Paleoecotoxicology: Developing methods to assess the toxicity of lake sediment records influenced by legacy gold mining ...
The contamination of lakes by industrial emissions is an issue of international concern. Traditional paleolimnology examines sedimentary micro-fossils to infer the biological response to natural and anthropogenic stressors over time. Here, we calculate a theoretical biological effect for historic se...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Text |
| Language: | English |
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My University
2022
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://dx.doi.org/10.20381/ruor-29155 https://ruor.uottawa.ca/handle/10393/44949 |
| Summary: | The contamination of lakes by industrial emissions is an issue of international concern. Traditional paleolimnology examines sedimentary micro-fossils to infer the biological response to natural and anthropogenic stressors over time. Here, we calculate a theoretical biological effect for historic sediment sections using Probable Effect Concentration Quotient (PEC-Q) and arsenic specific quotient methods and develop novel time-constrained sediment toxicity test methods using a cultured Daphnia sp. combined with a whole cell microbial biosensor to assess the toxicity of past industrial contamination with modern testing methods. These methods were developed using sediments collected from Pocket Lake (Northwest Territories, Canada), a lake known to have exhibited a significant ecological shift following input from nearby gold smelter emissions during the mid 20th century. We then applied these methods to near-, mid-, and far-field sites to assess the response of Daphnia sp. to varying contaminant load. Daphnia ... |
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