SFS Annual Meeting

6/06/2024  |   10:30 - 10:45   |  Freedom Ballroom F

Preliminary survey on PFAS in Ogba River, Nigeria, explores emerging contaminants amid climate change Emerging contaminants, including poly-fluoroalkyl substances—PFAS, remain among the greatest threats to freshwater ecosystems worldwide. Despite the increasing recognition of their effects on freshwater integrity, monitoring these contaminants in Africa, including Nigeria, remains scarce. We provide a preliminary insight into the presence and distribution of PFAS under varying climatic conditions in Ogba River, Edo State, Nigeria. We sampled 10 Perfluorinated Carboxylic Acids (PFCAs), 5 Perfluorosulfonic Acids (PFSAs), 5 Fluorotelomers, 5 Perfluoroalkyl Sulfonamides (FASAs), and 3 Perfluoroalkyl Sulfonyl Amide Acetates in eight sites across the dry, wet and harmattan seasons between 2019 and 2021. Sites were also selected to reflect varying land uses, including agriculture, informal settlements and industry. Results showed that all analysed PFAs were detected in all sites. The concentrations of PFAS detected ranged from 0.05–2.21?g/L across the sites and seasons. Seasons were more influential in shaping the distribution of PFAS in the study area than sites. The informal settlement has higher concentrations (2.22?g/L) of PFAS than agriculture. The highest concentration of PFAS was Perfluorohexanesulfonic Acid (PFCAs—1.99 ?g/L), followed by Perfluorohexanesulfonic Acid (PFHxA) (0.30?g/L), and Perfluorooctanesulfonic Acid (PFOS) (0.22?g/L). The findings of this study provided baseline data and can contribute towards developing an effective regional strategy for managing PFAS influence in freshwater ecosystems in Nigeria.

Jill Johnson (Primary Presenter/Author), University of Benin, j.ijeh90@gmail.com;

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6/06/2024  |   10:45 - 11:00   |  Freedom Ballroom F

Water quality patterns in at-risk fish habitat: frequency and duration of chloride guideline exceedance during early life stages of an endangered fish. A holistic understanding of the impact of contaminants on organisms requires consideration of magnitude, duration, frequency, and life history stage timing of exposure. Government guidelines provide a benchmark to measure exposure magnitude against, yet solely assessing magnitude neglects considerations of duration and frequency. High-frequency sampling data enables better integration of temporal patterns of potential pollutants and can inform habitat suitability research. We demonstrate an approach to understand temporal dynamics of stressors using high-frequency sampling data to assess water quality in the habitat of a Canadian federally endangered fish species, the Redside dace (Clinostomus elongatus). Urban stressors, including chloride and non-point source pollutants, are considered contributing factors to Canadian Redside dace decline. We collected and analyzed conductivity/chloride data from nine Redside dace sites with varying degrees of upstream urbanization in the Greater Toronto Area to understand spatial and temporal variation in chloride exposure. Chloride loading in the region is largely driven by winter de-icing salt application which can contribute to year-round chronically elevated chloride. We highlight chloride patterns during critical early life stages of Redside dace (spring spawning through summer; ‘non-salting season’). We assess our data against a suite of federal Canadian and American guidelines and find that at the most urbanized sites critical early life stages are exposed to magnitudes and durations of chloride which exceed chronic guidelines. We emphasize that our approach can be used for any environmental parameter sampled with high frequency to better understand temporal regimes of ecological stressors.

Lauren Lawson (Primary Presenter/Author), University of Toronto, lauren.lawson@mail.utoronto.ca;

Donald Jackson (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Toronto, don.jackson@utoronto.ca;

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6/06/2024  |   11:00 - 11:15   |  Freedom Ballroom F

CONTAMINANT DISTRIBUTIONS ACROSS VARIOUS TISSUES IN SUBSISTENCE FISH FROM A MINING-IMPACTED AREA; A COMMUNITY-BASED RESEARCH PROJECT. Wahnapitae First Nation (WFN) is a small Anishinaabe Community in Ontario, Canada, whose members regularly harvest fish for subsistence. Thus, like many Indigenous Communities, the quality and health of these fish are of great concern. The goal of this project is to assess contaminant levels in subsistence fish from the waters of WFN’s Traditional Territory, which has been heavily impacted by mining activity. We have established a collegial partnership between community and academic researchers and have a robust data-sharing agreement. Through this collaborative effort, we have used community input to inform our study design and sampling. We focused on five species of freshwater fish from two lakes, which are crucial community food sources. We sampled three tissues commonly eaten by community members (i.e., muscle, liver, and pyloric ceca) for analysis of total arsenic, selenium, mercury, and methylmercury, at an accredited lab. Preliminary results show a wide range in elemental concentrations between the two lakes, highlighting differences in watershed development and exposure to mining and smelting impacts. The initial data also show significant differences in elemental concentrations between tissues, suggesting different sources of contaminant uptake, as well as physiological variations in distribution and detoxification processes. Future analyses will examine the ratios of the various elements, given that selenium can have a protective effect on the accumulation of mercury and arsenic. In addition to improving our understanding of contaminant distributions amongst tissues in fish, this project will provide WFN with resources for more informed fish consumption and guide future monitoring.

Taylor Nicholls (Primary Presenter/Author), Laurentian University - Vale Living With Lakes Centre, tnicholls@laurentian.ca;

Sara Lehman (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Wahnapitae First Nation, sara.lehman@wahnapitaefn.com;

Brian Laird (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Waterloo, brian.laird@uwaterloo.ca;

Tom Johnston (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, tjohnston@laurentian.ca;

Adam Lepage (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Laurentian University - Vale Living With Lakes Centre, alepage@laurentian.ca;

Brian Branfireun (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Western University, bbranfir@uwo.ca;

John Gunn (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Laurentian University - Vale Living With Lakes Centre, jgunn@laurentian.ca;

Gretchen Lescord (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Florida, lescord.g@ufl.edu;

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6/06/2024  |   11:15 - 11:30   |  Freedom Ballroom F

CHARACTERIZING THE SOCIO-ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS OF POLLUTION ACROSS THE BLACK WARRIOR WATERSHED, A LARGE RIVER SYSTEM IN ALABAMA Fifty years after the passage of the Clean Water Act (CWA), lax environmental regulation in Alabama allows harmful aquatic pollution to persist. Alabama is one of the nation’s top polluters: in 2022, facilities across the state produced 89 million pounds of waste, and ~11 million pounds of this waste was directly released into streams. Freshwater pollution in Alabama is a socio-ecological issue where toxic wastes threaten both freshwater biota and environmental justice concerns, making it critical to build knowledge of aquatic pollution’s impact. For this study, we took a “translational ecology” approach in collaboration with the Black Warrior Riverkeeper, a non-governmental organization that monitors the watershed for CWA discharge permit violations. After discussing their knowledge gaps and research needs, we characterized pollution quantity and quality across the Black Warrior watershed—the largest catchment (16159 km2) in Alabama—containing 11 federally listed endangered species. We analyzed pollution and nutrient chemistry data from several open-access sources: the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, EPA Toxic Release Inventory, and Geologic Survey of Alabama. We determined: 1) how pollution is distributed across the watershed, 2) what kinds of pollutants are present, and 3) how pollution dynamics correlate to socioeconomic factors such as income and race. To help the Black Warrior Riverkeeper identify priority areas for more intensive monitoring efforts, we leveraged a national policy framework to quantify the impact of pollution with EPA-determined water quality criteria reference values. Broadly, this study demonstrates how translational ecology and community-oriented research can help address the coupled social-ecological threats of pollution.

Benjamin Trost (Primary Presenter/Author), University of Alabama , bjtrost@crimson.ua.edu;

Arial Shogren (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Alabama, ashogren@ua.edu;

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6/06/2024  |   11:30 - 11:45   |  Freedom Ballroom F

METAL SUBSIDY–STRESS GRADIENTS IN SURFACE WATERS: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES In the environment, many metals play dual roles as essential nutrients and potent toxicants as they can constrain biological function in their limitation (i.e. subsidy) or excess (i.e. stress). Metals in surface waters vary greatly both spatially and temporally, and this variation is compounded by human activities increasingly manipulating metal availability in freshwaters. Currently, research on biological response to metals is bifurcated between ecologists and physiologists who study metal limitation and ecotoxicologists who study metal toxicity. To understand the full extent of metals as subsidies and stressors in the environment, we emphasize the need for an integrated approach to study these elements. We evaluated different physiological and population level models of metal limitation and toxicity to determine the best approach for developing an integrated subsidy–stress model. We identify data gaps and describe opportunities for increased research effort to fill those gaps. The dose–response relationship described by this model was then combined with a continental-scale database of metal concentrations in streams. The overlap between subsidy–stress thresholds and environmental concentrations of metals identify instances when metals may affect organisms, either by serving as a limiting nutrient or a toxicant. Industrial metal demand is expected to double over the next 50 years, and water resource managers need robust models to predict environmental effects. The models discussed here will provide a more holistic view of potential metal impacts (i.e., fertilization or toxicity) on freshwater organisms.

David Costello (Primary Presenter/Author), Kent State University, dcostel3@kent.edu;

Elizabeth Herndon (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Oak Ridge National Laboratory, herndonem@ornl.gov;

Angela Peace (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Texas Tech University, a.peace@ttu.edu;

Travis Schmidt (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), USGS WY-MT Water Science Center, tschmidt@usgs.gov;

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6/06/2024  |   11:45 - 12:00   |  Freedom Ballroom F

ACCIDENTAL ALLIES: WHAT ORGANIC CONTAMINANTS CAN TELL US ABOUT AQUATIC ECOSYSTEM STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION Persistent organic contaminants are ubiquitous features of freshwater environments where they consist of both ‘legacy’ (e.g., PCBs) and ‘emerging’ (e.g., PFAS) contaminants. In comparison to traditional tracers such as stable isotopes (<15 useful for ecological studies), the diversity of organic contaminants (e.g., >200 PCBs and >15,000 PFAS) in the environment and within biota make them potentially sensitive tracers for ecological processes such as energy transfer and trophic structure. In Lake Michigan of the Laurentian Great Lakes, PFAS are now found in all fishes and display trophic biomagnification within the food web, but variation in chemical signatures also suggest marked differences in PFAS uptake from dietary sources and habitat use. In the larger Great Lakes watershed, we demonstrate that several organic contaminants acquired in the lakes (PCBs, DDE, PFAS) are concentrated in the bodies of migratory fishes and then released into spawning streams and subsequently taken up by stream biota where they enter biogeochemical cycles. At a global scale, PFAS can reveal food web structure from microbes to marine mammals during trophic transfer and biomagnification from the poles to the equator. As efforts are undertaken to remove and remediate organic pollutants in the environment, legacy and emerging contaminants provide opportunities to better understand ecosystem processes along with their coupled chemical behavior and ecotoxicological effects.

Gary Lamberti (Primary Presenter/Author), University of Notre Dame, glambert@nd.edu;

Dominic Chaloner (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Notre Dame, dchalone@nd.edu;

Whitney Conard (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Notre Dame, whitneymconard@gmail.com;

Yukun Jin (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Notre Dame, yjin8@nd.edu;

Daniele Miranda (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Notre Dame, ddealmei@nd.edu;

Graham Peaslee (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Notre Dame, gpeaslee@nd.edu;

Amy Rand (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Carleton University, AmyRand@cunet.carleton.ca;

Heather Whitehead (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Notre Dame, Whitehead.Heather@epa.gov;

Alyssa Wicks (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Notre Dame, awicks@nd.edu;

Alison Zachritz (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Notre Dame, azachrit@nd.edu;

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