title: Sediment heavy metals and benthic diversities in Hun-Tai River, northeast of China.
abstract: In aquatic ecosystems, metal contamination in sediments has become a ubiquitous environmental problem, causing serious issues. Hun-Tai River, located in northeast of China, flows through an important heavy industry region and metropolitan area. This study examined the heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb, Ni, and Zn) of sediments and diversities (taxa richness, Shannon diversity, and evenness) of benthic assemblages (benthic algae and macroinvertebrate) in Hun-Tai River. The results clearly described the spatial patterns of metal contamination in terms of geo-accumulation index and contamination factor, as well as the spatial patterns of benthic diversities in terms of taxa richness, Shannon index, and evenness by kriging interpolation. The sediments were largely contaminated by Cd, followed by Cu, Fe, Zn, Mn, and Ni. Cd and Zn had similar spatial patterns and similar sources. Cu, Fe, Mn, and Ni showed similar spatial patterns and similar sources. The surface sediments were unpolluted by Cr and Pb. The metal mines and the heavy industry in the major cities were the potential pollution sources. Benthic algae and macroinvertebrate responded similarly to the heterogeneous environment and metal contamination, with high taxa richness and Shannon index in middle-upper reaches of Hun-Tai River. Evenness showed complex spatial patterns. Under low contamination, both taxa richness, Shannon diversity, and evenness had a large variation range. However, under the moderate and high contamination, the taxa richness and Shannon diversity kept to a low level but the evenness had a high level. This study provided insights into the sediment heavy metal contamination in Hun-Tai River.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Simulation and Regulation of Water Cycle in River Basin, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing, 100038, China.|Department of Water Environment, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing, 100038, China.
authors.forename: Xiaodong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Qu
authors.affiliation: Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, 59812, USA.
authors.forename: Ze
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.affiliation: Department of Water Environment, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing, 100038, China.
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Simulation and Regulation of Water Cycle in River Basin, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing, 100038, China.|Department of Water Environment, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing, 100038, China.
authors.forename: Xiaobo
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Simulation and Regulation of Water Cycle in River Basin, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing, 100038, China. pwq@iwhr.com.|Department of Water Environment, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing, 100038, China. pwq@iwhr.com.
authors.forename: Wenqi
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Peng
mesh_terms: D002681:China; D002947:Cities; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D019015:Geologic Sediments; D019216:Metals, Heavy; D045483:Rivers; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
chemical_list: D019216:Metals, Heavy; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Benthic diversity; Contamination level; Heavy metals; Spatial pattern; Surface sediment