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2C (1) - Biomarkers (TU7/15) Using anurans as biomarkers of contamination in streams flowing from the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Paducah, KY, USA. DeGarady, Colette 1, Halbrook, Richard1, 1 Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL, USA ABSTRACT- Contamination at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant (PGDP) has been under evaluation for many years. Radionuclides, heavy metals, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been measured in streams around the plant. Our objectives were (1) to determine relative species richness and abundance among 7 drainage ditches flowing from the PGDP and 3 reference drainage ditches and (2) determine contaminant concentration in collected frogs. We determined relative species richness and abundance using frog call surveys during March, May, and July of 2001. Adult frogs were opportunistically captured from each of the 10 study sites for heavy metal and PCB analysis during the summer of 2000 and 2001. A total of ten species were heard or seen among the 10 study sites, and the number of species at any one site ranged from 1 to 5. There was a difference in species richness and abundance among sites, with drainage ditches on the west side of the plant having higher richness and abundance than those on the east. Metal concentrations varied among species and across all sites, and PCBs were only quantified in frogs collected from one drainage ditch on the east side of the plant. These data suggest that factors other than contaminants may be responsible for differences observed in species richness and abundance among the sites studied. Key words: pcbs, amphibians, metals, population |
