Municipal wastewater as an ecological trap: Effects on fish communities across seasons

2021 ◽  
Vol 759 ◽  
pp. 143430
Author(s):  
Hossein Mehdi ◽  
Samantha C. Lau ◽  
Caitlyn Synyshyn ◽  
Matthew G. Salena ◽  
Erin S. McCallum ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Municipal Wastewater ◽  
Fish Communities ◽  
Ecological Trap

scholarly journals Can Constructed Wetlands be Wildlife Refuges? A Review of Their Potential Biodiversity Conservation Value

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 1442 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chengxiang Zhang ◽  
Li Wen ◽  
Yuyu Wang ◽  
Cunqi Liu ◽  
Yan Zhou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biodiversity Conservation ◽  
Constructed Wetlands ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Municipal Wastewater ◽  
Agricultural Runoff ◽  
Ecological Trap ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Wetland Ecosystems ◽  
Management Intervention

The degradation of wetland ecosystems is currently recognized as one of the main threats to global biodiversity. As a means of compensation, constructed wetlands (CWs), which are built to treat agricultural runoff and municipal wastewater, have become important for maintaining biodiversity. Here, we review studies on the relationships between CWs and their associated biodiversity published over the past three decades. In doing so, we provide an overview of how wildlife utilizes CWs, and the effects of biodiversity on pollutant transformation and removal. Beyond their primary aim (to purify various kinds of wastewater), CWs provide sub-optimal habitat for many species and, in turn, their purification function can be strongly influenced by the biodiversity that they support. However, there are some difficulties when using CWs to conserve biodiversity because some key characteristics of these engineered ecosystems vary from natural wetlands, including some fundamental ecological processes. Without proper management intervention, these features of CWs can promote biological invasion, as well as form an ‘ecological trap’ for native species. Management options, such as basin-wide integrative management and building in more natural wetland components, can partially offset these adverse impacts. Overall, the awareness of managers and the public regarding the potential value of CWs in biodiversity conservation remains superficial. More in-depth research, especially on how to balance different stakeholder values between wastewater managers and conservationists, is now required.

Municipal wastewater effluent affects fish communities: A multi-year study involving two wastewater treatment plants

2019 ◽  
Vol 252 ◽  
pp. 1730-1741 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin S. McCallum ◽  
Kirsten E. Nikel ◽  
Hossein Mehdi ◽  
Sherry N.N. Du ◽  
Jennifer E. Bowman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Municipal Wastewater ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Fish Communities ◽  
Wastewater Effluent

Biological Criteria for Municipal Wastewater Effluent Monitoring Programs

2005 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 374-387 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce W. Kilgour ◽  
Kelly R. Munkittrick ◽  
Cameron B. Portt ◽  
Kathleen Hedley ◽  
Joseph Culp ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Composition ◽  
Benthic Community ◽  
Municipal Wastewater ◽  
Fish Communities ◽  
Fish Population ◽  
Macroinvertebrate Communities ◽  
Population Parameters ◽  
Primary Producers ◽  
Liver Size ◽  
Causative Agents

Abstract As part of the long-term strategy for addressing issues related to municipal wastewater effluents (MWWE), Environment Canada is developing environmental quality objectives (EQOs) for the aquatic receiving environment. Recommended biological monitoring components of the aquatic ecosystem include fish communities, benthic macroinvertebrate communities, sentinel fish species and primary producers (macrophytes, attached algae, phytoplankton). A set of criteria was developed for measurable attributes (indicators) of each of those components. Recommended numeric and narrative criteria could be used to determine when MWWE should be managed. Warning-level criteria for indices of benthic community composition are considered effects on indices of composition that deviate from the mean reference response by more than ±2 standard deviations. For sentinel fish population parameters, warning-level effects are considered >25% differences from reference in gonad or liver size, growth, or age, or a >10% change in condition factor. For primary producers, warning-level effects are considered those that coincide with anticipated changes in fish communities based on existing models. Where warning-level criteria are exceeded, it is recommended that monitoring be repeated at two- to three-year intervals. Where continued monitoring demonstrates an increase in the extent or magnitude of effects on indices of benthic community composition, or sentinel fish population parameters, it is recommended that effects be considered unacceptable and that the cause of effects be identified and managed. Losses of non-rare species or shifts in dominance are considered severe fish-community effects that should trigger management (i.e., identification and elimination of causative agents). Domination of the benthic community by one or a few tolerant taxa normally coincides with effects on fish communities, and should also be considered a severe effect that triggers management.

The effects of tertiary treated municipal wastewater on fish communities of a small river tributary in Southern Ontario, Canada

2011 ◽  
Vol 159 (7) ◽  
pp. 1923-1931 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolyn J.M. Brown ◽  
Brendan W. Knight ◽  
Mark E. McMaster ◽  
Kelly R. Munkittrick ◽  
Ken D. Oakes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Municipal Wastewater ◽  
Fish Communities ◽  
Small River ◽  
Southern Ontario ◽  
Treated Municipal Wastewater

A Method for Evaluating the Impacts of Reservoir Operation on Fish Communities

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian-Ping Suen ◽  
Edwin E. Herricks ◽  
J. Wayland Eheart ◽  
Fi-John Chang
Keyword(s):  
Reservoir Operation ◽  
Fish Communities

Dominance determines fish community biomass in a temperate seagrass ecosystem

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron Matthius Eger ◽  
Rebecca J. Best ◽  
Julia Kathleen Baum
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Ecosystem Function ◽  
Fish Community ◽  
Prey Capture ◽  
Fish Communities ◽  
Functional Trait ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Community Biomass ◽  
Ecosystem Valuation ◽  
Species Abundances

Biodiversity and ecosystem function are often correlated, but there are multiple hypotheses about the mechanisms underlying this relationship. Ecosystem functions such as primary or secondary production may be maximized by species richness, evenness in species abundances, or the presence or dominance of species with certain traits. Here, we combined surveys of natural fish communities (conducted in July and August, 2016) with morphological trait data to examine relationships between diversity and ecosystem function (quantified as fish community biomass) across 14 subtidal eelgrass meadows in the Northeast Pacific (54° N 130° W). We employed both taxonomic and functional trait measures of diversity to investigate if ecosystem function is driven by species diversity (complementarity hypothesis) or by the presence or dominance of species with particular trait values (selection or dominance hypotheses). After controlling for environmental variation, we found that fish community biomass is maximized when taxonomic richness and functional evenness is low, and in communities dominated by species with particular trait values – those associated with benthic habitats and prey capture. While previous work on fish communities has found that species richness is positively correlated with ecosystem function, our results instead highlight the capacity for regionally prevalent and locally dominant species to drive ecosystem function in moderately diverse communities. We discuss these alternate links between community composition and ecosystem function and consider their divergent implications for ecosystem valuation and conservation prioritization.

Linking eelgrass decline and impacts on associated fish communities to European green crab Carcinus maenas invasion

2016 ◽  
Vol 548 ◽  
pp. 31-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
K Matheson ◽  
CH McKenzie ◽  
RS Gregory ◽  
DA Robichaud ◽  
IR Bradbury ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carcinus Maenas ◽  
Fish Communities ◽  
Green Crab ◽  
European Green Crab
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