Poster Details
TRICHOPTERANS AS BIOMONITORS OF TRACE AND HEAVY METALS IN NORTHEASTERN OHIO URBAN STREAMS
Macroinvertebrates are used as indicators of water quality and metal contamination through presence/absence bioindicator surveys. However, the absence of sensitive taxa only depicts their detriment and does not imply a cause. Likewise, the presence of tolerant taxa does not relay their level of environmental exposure to metals. Trichopterans display the most diverse feeding guilds and metal tolerance of the EPT taxa which make them ideal biomonitors for the presence of trace and heavy metals, including during storm events when other methods are not practical. Using Hester-Dendy samplers, aquatic macroinvertebrates collected from stream sites in the northeastern Ohio were identified to the lowest practical taxonomic level. Following identification, entire body digestion methods were performed on all Trichopteran individuals with body burdens for copper, zinc, lead, cadmium and iron quantified by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). Stream measurements of pH, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, temperature, and the community-level macroinvertebrate survey paired with ICP-OES analyses (Cu, Zn, Pb, Fe, & Cd) of total suspended solids and filtered surface water were also analyzed for each site. Our preliminary results depict the presence of metals in Trichopteran tissues and their feasibility as biomonitors.
Sean Nussle (Primary Presenter/Author), Kent State University, Snussle@kent.edu;
David Costello (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Kent State University, dcostel3@kent.edu;