title: Toxic and heavy metals as a cause of crayfish mass mortality from acidified headwater streams.
abstract: Mining activities are responsible for high concentrations of metals in river networks in many parts of the world. Mining activities and the resulting high loads of heavy metals interact with intensive acid rain, and often have great consequences for biodiversity. However, considering the frequently episodic nature of these heavy acid rains, there is little detailed evidence of direct impacts. In 2011 we observed a massive mortality of noble crayfish and stone crayfish in Padrťsko Special Area of Conservation (SAC) in the Brdy Mountain region of the Czech Republic. Based on concentrations of metals (Al, Fe, As, Cd, Pb, Cu, Zn and Hg) in various tissues (gills, hepatopancreas, muscle) of both dead and live crayfish in this locality compared to reference populations, these crayfish had experienced long-term exposure to increased levels of these metals. Here we give detailed documentation of crayfish mortality associated with high metal concentrations in the gills and other tissues of these endangered invertebrates.
authors.affiliation: T.G. Masaryk Water Research Institute, Podbabská 30, Prague 6, 160 62, Czech Republic. jitka_svobodova@vuv.cz.
authors.forename: Jitka
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Svobodová
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology and Fisheries, Faculty of Agrobiology Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, Prague, CZ, 165 21, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Karel
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Douda
authors.affiliation: Mining Museum Příbram, Hynka Kličky Place No. 293, Příbram, VI, 261 01, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.affiliation: Povodí Vltavy, State Enterprise, Holečkova 8, Prague 5, 150 24, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Natalia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lapšanská
authors.affiliation: Centre of Biology, Geoscience and Environmental Education, Department of Education of the University of West Bohemia, Klatovská 51, Plzeň, 306 19, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Pavel
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vlach
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003400:Astacoidea / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D018153:Czech Republic; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*; D008906:Mining; D045483:Rivers / Q000737:chemistry*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*; D014887:Weather
chemical_list: D019216:Metals, Heavy; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Astacus astacus; Austropotamobius torrentium; Invertebrates; Toxic metal; Water quality