Utility of field-based artificial streams for assessing effluent effects on riverine ecosystems

Experimentation using field-based artificial streams provides a promising, complimentary approach to biomonitoring assessments because artificial streams provide control over relevant environmental variables and true replication of treatments. We have used large and small artificial stream systems, based in the field, to examine the effect of treated bleached kraft pulp mill effluent (BKME) on the benthos of three large rivers in western Canada. Under natural regimes of temperature, water chemistry, and insolation, these artificial streams provide current velocities and substrata to food chains or food webs that are representative of those in the study river. With these tools we have shown that BKME stimulated mayfly growth in the Thompson River above that which could be accounted for by fertilization of their algal food supply. In contrast, moulting frequency was inhibited at high BKME concentrations. Results from artificial streams also indicate that increased algal biomass and abundances of benthic communities downstream of BKME outfalls were induced by nutrient enrichment from the effluent. BKME treatments did not change diatom species richness in the Fraser River, or diatom species diversity in either the Athabasca or Fraser Rivers. Artificial streams provide a means of understanding the mechanisms of stressor effects over a continuum ranging from single stressor effects on specific taxa to the effects of multiple stressors on communities and ecosystems. Because riverside deployment provides environmental realism within a replicated experimental design, this approach can (i) address questions that cannot be examined using laboratory tests or field observations, (ii) improve our mechanistic understanding of stressor effects on riverine ecosystems, and (iii) can contribute directly to the development, parameterization, and testing of models for predicting ecosystem-level responses.     

A food web based hypothesis for the survival vs. weight relationship of rainbow trout in an experimental stream study with bleached kraft mill effluent

A series of experimental streams studies carried out with biologically treated bleached kraft mill effluent (BKME) and rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss included a variety of fish health parameters. There was a pattern of larger but fewer fish in BKME exposed streams. To determine if reduced fish numbers was a detrimental effect, we examined the relationship between number and weight for control and BKME exposed streams for the 9‐month effluent exposures of 1.3–5.1% v/v. A regression analysis indicated that fish numbers decreased at a similar rate for corresponding fish size in both control and BKME‐exposed streams. A dose‐response relationship for effluent and fish number was not found, indicating that reduced fish number was not a direct expression of toxicity. The factors which induced BKME‐exposed fish populations to tend toward fewer but larger fish were not determined but are hypothesized to relate to BKME food web stimulation, a related enhancement in trout growth, and a corresponding reduction in fish number.     

Effect of bleached kraft pulp mill effluent on hepatic biotransformation reactions in vendace (Coregonus albula L.)

1. The effect of bleached kraft pulp mill effluent (BKME) on xenobiotic biotransformation enzyme activities in the liver of vendace (Coregonus albula L.) was studied by exposing some fish in field laboratory tanks at 0, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.5% (v/v) effluent concentrations of BKME corresponding to 0-0.08 toxic units and others in clean water as controls. 2. Slight increase (57%, 68%) in polysubstrate monooxygenase enzyme activities, measured as benzo(a)pyrene hydroxylase and 7-ethoxycoumarin O-deethylase activities, was observed in a dose related manner after 70 days of exposure to 0.5% concentration of BKME. 3. Highest increase was observed at 0.2% effluent concentration after 120 days of exposure, measured as benzo(a)pyrene hydroxylase activity. 4. BKME had an affect on UDPglucuronosyltransferase, at the beginning (14-70 days) by decreasing and in longer exposure (120 days) by slightly increasing the activity.     

The effects of pulp mill effluent on the sex steroid binding protein in white sucker (Catostomus commersoni) and longnose sucker (C catostomus)

The objective of this study was to characterize the effects of pulp mill effluent on the properties of the sex steroid binding protein (SBP) in the plasma of white sucker (Catostomus commersoni) and longnose sucker (C. catostomus). SBPs which specifically bind estradiol and testosterone with high affinity (k(D) approximately 3 nM) and low capacity (B(max) approximately 73-81 nM) were identified in both species. Subsequent studies determined if the properties of the SBP in white sucker exposed to bleached kraft mill effluent (BKME) at Terrace Bay, ON, and in longnose sucker exposed to BKME at Grande Prairie, AB. differed from appropriate reference fish. There were no effects of BKME exposure on the binding affinity (k(D)) of the SBP in either species, but there was a significant increase in the binding capacity (B(max)) of longnose sucker SBP exposed to BKME. The livers of nai;ve white sucker exposed to effluent at Terrace Bay or a bleached sulfite/groundwood mill in Edmundston, NB, rapidly accumulated compounds of differing hydrophobicity that bound to both the white sucker and goldfish (Carassius auratus) SBP. Conversely, there was reduced accumulation of SBP ligands in the bile of effluent-exposed fish. We have demonstrated that constituents present within pulp mill effluent bind to both the white sucker and goldfish SBP, and that native species residing downstream of pulp mill effluents may experience modifications in the properties of their SBP.     

Intersex and other reproductive disruption of fish in wastewater effluent dominated Colorado streams

Intersex white suckers (Catostomus commersoni) were collected in Boulder Creek and the South Platte River downstream of wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent but not at reference sites. Eighty-three percent of the 60 white suckers collected downstream of the Boulder WWTP in spring and fall were female compared to 45% upstream (n=33). Only female (n=16) and intersex white suckers (n=4) were collected in the South Platte River downstream of the Denver WWTP in the spring. Gonad deformities and delayed follicular maturation were noted in some white suckers in Boulder Creek and the South Platte River downstream of the WWTP effluents. Asynchronous ovarian development was found in some female white suckers downstream of the WWTP effluents, but not upstream. The types and extent of sexual disruption differed in each river studied.     

Interactive effects of nutrients and contaminants from pulp mill effluents on riverine benthos

Bleached kraft mill effluents (BKME) contain both nutrients(nitrogen and phosphorus) and contaminants that can have a stimulatoryor inhibitory effect on riverine food webs. For the Northern RiverBasins Study (NRBS), separation of the effects of nutrients andcontaminants in BKME was an important issue because field biomonitoringwas unable to isolate these impacts. We addressed this problem by usingriverside mesocosm experiments, along with field observations, todetermine the effects of BKME on benthic food webs of the upperAthabasca River near Hinton, Alberta, Canada. Response variablesincluded periphyton biomass, benthic insect density and composition, andthe biomass of abundant invertebrates (i.e., caddisfly, mayfly andstonefly taxa). Experiments were conducted during autumn when nutrientenhancement was hypothesized to increase autochthonous primaryproduction as a result of low river discharge and high water clarity.Treatments included reference river water, 1% BKMEconcentrations, and nutrients (nitrogen plus phosphorus) equivalent tothe 1% BKME treatment. Although pulp mill effluents can inducesublethal toxicity in benthic biota, BKME concentrations equivalent tolevels in the Athabasca River did not cause measurable toxicity.Relative to reference water treatments, BKME-associated increases inavailable phosphorus produced enrichment effects including increases inperiphyton and insect biomass, and invertebrate abundance. Insect familyrichness was not affected by the treatments. The development andapplication of a field-based artificial stream system for the NRBSimproved our mechanistic understanding of the effects of BKME on benthicbiota of nutrient and contaminant stressors. By combining artificialstream results with field observations, we were also able to link thismechanistic understanding of stressor effects directly to impacts in theriver. We conclude that the response to BKME in the Peace-AthabascaBasin is largely one of nutrient enrichment rather than that oftoxicity.     

黄河流域鱼类食性同资源种团的时空变化

鱼类资源保护是黄河流域生态保护和高质量发展的重要环节.通过历史资料整理和野外调查发现,1960-2019年,黄河流域共分布鱼类16目35科201种.其中,鲤形目物种数最多,占比60.7％;鲈形目次之,占比10.0％.1960-1980年分布鱼类15目28科182种;1980-2019年分布鱼类10目23科112种.源区...     

The potential trade‐off between artisanal fisheries production and hydroelectricity generation on the Kafue River,Zambia

1. Freshwater resource managers are increasingly obligated to consider the impacts of large river engineering projects on ecosystem services. We evaluated the effect of altered water regime from the operation of a large dam on the production of the downstream tropical floodplain fishery of the Kafue River, Zambia. We compared the benefits of increased hydropower relative to potentially lost fishery production. 2. We compiled a long‐term data set consisting of experimental gillnet catches, artisanal harvesting effort and monthly river flows for 25 years prior to and 29 years after the 1977 completion of the upstream Itezhi‐Tezhi Dam. As a metric of the flood regime, we calculated a canonical correlation score for each hydrological year before and after dam closure. For the period following dam construction, we used the Muskingum method of flood routing to estimate ‘no‐dam’ flows through the fishery area and downstream hydroelectric turbines at the Kafue Gorge Dam. 3. We compared 16 alternative models of catch per unit effort (CPUE) with and without an effect of water regime on fish population growth rate. Using the two best fitting models, we estimated the total observed fishery harvest and simulated ‘no‐dam’ fisheries harvest and found no significant effect of altered water regime on fishery production. 4. We estimate that the large upstream dam increases downstream hydropower production by about $18 million USD per annum. The reduction in fishery production caused by the altered water regime is not significantly different than zero, although the average reduction amounts to about $2.3 million annually. The total estimated value of harvest ranges from $1.3 million to $56 million annually. 5. Large observed declines in fish abundance over the 54‐year study period are attributed primarily with similarly large increases in total fishing effort in this mostly open‐access artisanal fishery. 6. These results contrast with other examples of the effects of flow alteration on fish, probably because levels of fisheries exploitation on the Kafue River are very high relative to better studied regions on other continents; our focus on the whole fish community; and the unprecedented length of the time series we considered. If the goal is to sustain fishery production, investments in altering flow regime are likely to be less effective than investments to decrease fishing effort.     

The growth of juvenile Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., and brown trout, Salmo trutta L., in a Scottish river system subject to cooling-water discharge

The River Fiddich, a tributary of the R. Spey in north-east Scotland, is a spawning river for both Atlantic salmon and brown trout. Warm cooling water effluent is discharged from several distilleries at different points in the lower reaches and raises the temperature of the river 1–3°C above ambient for most of the year. Salmon and trout grow more rapidly in this region than further upstream, and juvenile salmon generally migrate a year earlier, as 2 + smolts. Available data were too few to determine whether there was a similar difference for trout. Similar studies on the R. Dullan, a tributary of the Fiddich, and on the Cromdale Burn in the same area, confirmed that the growth rate of fish is faster downstream from distillery discharge points. It is suggested that increased invertebrate production may influence the growth rate.     

Biotransformation enzymes in fish as tools for biomonitoring aquatic environment

Biotransformation in fish--as in mammals--is catalyzed by several enzymes. These convert liposoluble endogenous and exogenous substrates to more water-soluble compounds prior to excretion. The biotransformation enzymes are induced by environmental pollutants. The induction can be expected to precede the onset of more serious changes at higher organization levels. We have studied the effect of petroleum from a ship spill and bleached kraft mill effluent on hepatic biotransformation enzyme activities of local fish species perch (Perca fluviatilis) and vedace (Coregonus albula) in Finland. Four months after the petroleum spill an elevated level of monoxygenase as well as glutathione S-transferase enzyme activities was seen in perch. Afterwards the difference between the control perch and the exposed ones disappeared. Bleached kraft mill effluent had effect on hepatic biotransformation in vendace. Increasing exposure time and effluent concentration elevated the activities.     

Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) vitellogenin: purification and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detection of endocrine disruption by papermill effluent

Vitellogenin (VTG) is a highly specific marker of exposure to environmental estrogens and has been used extensively in field and laboratory studies of estrogenic endocrine disruption in fishes. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a sensitive, competitive, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) specific for bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) vitellogenin. Bluegill VTG was purified by anion exchange chromatography on DEAE-agarose. The polypeptide had an apparent mass of 170 kDa and was specifically recognized by the rabbit antiserum raised against bluegill female-specific plasma protein. Plasma samples from vitellogenic females diluted in parallel with the purified VTG standard curve in the ELISA. The detection limit of the assay was 29 ng/ml and the working range extended to 2700 ng/ml. Recovery of purified VTG was 85.8+/-9.5%, intra-assay variation was 6.4% and interassay variation was 12.3%. We used this ELISA to analyze the seasonal cycle of vitellogenesis in female bluegill and to evaluate potential disruption of this process by exposure to bleached kraft mill effluent (BKME). Captive female bluegill stocked in outdoor experimental streams in New Bern, NC had the lowest levels of VTG, estradiol-17beta (E2), and testosterone (T) and the smallest oocyte diameters in January, but these variables increased in March and remained elevated through August, suggesting an extended spawning season. Plasma VTG, E2, T and oocyte diameter were unaffected by exposure to BKME concentrations as high as 30%. Development of the VTG ELISA allowed rapid and convenient analysis of plasma samples to evaluate exposure to potential endocrine disrupting compounds.     

Physiological stress response of Mountain Whitefish (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Prosopium williamsoni</Emphasis>) and White Sucker (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Catostomus commersoni)</Emphasis> sampled along a gradient of temperature and agrichemicals in the Oldman River,Alberta

Species differences in tolerance to environmental stressors can contribute to differences in species distribution and abundance along river gradients. Climate change and intensive agriculture are likely to have major effects on fish populations in temperate zones, yet understanding of the interactions between temperature and chemical stressors on fish physiology is limited. The objective of this study was to compare the stress responses of the Mountain Whitefish, (Prosopium williamsoni, a cold-water fish) and White Sucker (Catostomus commersoni, a cool-water fish), along a temperature and pesticide gradient in the Oldman River, Southern Alberta in spring and summer. Fish were seined, placed into an enclosure, and plasma cortisol, glucose, liver glycogen, and condition factor were measured. Plasma acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity was used as an indicator of exposure to organophosphate and carbamates pesticides. Whitefish had lower plasma AChE activity and lower liver glycogen reserves compared to suckers at all sites and all sampling times but the differences in plasma cortisol were not species-specific and there were no differences in plasma glucose levels, except at one site. Plasma cortisol increased, and plasma glucose decreased along a downstream river gradient in whitefish in both spring and summer; in sucker only plasma cortisol fluctuated and only in the summer. Liver glycogen decreased along the river gradient in both species at both seasons. Our study detected important species-specific differences in AChE activities and responses of the physiological stress axis, suggesting that whitefish are more sensitive to temperature and pesticide stress than suckers.     

Short Term Effects of Tucuruí Dam (Amazonia, Brazil) on the Trophic Organization of Fish Communities

A dam on a river course induces numerous changes in the aquatic environment both in the newly formed reservoir and in the river downstream. These changes modify the food resources available to fishes. As a consequence, fish communities undergo rapid transformations particularly in terms of trophic organization. Tucuruí Dam, closed on the Tocantins River, Brazil, in September 1984, formed a large reservoir of approximately 2200km². Analyses of fish stomach contents were performed before and after the completion of the dam in the downstream section of the river as well as in the reservoir. Resource availability was seen through the relative contribution of food items in supporting the biomass. Main changes caused by the dam consisted of an increase in fishes as a food resource and of a parallel decrease of sediment both in the reservoir and in the downstream part of the river. In addition, in the downstream section, the relative contribution of plankton as a food resource diminished after dam closure. We identified 8 feeding regimes before dam closure. From them the trophic structure of fish communities were established and compared. Most of the community biomass was from specialist feeders. Contribution of piscivores increased after closure; planktivores became unimportant after closure downstream. Some species were shown to change their diet in the transformed environments either downstream or in the reservoir. However, these changes in individual species diet did not seem to play a major role in the transformation of trophic structure of the fish communities.     

水坝拆除对黑水河鱼类群落结构和空间分布的影响

水坝拆除引起河流连通性、水动力、河流地貌等一系列变化,直接影响了鱼类群落结构和空间分布。黑水河为金沙江左岸一级支流,其上共建四级电站,出于支流生境恢复需求,第四级水坝老木河水坝于2018年12月实行拆除。为探明低水头坝拆除对鱼类群落的影响,结合2018年6月和2019年6月黑水河下游60.4km河段10个点位的渔获物调查,对拆坝前后鱼类群落结构和生态类型变化、优势物种与单位捕捞努力量以及不同河段间的群落相似性进行了分析。结果表明,水坝拆除半年后优势物种仍以鲤科和鳅科为主,但物种数和丰度整体上增加;生态类型上以杂食、喜急流和产微粘性卵鱼为主;拆坝后鱼类群落空间分布变化明显,靠近河口的自然河段鱼类上溯洄游到原坝址的上下游,部分长江上游特有鱼类在原坝址附近发生定殖行为,且拆坝后各河段的鱼类组成结构有同质化趋势。总体上,老木河水坝的拆除对黑水河下游的鱼类群落结构和空间分布产生了积极的影响。     

Estimating species richness and catch per unit effort from boat electro‐fishing in a lowland river in temperate Australia

Abstract Biodiversity estimates are typically a function of sampling effort and in this regard it is important to develop an understanding of taxon‐specific sampling requirements. Northern hemisphere studies have shown that estimates of riverine fish diversity are related to sampling effort, but such studies are lacking in the southern hemisphere. We used a dataset obtained from boat electro‐fishing the fish community along an essentially continuous 13‐km reach of the Murrumbidgee River, Australia, to investigate sampling effort effects on fish diversity estimates. This represents the first attempt to investigate relationships between sampling effort and the detection of fish species in a large lowland river in Australia. Seven species were recorded. Species‐specific patterns in catch per unit effort were evident and are discussed in terms of solitary and gregarious species, recreational fishing and the monitoring of rare and threatened species. There was a requirement to sample substantial lengths of river to describe total species richness of the fish community in this river reach. To this end, randomly allocated sampling effort and use of species richness estimators produced accurate estimates of species richness without the requirement for excessive levels of effort. Twenty operations were required to estimate species richness at this site, highlighting the need for comparable studies of river fish communities in lowland rivers elsewhere in Australia and the southern hemisphere.     

Geomorphological characteristics of the Wabash River,USA: Influence on fish assemblages

River hydrogeomorphology is a potential predictor of ecosystem and assemblage variation. We tested for fish assemblage variation as a function of hydrogeomorphology in a Midwestern US large river, the Wabash River. Fish data were classified by taxonomy and traits and we tested if assemblages varied with river hydrogeomorphology or river distance, defined into 10‐km distinct reaches. Three unique geomorphological units, Functional Process Zones (FPZ), were identified using an ArcGIS hydrogeomorphic model, based primarily on channel width, floodplain width, and down valley slope. Five locations were identified as FPZ A with narrow stream channel, high down valley slope, and an expansive floodplain. Ten locations were identified as FPZ B with a wide river channel and wide floodplain. Thirty‐five locations were identified as FPZ C with wide river channel and a constrained floodplain. The sites were categorized into three stream orders: 5, 6, and 7. We found hydrogeomorphology classified by unique FPZs or by river distance influenced taxonomic and functional fish assemblages for the Wabash River. There was high overlap among fish occurrences among FPZs, but nine species resulted as significant indicators of specific FPZs. Five traits were significant indicators of FPZs: an intermediate Swim Factor score, medium tolerance to silt, small‐large stream size preference, and two Shape Factor categories. Our conclusions are that fish assemblages respond strongly to local geomorphology and river distance, fitting the riverine ecosystem synthesis and the river continuum concept.     

Impact of municipal effluents and hydrological regime on myxozoan parasite communities of fish

Increased productivity from sewage effluents can enhance species richness locally. Results from a study of spottail shiners (Notropis hudsonius) in 1999 showed that prevalence and the mean number of myxozoan parasite species per host were higher downstream of the wastewater outflow from the Island of Montreal than upstream in the St. Lawrence River, Quebec, Canada. This was attributed to organic enrichment of the sediments which presumably lead to increased densities of oligochaetes, the alternate hosts, downstream of Montreal. Spottail shiners subsequently were collected every August/early September in 2001–2004 to examine the stability and repeatability of these patterns. Prevalence and mean number of myxozoan species per fish typically were again higher downstream of the sewage source each year compared to upstream, although there was no significant difference in these measurements pooled across years between localities immediately upstream and downstream of the effluent outflow. Density of the oligochaete Limnodrilus hoffmeistereri, a common alternate host of myxozoans, was much higher at two downstream localities than at an upstream one. At a larger spatial scale, mean myxozoan infracommunity richness across sites in the St. Lawrence River was negatively correlated with mean water levels measured in the 3 months prior to fish sampling. Results suggest that on a local scale, variations in prevalence and diversity among localities are influenced by municipal effluents, but that at a landscape scale annual variations across sites are affected by the hydrological regime and climate. In effect, water level fluctuation had a landscape-wide impact that was superimposed over pollution-induced local variations.     

Postglacial dispersal of longnose suckers, Catostomus catostomus, in the Mackenzie and Yukon Drainages

The role played by stream transfers and reversals in the postglacial dispersal of fish populations in the Yukon and Mackenzie River drainages of Canada was analysed using genetic and meristic data from longnose sucker (Catostomus catostomus Forrester) populations. The hypothesis the suckers dispersed from the Yukon River into the Mackenzie River via the Peel River was evaluated. Meristic data (gill rakers and lateral line scales) were uninformative for this analysis. Genetic affinity between the Yukon River and upper Peel River populations, and between Mackenzie and lower Peel River populations is suggested by transferrin allele frequencies. These affinities support the view that longnose suckers inhabiting the middle and upper regions of the Peel River are derived from Beringian and Mississippian ancestors, while suckers in the lower Peel are descended from Mississippian stock. Evidence for dispersal by way of the Eagle River was not found. Affinities of sucker populations in other river systems in the region are also described.     

Biotic interactions enhance survival and fitness in the caddisfly <Emphasis Type="Italic">Micropterna sequax</Emphasis> (Trichoptera: Limnephilidae)

Fish-based index of biotic integrity (F-IBI) is widely used to assess river ecosystems. With survey data from the Yellow River fishery resources in the 1980s and 2008, fish composition and abundance, vertical distribution, trophic structure, reproductive guilds and tolerance in the river’s upstream, midstream, downstream, and estuary were examined, and F-IBI systems were established for each reach to assess river ecosystem health. Results showed that compared to the 1980s, the number of fish species in 2008 sharply declined in the midstream and downstream reaches, percentage of benthic fish species decreased in upstream and estuary, the number and percentage of omnivorous species decreased in all reaches, and percentage of tolerant fish species increased 15 times in upstream but decreased in midstream and downstream. The F-IBI scores in the four reaches in the 1980s were all higher than those in 2008 and decreased from upstream to estuary; the healthy conditions indicated by F-IBI scores in the 1980s were “good,” “fair,” “poor,” and “fair” from upstream to estuary and “degraded” to “poor” in all the reaches in 2008. This indicated that the river ecosystem has degraded from the 1980s to 2008. This was also shown by variations in water chemistry.     

Movement of Sacramento Sucker, Catostomus occidentalis, and Hitch, Lavinia exilicauda, during a Spring Release of Water from Camanche Dam in the Mokelumne River, California

Synopsis We recorded the movement of Sacramento suckers, Catostomus occidentalis, and hitch, Lavinia exilicauda, before and during a controlled flood release on a regulated California Central Valley River, using radio telemetry. Both species made small, local movements (<550 m) during pre-flood flows. During flood releases, some individual suckers made significantly larger movements (>8100 m) both up and downstream of pre-flood flow locations within the main channel while others did not. In contrast, increased flows did not significantly influence hitch movement from a side-channel pool. Sacramento suckers tended to move upstream during flow increases and downstream during flow reductions while no strong relationship for hitch was apparent. These data show that native Central Valley fishes may exhibit a variety of responses to flow change, including schooling and spawning activity, movements to refugia from higher velocities and no marked change. Managers must take into account life history, age and timing associated with specific species when implementing controlled flow strategies.