5/25/2016  |   15:30 - 15:45   |  313

EVALUATING RESTORATION EFFECTIVENESS IN MINING-POLLUTED STREAMS FOLLOWING SHIFTS TO ALTERNATIVE STABLE STATES The likelihood that degraded streams can recover following the removal of stressors and the length of time required for these systems to return to pre-disturbance conditions remain critical research questions in applied ecology. Metal pollution from historical mining operations is a ubiquitous stressor in the U.S. and generally recognized as one of the most significant environmental problems in Rocky Mountain streams. In addition to the direct toxicological effects associated with elevated concentrations of metals, mining activities influence aquatic organisms indirectly through physical alterations of habitat, including increased sedimentation and substrate embeddedness. Using data from spatially extensive surveys of >300 Colorado streams, we developed concentration-response relationships between macroinvertebrate community structure and metal contamination. We used data from a long-term (25 year) assessment of a metal-contaminated stream (the Arkansas River) to examine community responses to improvements in water and habitat quality. Recovery trajectories of most groups were complex and influenced by episodic events associated with changes in regional climate. We conclude that a long-term perspective is necessary to identify shifts of benthic communities to alternative stable states following exposure to mining pollution.

William Clements (POC,Primary Presenter), Colorado State University, william.clements@colostate.edu;


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


Pete Cadmus ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Colorado Parks and Wildlife, pete.cadmus@state.co.us;


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5/25/2016  |   15:45 - 16:00   |  313

UNCONVENTIONAL OIL AND GAS EXTRACTION POSES NEW RISKS TO STREAM WATER QUALITY AND QUANTITY. Rapid unconventional oil and gas (UOG) development in 29 U.S. shale basins spans several biomes and is predicted to expand over the next several decades. UOG requires high-volume hydraulic fracturing and lateral lines for cost-efficient production. There are currently ~260,000 UOG wells that required 2600m3-36,620m3 of freshwater, chemical and propping agents, infrastructure, and waste storage and disposal. UOG development can change water chemistry, flow regime, and sediment that poses a biological risk to downslope freshwaters. However, the frequency and intensity of physical, chemical, and biological effects on streams are largely unknown, and risk is difficult to predict. Natural features and human modifications mediate biological risk within basins. For example, hydrologic differences and other land uses influence where freshwater is sourced and the amount available for fracturing. Intermittent streams in agricultural areas are at greatest risk of altered flow regime from combined seasonal variation in flow and added consumptive pressures than would be predicted in perennial forested streams. Therefore, UOG siting, waste storage and disposal, and water sourcing require context-specific considerations to reduce ecological risk through improved best management practices.

Sally Entrekin (Primary Presenter/Author), Virginia Tech, sallye@vt.edu;


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5/25/2016  |   16:00 - 16:15   |  313

PHARMACEUTICALS AND PERSONAL CARE PRODUCTS AS A THREAT TO RIVERS Pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) are organic chemicals that are ubiquitous in surface waters, and in the past 50 years the diversity and use of these compounds has increased exponentially. Organic chemical pollution represents one of the ways that humans are pushing our global system out of established “planetary boundaries”, but there is not sufficient research to define thresholds for these chemicals. Rivers are the primary receiving ecosystems of PPCPs because of sewage and wastewater treatment releases, and PPCPs typically occur in complex mixtures. We highlight recent research demonstrating that PPCPs disrupt ecological processes and that these disruptions are context-dependent. Developing environmentally “safe” concentration thresholds for PPCPs will be essential for regulatory and management strategies, and we will discuss challenges of setting thresholds when ecological effects are associated with low concentrations of PPCPs mixtures in river ecosystems. We conclude that PPCPs pose a threat to river ecosystems and will explore pressing and future research needs. Ignoring the ecological consequences of PPCPs will ultimately limit a thorough understanding of the future health of rivers receiving these ubiquitous chemicals.

Emma Rosi (Primary Presenter/Author), Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, rosie@caryinstitute.org;


Sylvia Lee ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, lee.sylvia@epa.gov;


Erinn Richmond ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Monash University , erinn.richmond@monash.edu;


John Kelly ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Loyola University Chicago, Jkelly7@luc.edu;


Michael Grace ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Monash University , michael.grace@monash.edu;


David Walters ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), United States Geological Survey, waltersd@usgs.gov;
Dr. David Walters is a Supervisory Research Ecologist at the Columbia Environmental Research Center. David has been a research ecologist with the USGS since 2008. Prior to that, he was an ecologist for the U.S. EPA, National Exposure Research Laboratory for 6 years. He is a freshwater ecologist with broad training in stream ecology, human impacts on aquatic ecosystems, and ecotoxicology. His current research topics include food webs and contaminant flux, aquatic-riparian linkages, stream fish ecology, land use and climate change, and invasive species.

Emily Bernhardt ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Duke University, ebernhar@duke.edu;


Alexander Reisinger ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, reisingera@caryinstitute.org;


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5/25/2016  |   16:15 - 16:30   |  313

A COMMON ENGINEERED NANOMATERIAL, NANO-TITANIUM DIOXIDE, IS A POTENTIAL EMERGING THREAT TO RIVER ECOSYSTEMS Nano-TiO2 is an engineered nanomaterial that is found in a wide range of commercial products. Production of nano-TiO2 has increased rapidly over the last several decades, raising concerns about the release of this material into the environment. Aquatic habitats are especially at risk for nano-TiO2 contamination due to inputs from urban and suburban runoff and domestic wastewater. We used high-throughput screening to demonstrate the toxicity of several different forms of nano-TiO2 to a range of aquatic microbes, including heterotrophs and autotrophs, and to elucidate environmental factors that can influence nano-TiO2 toxicity, including illumination and dissolved organic matter. To assess potential nano-TiO2 effects on benthic microbial communities under realistic exposure scenarios we used laboratory artificial streams and added nano-TiO2 either as a single pulse or as daily additions of a low concentration. Both exposure scenarios had negative effects on microbial abundance in the benthos, with chronic exposure also resulting in lower metabolic activity (respiration and photosynthesis) and altered algal and bacterial community composition. These data indicate the potential for nano-TiO2 to negatively affect river ecosystems.

John Kelly (Primary Presenter/Author), Loyola University Chicago, Jkelly7@luc.edu;


Kimberly Gray ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Northwestern University, k-gray@northwestern.edu;


Jean-Francois Gaillard ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Northwestern University, jf-gaillard@northwestern.edu;


Christopher Peterson ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Loyola University Chicago, Cpeters@luc.edu;


Chu Thi Thanh Binh ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Illinois at Chicago, cttbinh@gmail.com;


Tiezheng Tong ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Yale University, tiezheng.tong@yale.edu;


Alexandra Ozaki ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Loyola University Chicago, alexandraozaki@gmail.com;


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5/25/2016  |   16:30 - 16:45   |  313

HOW THREATS TO RIVERS TRIGGER INNOVATION, ACTION AND POLICY Rivers and streams are the most impacted ecosystems on the planet as a consequence of watershed alteration and exploitation for water supply, irrigation, power generation, navigation, and waste disposal. River conservation and management relies on balancing human uses with ecological values and a comprehensive understanding of how various threats – both existing and anticipated – will impact rivers both alone and in combination. Efforts to minimize the impacts of threats to rivers through conservation, management, and policy are challenging and require well-informed stakeholders who are both protective and reactive in their approach. Here, we use examples to illustrate how threats to rivers have triggered process and technological innovations (e.g. advances in green stormwater infrastructure), advances in policy, and conservation and consumer actions aimed at reducing the impacts of threats to rivers in the future. This talk provides broad conservation context for the River Threats special session by highlighting how scientific understanding of the severity and underlying mechanisms of threats to rivers underlies conservation response.

Laura S. Craig (Primary Presenter/Author), American Rivers, lcraig@americanrivers.org;


Erin Singer McCombs ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), American Rivers, emccombs@americanrivers.org;


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