The Ecological Consequences of Emerging Contaminants

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The Ecological Consequences of Emerging
Contaminants

• Jill Baron
• Ecological Society of America
• And
• U.S. Geological Survey

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Ecosystem Services

• The conditions and processes by which natural
  ecosystems, and the species that make them up,
  sustain and fulfill human life.

Daily, 1997 Natures Services
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Ecosystem ServicesShort-Term Benefits

• Drinking water
• Food supply
• Flood Control
• Purification of human, agricultural and
  industrial wastes
• Habitat for plant and animal life

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Ecosystem ServicesLong-Term Benefits

• Sustained provision of goods and services
• Adaptive capacity to respond to future
  alterations and disturbances

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Contaminants Interferewith ecosystem function

• By reducing the health and reproductive success
  of species (H)
• Perhaps by altering food web dynamics, predator
  prey dynamics, and nutrient cycling (L)

Ultimately, ecosystem services required by
society may be affected
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Contaminants Affect Organism Health

• Through Disruption of
• Neurological
• Endocrine
• Immune
• Reproductive
• Behavioral
• Processes and Functions

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Secondary Sex CharacteristicsMasculinization of
Gambusia Environmental Androgen Exposure
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Bioindicators of Reproductive/Endocrine Function
and EDC ExposurePlasma estradiol in female fish
and EDC exposure effects.
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Atrazine may be a significant endocrine disruptor
in fish
Program Review, Feb. 25 28, 2002
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• - River otters from Puget Sound had smaller
  testes and reduced baculum size and weight.
• this organ hypoplasia correlated with
  organochlorines, PCBs, dioxins furans.
• - work is continuing to ID chemical causes and
  mode of action.

Program Review, Feb. 25 28, 2002
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Catfish with deformities (above) and tumors
(right)
Program Review, Feb. 25 28, 2002
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Atlantic salmon exposed to low levels of
pesticides and endocrine-disrupting chemicals
in their freshwater juvenile stage may have
reduced survival at sea. Atrazine reduces fish
ability to physiologically adapt to saline
conditions, causing mortality. Bay of Fundy
atlantic salmon populations are only 1 of
historical numbers, while pesticides and other
organic chemicals are high from agricultural
runoff.
W. Fairchild, Fisheries and Oceans Canada
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Physiological Disruption Propagates up to Higher
Levels
from Porter, et al. 1999, Toxicol. and Indust.
Health
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Non-Effluent Stream Percentage of Total Biovolume

• Algal Genus
• Navicula
• Aphanacapsa
• Synedra
• Sphaerocystis
• Chlamydomonas

Loss of Rare Genera
Wilson, Smith, deNoyelles, Larive, Univ. KS
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Non-Effluent Stream Percentage of Total Biovolume

• Algal Genus
• Navicula
• Aphanacapsa
• Synedra
• Sphaerocystis
• Chlamydomonas

Increase in Synedra (diatom)
Wilson, Smith, deNoyelles, Larive, Univ. KS
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Non-Effluent Stream Percentage of Total Biovolume

• Algal Genus
• Navicula
• Aphanacapsa
• Synedra
• Sphaerocystis
• Chlamydomonas

Switch to dominance by cyanobacteria
Wilson, Smith, deNoyelles, Larive, Univ. KS
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A Simplified Lake Food Web
Fish
Zooplankton
Phytoplankton
Ciliates Flagellates
Bacteria
Benthic Algae
Benthic Invertebrates
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Summary

• Some compounds affect physiology at extremely low
  concentrations.
• We know hardly anything about the toxicology of
  most new chemicals on plants and animals.
• We know less than that about effects to
  populations, communities, ecosystems.

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Near Gary, Indiana
Program Review, Feb. 25 28, 2002
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Summary

• Emerging contaminants are an area of concern in
  addition to contaminants that are somewhat better
  studied nutrients (N P), PCBs, metals.

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Contaminants as One of Many Environmental
Stressors

• Contaminants act on species in concert with other
  human-driven disturbances climate change,
  non-native species invasions, land use change,
  altered hydrologic patterns, other contaminants.

Climate Change Water Pollution Increased UV
Land-use change Air Pollution Biodiversity
loss Invasive Species Acid deposition
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• We know very little
• about how contaminants affect organisms and
  ecosystems,
• either alone, with other contaminants, or in
  conjunction with other environmental stresses.

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Thanks to

• Applied and Aquatic Ecology Sections of the
  Ecological Society of America

USGS Biological Resources Division Contaminants
Program Review Team