title: Response of stream invertebrates to short-term salinization: a mesocosm approach.
abstract: Salinization is a major and growing threat to freshwater ecosystems, yet its effects on aquatic invertebrates have been poorly described at a community-level. Here we use a controlled experimental setting to evaluate short-term stream community responses to salinization, under conditions designed to replicate the duration (72 h) and intensity (up to 5 mS cm(-1)) of salinity pulses common to Mediterranean rivers subjected to mining pollution during runoff events. There was a significant overall effect, but differences between individual treatments and the control were only significant for the highest salinity treatment. The community response to salinization was characterized by a decline in total invertebrate density, taxon richness and diversity, an increase in invertebrate drift and loss of the most sensitive taxa. The findings indicate that short-term salinity increases have a significant impact on the stream invertebrate community, but concentrations of 5 mS cm(-1) are needed to produce a significant ecological response.
authors.affiliation: Grup de Recerca Freshwater Ecology and Management, Departament d'Ecologia, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Diagonal 643, 08028 Barcelona, Spain. mcanedo.fem@gmail.com
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cañedo-Argüelles
authors.forename: Theodore E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Grantham
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Perrée
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rieradevall
authors.forename: Raquel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Céspedes-Sánchez
authors.forename: Narcís
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Prat
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D044822:Biodiversity; D017753:Ecosystem; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D007448:Invertebrates / Q000502:physiology*; D019083:Mediterranean Region; D045483:Rivers / Q000737:chemistry*; D054712:Salinity; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D012965:Sodium Chloride