Poster Details
EFFECTS OF INDUSTRIAL ACTIVITY ON TRACE ELEMENT ACCUMULATION, COMMUNITY COMPOSITION, AND POPULATION STRUCTURE OF DRAGONFLY NYMPHS IN COASTAL PLAIN STREAMS
We compared 2 reference streams to 3 streams receiving varying amounts of stormwater runoff and industrial effluents using 7 genera of dragonfly nymphs as biomonitors of contaminants entering the aquatic food web and impacts of excessive stormwater runoff. Dragonfly nymph generic richness and diversity were diminished in the two most scoured streams as more sensitive species were missing and others were reduced in relative abundance. Life history differences between disturbed and reference streams also included some cohorts missing or poorly represented in size frequency analyses. Additionally, length-weight relationships differed between disturbed and reference streams in some genera. Variation in trace element accumulation among genera clearly exceeded variation within genera, suggesting genus to be a reasonable taxonomic level for both spatial and taxonomic comparisons. Patterns of trace element accumulation in biota tended to be element- and taxon-dependent, but patterns of elements frequently accumulating to higher concentrations in the disturbed sites were evident. Overall, dragonfly nymph community and population structures were altered in the two most scoured streams and several trace elements accumulated to higher levels in all three disturbed systems.
Danielle Pitt (Primary Presenter/Author), Savannah River Ecology Laboratory-University of Georgia, dbpitt@uga.edu;
Angela Lindell ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Savannah River Ecology Laboratory-University of Georgia, lindell@srel.uga.edu;
J.C. Seaman ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Savannah River Ecology Laboratory-University of Georgia, seaman@srel.uga.edu;
Paul Stankus ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Savannah River Ecology Laboratory-University of Georgia, stankus@srel.uga.edu;
J.V. McArthur ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Savannah River Ecology Laboratory-University of Georgia, mcarthur@srel.uga.edu;
Dean Fletcher ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Savannah River Ecology Laboratory-University of Georgia, fletcher@srel.uga.edu;