title: The functional response of a freshwater benthic community to cadmium pollution.
abstract: Theory predicts that in freshwater communities under chemical stress secondary production will decrease while the rate of biomass turnover (P/B) will increase. However, this concept has never been tested on organisms of smaller size (bacteria, protozoans, small metazoans), although they form the basis of the heterotrophic food web. The present work describes the results of a 7-month microcosm study, in which the effects of low and high toxic stress on an entire sediment community were examined, with cadmium (Cd) as the model pollutant (50 and 400mg Cd kg(-1) dry sediment). While metazoans and protozoans generally followed the expected trend, in bacteria both production and P/B decreased under Cd stress. These observations provide new insights into the functioning of freshwater ecosystems and demonstrate the functional consequences of toxicants on biological systems.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Ecology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany. michael.faupel@uni-bielefeld.de
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Faupel
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ristau
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Traunspurger
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D059001:Aquatic Organisms / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development; D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development; D002104:Cadmium / Q000032:analysis / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000032:analysis / Q000382:microbiology; D060106:Lakes / Q000032:analysis* / Q000382:microbiology; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014877:Water Pollution, Chemical / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D002104:Cadmium