PW10 Bioaccumulation and Biomagnification
Exhibit Hall
8:00 AM - Wednesday
(PW179) Contaminants of concern in Illinois large river mussel populations.
Levengood, J1, Soucek, D1, Esarey, J1, Hudson, R2, Wimer, W2, Halbrook, R3, 1 Illinois Natural History Survey, Champaign, IL, USA2 University of Illinois, Champaign, IL, USA3 Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL, USA
ABSTRACT- Previous studies have identified elevated levels of contaminants in the sediments, water, and biota of the Illinois (IL) and upper Mississippi (MS) rivers at concentrations of concern to the health of aquatic organisms and consumers thereof. However, no information exists on contaminants in the three-rivers confluence area which can be expected to experience a mixing of contaminants from each of the rivers, and settling of water-and sediment-borne contaminants in backwater and slack-water (e.g. off the main channel) areas following normal high flow and flood events. In this study we compared concentrations of selected elements and organic compounds in several species of mussels from the MS and IL Rivers near their confluence to indirectly examine the contribution of these waterways to contaminant loads in biota (mussels) in this ecologically important region. Preliminary analysis of available data suggests species x location interactions in concentrations of certain analytes examined. For example, threeridge mussels (Amblema plicata) collected from the MS River below the IL River confluence had significantly higher tissue concentrations of copper, manganese, iron, zinc, and selenium but significantly lower concentrations of lead, compared to those collected from MS and IL locations above the confluence. Washboard mussels (Megalonaias nervosa) collected from the same site below the confluence had significantly higher concentrations of lead than did threeridges. It is anticipated that the results of this pilot study will be used to design a more comprehensive study which would address risks to other mussel species, allow a more focused examination of environmental media, examine a broader spatial scale in the confluence region, and include controlled lab and field studies of effects on individuals and populations.
Key words: heavy metal, mussel, bioaccumulation