Journal article
Acidification in the Adirondacks: Defining the Biota in Trophic Levels of 30 Chemically Diverse Acid-Impacted Lakes
Environmental science & technology, v 44(15), pp 5721-5727
01 Aug 2010
PMID: 20614900
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
The Adirondack Mountains in New York State have a varied surficial geology and chemically diverse surface waters that are among the most impacted by acid deposition in the U.S. No single Adirondack investigation has been comprehensive in defining the effects of acidification on species diversity, from bacteria through fish, essential for understanding the full impact of acidification on biota. Baseline midsummer chemistry and community composition are presented for a group of chemically diverse Adirondack lakes. Species richness of all trophic levels except bacteria is significantly correlated with lake acid-base chemistry. The loss of taxa observed per unit pH was similar: bacterial genera (2.50), bacterial classes (1.43), phytoplankton (3.97), rotifers (3.56), crustaceans (1.75), macrophytes (3.96), and fish (3.72). Specific pH criteria were applied to the communities to define and identify acid-tolerant (pH 5.0), acid-resistant (pH 5.0-5.6), and acid-sensitive (pH > 5.6) species which could serve as indicators. Acid-tolerant and acid-sensitive categories are at end-points along the pH scale, significantly different at P < 0.05; the acid-resistant category is the range of pH between these end-points, where community changes continually occur as the ecosystem moves in one direction or another. The biota acid tolerance classification (batc) system described herein provides a clear distinction between the taxonomic groups identified in these subcategories and can be used to evaluate the impact of acid deposition on different trophic levels of biological communities.
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Details
- Title
- Acidification in the Adirondacks: Defining the Biota in Trophic Levels of 30 Chemically Diverse Acid-Impacted Lakes
- Creators
- Sandra A. Nierzwicki-Bauer - Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteCharles W. Boylen - Rensselaer Polytech Inst, Darrin Fresh Water Inst, Troy, NY 12180 USALawrence W. Eichler - Rensselaer Polytech Inst, Darrin Fresh Water Inst, Troy, NY 12180 USAJames P. Harrison - Rensselaer Polytech Inst, Darrin Fresh Water Inst, Troy, NY 12180 USAJames W. Sutherland - New York State Department of Environmental ConservationWilliam Shaw - SUNY SullivanRobert A. Daniels - New York State MuseumDonald F. Charles - Acad Nat Sci Philadelphia, Patrick Ctr Environm Res, Philadelphia, PA 19103 USAFrank W. Acker - Acad Nat Sci Philadelphia, Patrick Ctr Environm Res, Philadelphia, PA 19103 USATimothy J. Sullivan - E&S Environmental Chemistry, Inc., P.O. Box 609, Corvallis, Oregon 97339Bahram Momen - University of Maryland, College ParkPaul Bukaveckas - Virginia Commonwealth University
- Publication Details
- Environmental science & technology, v 44(15), pp 5721-5727
- Publisher
- American Chemical Society; Washington, DC
- Number of pages
- 7
- Grant note
- 68D20171 / U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; United States Environmental Protection Agency
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000280367200012
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-77955105737
- Other Identifier
- 991019357771904721
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Engineering, Environmental
- Environmental Sciences