Assessing the nature of the combined effects of copper and zinc on estuarine infaunal communities.
Elevated levels of copper and zinc in sediment have been shown to adversely affect estuarine infauna. We investigated the additivity of the combined effects of copper and zinc on infaunal recolonisation through a manipulative field experiment in Orewa estuary, New Zealand, using defaunated sediment discs treated with these metals. The nature of their combined effects varied among infaunal taxa and the particular variables being examined. Additive effects were detected for species richness, for the mean log abundances of the polychaetes Prionospio sp. and Scoloplos cylindrifer and for the multivariate response of the community as a whole. Antagonistic effects were detected for the mean log abundances of total infauna and the polychaete Heteromastus sp. Characterising the potentially interactive nature of the combined effects of multiple heavy metals is essential in order to build predictive models of future environmental impacts of metal accumulation in estuarine sediments.
Leigh Marine Laboratory, University of Auckland, P.O. Box 349, Warkworth, New Zealand. Electronic address: a.fukunaga@auckland.ac.nz.
Atsuko
A
Fukunaga
Institute of Information and Mathematical Sciences, Massey University, Albany Campus, Private Bag 102 904, North Shore Mail Centre, Auckland, New Zealand.
Marti J
MJ
Anderson
Department of Chemistry, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, New Zealand.
Jenny G
JG
Webster-Brown
D000818:Animals; D003300:Copper / Q000633:toxicity*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000032:analysis; D007448:Invertebrates / Q000187:drug effects; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000633:toxicity; D009520:New Zealand; D015032:Zinc / Q000633:toxicity*
D019216:Metals, Heavy; D003300:Copper; D015032:Zinc