A limited legacy effect of copper in marine biofilms.
The effects of confounding by temporal factors remains understudied in pollution ecology. For example, there is little understanding of how disturbance history affects the development of assemblages. To begin addressing this gap in knowledge, marine biofilms were subjected to temporally-variable regimes of copper exposure and depuration. It was expected that the physical and biological structure of the biofilms would vary in response to copper regime. Biofilms were examined by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry, chlorophyll-a fluorescence and field spectrometry and it was found that (1) concentrations of copper were higher in those biofilms exposed to copper, (2) concentrations of copper remain high in biofilms after the source of copper is removed, and (3) exposure to and depuration from copper might have comparable effects on the photosynthetic microbial assemblages in biofilms. The persistence of copper in biofilms after depuration reinforces the need for consideration of temporal factors in ecology.
Coastal & Marine Ecosystems Group, Marine Ecology Laboratories (A11), School of Life & Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia. Electronic address: david.mcelroy@sydney.edu.au.
David J
DJ
McElroy
Plant Functional Biology and Climate Change Cluster, University of Technology Sydney, PO Box 123, Broadway, NSW 2007, Australia. Electronic address: martina.doblin@uts.edu.au.
Martina A
MA
Doblin
Australian Centre for Field Robotics, Dept. of Aerospace, Mechanical & Mechatronic Engineering, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia. Electronic address: richard.murphy@sydney.edu.au.
Richard J
RJ
Murphy
Integrative Ecology Group, Heydon-Laurence Building (A08), School of Life & Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney NSW 2006, Australia. Electronic address: dieter.hochuli@sydney.edu.au.
Dieter F
DF
Hochuli
Coastal & Marine Ecosystems Group, Marine Ecology Laboratories (A11), School of Life & Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia. Electronic address: ross.coleman@sydney.edu.au.
Ross A
RA
Coleman
D018441:Biofilms / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development; D002734:Chlorophyll; D000077194:Chlorophyll A; D003300:Copper / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*; D063366:Estuaries; D005453:Fluorescence; D059013:Microbial Consortia / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D009517:New South Wales; D010788:Photosynthesis; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*; D014877:Water Pollution, Chemical / Q000032:analysis
D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D002734:Chlorophyll; D003300:Copper; D000077194:Chlorophyll A
Algae; Antifouling paint; Community assembly; Disturbance; Spectrometry; Temporal contingency