title: Toxicity of sediments from lead-zinc mining areas to juvenile freshwater mussels (Lampsilis siliquoidea) compared to standard test organisms.
abstract: Sediment toxicity tests compared chronic effects on survival, growth, and biomass of juvenile freshwater mussels (28-d exposures with Lampsilis siliquoidea) to the responses of standard test organisms-amphipods (28-d exposures with Hyalella azteca) and midges (10-d exposures with Chironomus dilutus)-in sediments from 2 lead-zinc mining areas: the Tri-State Mining District and Southeast Missouri Mining District. Mussel tests were conducted in sediments sieved to <0.25 mm to facilitate recovery of juvenile mussels (2-4 mo old). Sediments were contaminated primarily with lead, zinc, and cadmium, with greater zinc and cadmium concentrations in Tri-State sediments and greater lead concentrations in southeast Missouri sediments. The frequency of highly toxic responses (reduced 10% or more relative to reference sites) in Tri-State sediments was greatest for amphipod survival (25% of samples), midge biomass (20%), and mussel survival (14%). In southeast Missouri sediments, the frequency of highly toxic samples was greatest for mussel biomass (25%) and amphipod biomass (13%). Thresholds for metal toxicity to mussels, expressed as hazard quotients based on probable effect concentrations, were lower for southeast Missouri sediments than for Tri-State sediments. Southeast Missouri sites with toxic sediments had 2 or fewer live mussel taxa in a concurrent mussel population survey, compared with 7 to 26 taxa at reference sites. These results demonstrate that sediment toxicity tests with juvenile mussels can be conducted reliably by modifying existing standard methods; that the sensitivity of mussels to metals can be similar to or greater than standard test organisms; and that responses of mussels in laboratory toxicity tests are consistent with effects on wild mussel populations.
authors.affiliation: United States Geological Survey, Columbia, Missouri.
authors.forename: John M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Besser
authors.forename: Christopher G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Ingersoll
authors.forename: William G
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: Brumbaugh
authors.forename: Nile E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Kemble
authors.forename: Thomas W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: May
authors.forename: Ning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Donald D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: MacDonald
authors.forename: Andrew D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Roberts
mesh_terms: D033304:Amphipoda / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development; D000818:Animals; D018533:Biomass; D049872:Bivalvia / Q000187:drug effects*; D005618:Fresh Water; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry*; D007854:Lead / Q000633:toxicity*; D008906:Mining; D016062:Porosity; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D018675:Toxicity Tests; D014481:United States; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*; D015032:Zinc / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D007854:Lead; D015032:Zinc
keywords: Freshwater mussels; Laboratory-field comparison; Mining; Reference envelope; Sediment toxicity