Use of the Whole Body Ion Loss Sublethal Bioassay for Predicting Stream WaterQuality Impaired by Heavy Metals and Low pH

摘要

The use of changes in whole body ion levels of stream organisms as aphysiological bioindicator of water pollution by metals and acidity in coal mine effluents was tested. The authors compared: (1) lethality tests to body sodium loss after exposure of fathead minnows to simulated and field-collected mine water; (2) developed a predictive model of body ion loss in brook trout from water variables; (3) tested for H+/metals interactions in reconstituted mine water (RMW); and (4) determined if stonefly larvae exposed to RMW respond similarly to fish. It was concluded that whole body net sodium flux is a sensitive, reproducible bioindicator of toxic levels of acid and metals; and can be used to predict the combined toxicity of these variables in coal mine polluted streams.