Assessment of the Impact of Heavy Metals on Benthic Communities at the Clinch River (Virginia): Evaluation of an Index of Community Sensitivity

Abstract

Benthic communities (sampled once annually from 1986 to 1989) at stations impacted by copper and zinc were characterized by reduced species richness, reduced abundance, and a shift in community composition from sensitive to tolerant taxa. Benthic community structure varied annually due to fluctuations in stream discharge and improvements in water quality. Sensitivity of 13 dominant taxa to Cu was measured in outdoor experimental streams by exposing organisms to Cu (25 μg/L) for 10 d. Sensitivities (s_i), defined as proportioned reduction in abundance in treated streams relative to controls, ranged from 1.00 for several species of Ephemeroptera that were completely eliminated to −0.14 for taxa that increased in treated streams (Chironomidae: Orthocladiini). An index of community sensitivity (ICS) based on s_iand relative abundance of dominant taxa (p_i) was developed for the Clinch River. The ICS was highly sensitive to heavy metals and useful for distinguishing reference and impacted stations. There was good agreement between the ICS and other community-level approaches in identifying impacted stations. We suggest that specific ICS values, based on s_iestimates of dominant taxa within a region, may be employed to predict the degree of metal impact in other streams within that region.