplankton: A chemical speciation based modelling approach

Abstract

The WHAM-F-_TOX model quantifies the combined toxic effects of protons and metal cations towards aquatic organisms through the toxicity function (F-_TOX), a linear combination of the products of organism-bound cation and a toxic potency coefficient for each cation. We describe the application of the model to predict an observable ecological field variable, species richness of pelagic lake crustacean zooplankton, studied with respect to either acidification or the impacts of metals from smelters. The fitted results give toxic potencies increasing in the order H+ < Al < Cu < Zn < Ni. In general, observed species richness is lower than predicted, but in some instances agreement is close, and is rarely higher than predictions. The model predicts recovery in agreement with observations for three regions, namely Sudbury (Canada), Bohemian Forest (Czech Republic) and a subset of lakes across Norway, but fails to predict observed recovery from acidification in Adirondack lakes (USA). (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords

Chemical speciation; Bioavailability; Recovery; Crustacean zooplankton; Lakes

Published in

Environmental Pollution
2014, volume: 186, pages: 115-125
Publisher: ELSEVIER SCI LTD

SLU Authors

• Löfgren, Stefan

  • Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Persson, Gunnar

  • Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

Associated SLU-program

Non-toxic environment
Lakes and watercourses
Biodiversity
Acidification
Use of FOMA data

Global goals (SDG)

SDG6 Clean water and sanitation
SDG14 Life below water

UKÄ Subject classification

Environmental Sciences
Ecology
Geochemistry

Publication identifier

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2013.11.012

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/53743