Extracellular enzyme activity suggests phosphorus limitation of biofilm productivity in acid mine drainage remediated streams

详细信息    查看全文

• 作者：Samuel A. Drerup ; Morgan L. Vis
• 关键词：Acid mine drainage ; Extracellular enzyme activity ; Phosphorus limitation ; Primary productivity ; Remediation
• 刊名：Hydrobiologia
• 出版年：2017
• 出版时间：January 2017
• 年：2017
• 卷：784
• 期：1
• 页码：225-236
• 全文大小：471 KB
• 刊物类别：Biomedical and Life Sciences
• 刊物主题：Life Sciences
  Hydrobiology
  Ecology
  
• 出版者：Springer Netherlands
• ISSN：1573-5117
• 卷排序：784

文摘

Acid mine drainage (AMD) is a global consequence of historical and present day mining activities. Remediation efforts have been successful in improving water quality with elevated pH and decreased dissolved metals. In many streams, there has been chemical and biological recovery, but success is not universal. The goal of restoration should be to improve not only biological diversity but also stream function. We compared biofilm community characteristics and function from three stream categories (AMD-unimpaired, AMD-impaired, and AMD-remediated) in southeastern Ohio. Biofilms of the AMD-impaired and AMD-remediated sites had the lowest concentrations of chlorophyll a and the lowest rates of productivity and respiration. AMD-impaired streams had reduced pH and increased dissolved metal (iron, aluminum, and manganese) concentrations. Specific conductance was elevated in both the AMD-impaired and AMD-remediated streams. Water at the AMD-impacted and AMD-remediated sites had significantly lower soluble reactive phosphorus concentration compared to AMD-unimpaired sites. Biofilm extracellular enzyme activities showed an increase in biomass-specific phosphorus-acquiring enzymes in AMD-impaired and AMD-remediated sites. These results suggest phosphorus limitation is occurring in AMD-impaired and AMD-remediated streams, potentially limiting or delaying biotic recovery even though water chemistry has improved.