Effects of a chelating resin on metal bioavailability and toxicity to estuarine invertebrates: divergent results of field and laboratory tests.
Benthic invertebrates can uptake metals through diffusion of free ion solutes, or ingestion of sediment-bound forms. This study investigated the efficacy of the metal chelating resin SIR 300 in adsorbing porewater metals and isolating pathways of metal exposure. A field experiment (Botany Bay, Sydney, Australia) and a laboratory toxicity test each manipulated the availability of porewater metals within contaminated and uncontaminated sediments. It was predicted that within contaminated sediments, the resin would adsorb porewater metals and reduce toxicity to invertebrates, but in uncontaminated sediments, the resin would not significantly affect these variables. Whereas in the laboratory, the resin produced the predicted results, in the field the resin increased porewater metal concentrations of contaminated sediments for at least 34 days and decreased abundances of four macroinvertebrate groups, and richness in all sediments. These contrasting findings highlight the limits of extrapolating the results of laboratory experiments to the field environment.
Wilkie
Emma M
EM
Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Broadway, NSW 2007, Australia. ewilkie@bio.mq.edu.au
Roach
Anthony C
AC
Micevska
Tina
T
Kelaher
Brendan P
BP
Bishop
Melanie J
MJ
D000327:Adsorption; D000818:Animals; D002614:Chelating Agents / Q000737:chemistry*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity*; D052918:Environmental Restoration and Remediation / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000032:analysis*; D007448:Invertebrates / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects*; D008670:Metals / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity*; D012117:Resins, Synthetic / Q000737:chemistry*
D002614:Chelating Agents; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D008670:Metals; D012117:Resins, Synthetic