TBT Causes Regime Shift in Shallow Lakes

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• 作者：Carl D. Sayer ; Daniel J. Hoare ; Gavin L. Simpson ; Andrew C. G. Henderson ; Eleanor R. Liptrot ; Michael J. Jackson ; Peter G. Appleby ; John F. Boyle ; J. Iwan Jones ; Mike J. Waldock
• 刊名：Environmental Science & Technology
• 出版年：2006
• 出版时间：September 1, 2006
• 年：2006
• 卷：40
• 期：17
• 页码：5269 - 5275
• 全文大小：451K
• 年卷期：v.40,no.17(September 1, 2006)
• ISSN：1520-5851

文摘

Tributyltin (TBT) is an organotin compound used since theearly 1960s as a biocide in boat antifouling paints. Its usehas been linked to a host of negative effects in marineecosystems including malformations and imposex in Molluscaand acute toxicity in many other aquatic animals. Yet,the consequences of TBT use in freshwaters are largelyunknown. Here, for the first time we reveal that TBT mayhave caused hitherto unsuspected damage to freshwaterecosystems. Through an analysis of dated sedimentcores collected from a system of recreationally boated,shallow lakes, we show that first evidence of TBT is associatedwith a dramatic loss of submerged vegetation andassociated diverse animal communities. Cause and effectare difficult to unravel in our study. However, wehypothesize that TBT, through reducing populations ofgrazing organisms in lakes already affected by eutrophication,promoted the replacement of macrophytes by phytoplankton,ultimately leading to a regime shift in the ecosystem.Our findings may have parallels in freshwater ecosystemsall over the world.