Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Freshwater mussel (Unionidae) shells document the decline of trace element pollution in the regional watersheds of Chicago (Illinois, USA)

  • Primary Research Paper
  • Published:
Hydrobiologia Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The present study analyzed trace element concentrations from the shells of native freshwater mussels collected from the headwater tributaries of the Illinois River (USA). These analyses were conducted to determine whether (A) anthropogenic enrichment could be observed and (B) whether enrichment had decreased following the enactment of Clean Water Act legislation in the 1970s. Collections archived in museums allowed comparison of the pre-Columbian period, the mid-20th century, and the early 21st century. The element Cu was consistently elevated above pre-Columbian baselines, while the elements As, Cd, Fe, and Zn were elevated in some collections. Although higher than baseline, concentrations Zn consistently declined from the mid-20th century to modern times, although differences occurred at individual sites. There was evidence for food web influence: the element Mn was significantly negatively correlated to sediment primary productivity as indexed by shell δ13C and Cu was positively correlated to trophic position as reflected by shell δ15N. Zn correlated to stream order across all time periods. We conclude that a mixture of historic factors affecting pollution control and land use patterns in the watershed led to sometimes conflicting effects on trace element bioaccumulation in mussel shells.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Anderson, C. & G. Cabana, 2007. Estimating the trophic position of aquatic consumers in river food webs using stable nitrogen isotopes. Journal of the North American Benthological Society 26: 273–285.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, R. V., 1977. Concentration of cadmium, copper, lead and zinc in thirty-five genera of freshwater macroinvertebrates from the Fox River, Illinois and Wisconsin. Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 18: 345–349.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Angelo, R. T., M. S. Cringan, D. L. Chamberlain, A. J. Stahl, S. G. Haslouer & C. A. Goodrich, 2007. Residual effects of lead and zinc mining on freshwater mussels in the Spring River Basin (Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma, USA). Science of the Total Environment 384: 467–496.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Atkinson, C. L., S. P. Opsahl, A. P. Covich, S. W. Golladay & L. M. Conner, 2010. Stable isotopic signatures, tissue stoichiometry, and nutrient cycling (C and N) of native and invasive freshwater bivalves. Journal of the North American Benthological Society 29: 496–505.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Babukutty, Y. & J. Chacko, 1992. Trace metals in an estuarine bivalve from the southwest coast of India. Ambio 21: 292–296.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bolotov, I. N., O. S. Pokrovsky, Y. Auda, J. V. Bespalaya, I. V. Vikhrev, M. Y. Gofarov, A. A. Lyubas, J. Viers & C. Zouiten, 2015. Trace element composition of freshwater pearl mussels Margaritifera spp. across Eurasia: testing the effect of species and geographic location. Chemical Geology 402: 125–139.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Brix, H. & J. E. Lyngby, 1985. The influence of size on the concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Pb and Zn in the common mussel (Mytilus edulis L.). Symposia Biologica Hungarica 29: 253–271.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bryan, G. W. & H. Uysal, 1978. Heavy metals in the burrowing bivalve Scobularia plana from the Tamar Estuary in relation to environmental levels. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 58: 89–109.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cabana, G. & J. B. Rasmussen, 1996. Comparison of aquatic food chains using nitrogen isotopes. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 93: 10844–10847.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Campbell, L. M., R. J. Norstrom, K. A. Hobson, D. C. Muir, S. Backus & A. T. Fisk, 2005. Mercury and other trace elements in a pelagic Arctic marine food web (Northwater Polynya, Baffin Bay). Science of the Total Environment 351: 247–263.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Carilli, J., B. Williams, B. R. Schöne, R. A. Krause & S. J. Fallon, 2015. Historical contaminant records from sclerochronological archives. In Blais, J., Rosen, M. & Smol, J. (eds), Environmental Contaminants. Springer, Doredrecht: 355–391, http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-94-017-9541-8_13.

  • Carroll, M. & C. S. Romanek, 2008. Shell layer variation in trace element concentration for the freshwater bivalve Elliptio complanata. Geo-Marine Letters 28: 369–381.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Colman, J. A. & R. F. Sanzolone, 1992. Geochemical characterization of streambed sediment in the Upper Illinois River Basin. JAWRA Journal of the American Water Resources Association 28: 933–950.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Colten, C. E., 1986. Industrial wastes in southeast Chicago: production and disposal 1870–1970. Environmental Review 10: 93–105.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Elder, J. & J. Collins, 1991. Freshwater molluscs as indicators of bioavailability and toxicity of metals in surface-water systems. Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 122: 37–79.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Finlay, J. C., 2001. Stable-carbon-isotope ratios of river biota: implications for energy flow in lotic food webs. Ecology 82: 1052–1064.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fritts, A. K., M. W. Fritts, W. R. Haag, J. A. DeBoer & A. F. Casper, 2017. Freshwater mussel shells (Unionidae) chronicle changes in a North American river over the past 1000 years. Science of The Total Environment 575: 199–206.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Geeza, T. J., D. P. Gillikin, D. H. Goodwin, S. D. Evans, T. Watters & N. R. Warner, 2018. Controls on magnesium, manganese, strontium, and barium concentrations recorded in freshwater mussel shells from Ohio. Chemical Geology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemgeo.2018.01.001.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gibson-Reinemer, D. K., R. E. Sparks, J. L. Parker, J. A. DeBoer, M. W. Fritts, M. A. McClelland, J. H. Chick & A. F. Casper, 2017. Ecological recovery of a river fish assemblage following the implementation of the Clean Water Act. BioScience 67: 957–970.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gillikin, D. P., F. Dehairs, W. Baeyens, J. Navez, A. Lorrain & L. Andre, 2005. Inter- and intra-annual variations of Pb/Ca ratios in clam shells (Mercenaria mercenaria): a record of anthropogenic lead pollution? Marine Pollution Bulletin 50: 1530–1540.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Goewert, A., D. Surge, S. J. Carpenter & J. Downing, 2007. Oxygen and carbon isotope ratios of Lampsilis cardium (Unionidae) from two streams in agricultural watersheds of Iowa, USA. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 252: 637–648.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gross, D. L. & R. C. Berg, 1981. Geology of the Kankakee River System in Kankakee County, Illinois. Environmental Geology Notes, 92. https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/bitstream/handle/2142/78926/geologyofkankake92gros.pdf?sequence=1.

  • Gundacker, C., 1999. Tissue-specific heavy metal (Cd, Pb, Cu, Zn) deposition in a natural population of the zebra mussel Dreissena polymorpha Pallas. Chemosphere 38: 3339–3356.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gundacker, C., 2000. Comparison of heavy metal bioaccumulation in freshwater molluscs of urban river habitats in Vienna. Environmental Pollution 110: 61–71.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Haag, W. R. & A. M. Commens-Carson, 2008. Testing the assumption of annual shell ring deposition in freshwater mussels. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 65: 493–508.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hobbs, F. & N. Stoops, 2002. Demographic trends in the 20th century. US Census Bureau, https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=NCdeLkEbEzQC&oi=fnd&pg=PA3&dq=Demographic+Trends+in+the+20th+Century&ots=R2DPIZP_EZ&sig=4lI9pM8iGFZ-Dz_Aos1qnMsmjG0.

  • Holland, H. A., B. R. Schöne, C. Lipowsky & J. Esper, 2014. Decadal climate variability of the North Sea during the last millennium reconstructed from bivalve shells (Arctica islandica). The Holocene 24: 771–786.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Howe, P. D., H. M. Malcom & S. Dobson, 2004. Manganese and its compounds: environmental aspects. World Health Organization, http://www.inchem.org/documents/cicads/cicads/cicad63.htm#5.0.

  • IDNR, 1998. Kankakee River area assessment. Illinois Department of Natural Resources: 125, https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/handle/2142/13884.

  • IDNR, 1999. Du Page River area assessment. Illinois Department of Natural Resources, http://hdl.handle.net/2142/13879.

  • IDNR, 2000. Lower Des Plaines River area assessment. Illinois Department of Natural Resources, http://www.ideals.illinois.edu/handle/2142/13894.

  • Ikemoto, T., N. P. C. Tu, N. Okuda, A. Iwata, K. Omori, S. Tanabe, B. C. Tuyen & I. Takeuchi, 2008. Biomagnification of trace elements in the aquatic food web in the Mekong Delta, South Vietnam using stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis. Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 54: 504–515.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Imlay, M., 1982. Use of shells of freshwater mussels in monitoring heavy metals and environmental stresses: a review. Malacological Review 15: 1–14.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ishikawa, N. F., H. Doi & J. C. Finlay, 2012. Global meta-analysis for controlling factors on carbon stable isotope ratios of lotic periphyton. Oecologia 170: 541–549.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jeffree, R. A., S. J. Markich, F. Lefebvre, M. Thellier & C. Ripoll, 1995. Shell microlaminations of the freshwater bivalve Hyridella depressa as an archival monitor of manganese water concentration: experimental investigation by depth profiling using secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). Experientia 51: 838–848.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Karr, J. R., 1987. Biological monitoring and environmental assessment: a conceptual framework. Environmental Management 11: 249–256.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kimbrough, K. L., G. G. Lauenstein, J. D. Christensen & D. A. Apeti, 2008. An assessment of two decades of contaminant monitoring in the Nation’s Coastal Zone, NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS NCCOS, 74. NOAA/National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, Silver Springs, MD

    Google Scholar 

  • Knezevic, A., 2008. Overlapping confidence intervals and statistical significance. StatNews: Cornell University Statistical Consulting Unit 73, https://cscu.cornell.edu/news/statnews/stnews73.pdf.

  • Kurunczi, S., S. Torok & P. Chevallier, 2001. A micro-XRF study of the element distribution on the growth front of mussel shell (species of Unio crassus Retzius). Mikrochimica Acta 137: 41–48.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Langlet, D., L. Y. Alleman, P. D. Plisnier, H. Hughes & L. Andre, 2007. Manganese content records seasonal upwelling in Lake Tanganyika mussels. Biogeosciences 4: 195–203.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Luoma, S. N., R. Dagovitz & E. Axtmann, 1990. Temporally intensive study of trace metals in sediments and bivalves from a large river, estuarine system – Suisun Bay Delta in San-Francisco Bay. Science of the Total Environment 97–8: 685–712.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Markich, S. J., R. A. Jeffree & P. T. Burke, 2002. Freshwater bivalve shells as archival indicators of metal pollution from a copper-uranium mine in tropical northern Australia. Environmental Science & Technology 36: 821–832.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McKinney, R. A., J. L. Lake, M. A. Charpentier & S. Ryba, 2002. Using mussel isotope ratios to assess anthropogenic nitrogen inputs to freshwater ecosystems. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 74: 167–192.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Muth, J. E. D., 2014. Basic Statistics and Pharmaceutical Statistical Applications, 3rd ed. CRC Press, Boca Raton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Neves, R. J. & S. N. Moyer, 1988. Evaluation of techniques for age determination of freshwater Mussels (Unionidae). American Malacological Bulletin 6: 179–188.

    Google Scholar 

  • Norton, S. A., T. Wilson, M. Handley & E. C. Osterberg, 2007. Atmospheric deposition of cadmium in the northeastern USA. Applied Geochemistry 22: 1217–1222.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nystrom, J., E. Dunca, H. Mutvei & U. Lindh, 1996. Environmental history as reflected by freshwater pearl mussels in the River Vramsan, southern Sweden. Ambio 25: 350–355.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pacyna, J. M. & E. G. Pacyna, 2001. An assessment of global and regional emissions of trace metals to the atmosphere from anthropogenic sources worldwide. Environmental Reviews 9: 269–298.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Paul, M. J. & J. L. Meyer, 2001. Streams in the urban landscape. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 32: 333–365.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peterson, J. T. & T. J. Kwak, 1999. Modeling the effects of land use and climate change on riverine smallmouth bass. Ecological Applications 9: 1391–1404.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pitts, L. C. & G. T. Wallace, 1994. Lead deposition in the shell of the bivalve, Mya arenaria – an indicator of dissolved lead in seawater. Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science 39: 93–104.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Quinn, M. R., X. Feng, C. L. Folt & C. P. Chamberlain, 2003. Analyzing trophic transfer of metals in stream food webs using nitrogen isotopes. Science of the Total Environment 317: 73–89.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ravera, O., G. M. Beone, R. Cenci & P. Lodigiani, 2003. Metal concentrations in Unio pictorum mancus (Mollusca, Lamellibranchia) from of 12 Northern Italian lakes in relation to their trophic level. Journal of Limnology 62: 121–138.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Risk, M. J., M. Burchell, K. De Roo, R. Nairn, M. Tubrett & G. Forsterra, 2010. Trace elements in bivalve shells from the Río Cruces, Chile. Aquatic Biology 10: 85–97.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ross, P. E., L. C. Burnett & M. S. Henebry, 1989. Chemical and toxicological analyses of Lake Calumet (Cook County, Illinois) sediments. Illinois State Natural History Survey, http://www.ideals.illinois.edu/bitstream/handle/2142/1915/RR-E36.PDF?sequence=1.

  • Salomons, W., N. M. Derooij, H. Kerdijk & J. Bril, 1987. Sediments as a source for contaminants. Hydrobiologia 149: 13–30.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schettler, G. & N. J. G. Pearce, 1996. Metal pollution recorded in extinct Dreissena polymorpha communities, Lake Breitling, Havel Lakes system, Germany: a laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry study. Hydrobiologia 317: 1–11.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schöne, B. R. & R. A. Krause, 2016. Retrospective environmental biomonitoring–Mussel Watch expanded. Global and Planetary Change 144: 228–251.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shoults-Wilson, W. A., J. T. Peterson, J. M. Unrine, J. Rickard & M. C. Black, 2009. The Asian clam Corbicula fluminea as a biomonitor of trace element contamination: accounting for different sources of variation using an hierarchical linear model. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 28: 2224–2232.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shoults-Wilson, W. A., J. M. Unrine, J. Rickard & M. C. Black, 2010. Comparison of metal concentrations in Corbicula fluminea and Elliptio hopetonensis in the Altamaha River System, Georgia, USA. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 29: 2026–2033.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shoults-Wilson, W. A., L. Seymour, J. M. Wisniewski, J. M. Unrine & M. C. Black, 2014. Improving data resolution and statistical rigor in the analysis of bivalve shells. Environmental Science: Processes and Impacts 16: 247–255.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shoults-Wilson, W. A., N. Elsayed, K. Leckrone & J. Unrine, 2015. Zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) as a biomonitor of trace elements along the southern shoreline of Lake Michigan. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 34: 412–419.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Siegele, R., I. Orlic, D. D. Cohen, S. J. Markich & R. A. Jeffree, 2001. Manganese profiles in freshwater mussel shells. Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research Section B-Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms 181: 593–597.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sullivan, D. J., 2000. Nutrients and suspended solids in surface waters of the upper Illinois River basin in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin, 1978–1997. US Department of the Interior, US Geological Survey, http://wcsu.csu.edu/cerc/documents/NutrientsandSuspendedSolidsInSurfaceWatersoftheUpperIllinoisRiverBasin1978-1997.pdf.

  • Thomas, C. A. & L. I. Bendell-Young, 1998. Linking the sediment geochemistry of an intertidal region to metal bioavailability in the deposit feeder Macoma balthica. Marine Ecology-Progress Series 173: 197–213.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • USBLS, 2017. Illinois Economy at a Glance., https://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.il.htm.

  • USDA, 2014. USDA – NASS, 2012 Census of Agriculture., https://www.agcensus.usda.gov/.

  • USEPA, 1996. EPA Method 3052. Microwave assisted digestion of siliceous and organically based matrices. Revision 0 (December 1996). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., USA., http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/test/pdfs/3052.pdf.

  • USEPA, 2014. Final ecological risk assessment Kress Creek/West Branch DuPage River site sewage teatment plant site west Chicago Illinois. Environmental Protection Agency, U. S.

    Google Scholar 

  • USGS, 2017. USGS National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) program., https://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/.

  • Versteegh, E. A., H. B. Vonhof, S. R. Troelstra, R. J. Kaandorp & D. Kroon, 2010. Seasonally resolved growth of freshwater bivalves determined by oxygen and carbon isotope shell chemistry. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems. https://doi.org/10.1029/2009GC002961.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang, Y. & D. K. Moskovits, 2001. Tracking fragmentation of natural communities and changes in land cover: applications of landsat data for conservation in an urban landscape (Chicago wilderness). Conservation Biology 15: 835–843.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Warren, R. E., 2014. Freshwater mussels from the Liverpool Landing site, Illinois: paleoenvironmental modeling, community dynamics, and novel ideas for home decor. Wisconsin Archaeologist 95: 284–302.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wheeler, A. P., P. L. Angermeier & A. E. Rosenberger, 2005. Impacts of new highways and subsequent landscape urbanization on stream habitat and biota. Reviews in Fisheries Science 13: 141–164.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, W. A., A. K. Fritts, M. W. Fritts, J. M. Unrine, B. N. Tweedy & A. F. Casper, 2018. Freshwater mussel shells (Unionidae) describe anthropogenic changes to trace element cycling within a North American river. Science of The Total Environment 616: 1066–1076.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zuykov, M., E. Pelletier & D. A. T. Harper, 2013. Bivalve mollusks in metal pollution studies: from bioaccumulation to biomonitoring. Chemosphere 93: 201–208.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors thank N. Braus, M. Ciocan, D. Dominguez, and J. Fernandez for their diligent work in preparing samples, S. Shrestha for analyzing samples, and C. Gilliland and T. Beasley for assistance collecting specimens. K. Cummings and the Illinois Natural History Survey provided access to historical specimens and the Illinois State Archeological Survey provided access to archaeological specimens. This research received funding from the Matching Research Awards Program through the University of Illinois, Prairie Research Institute, and National Science Foundation STEP grant DUE 0757053.

Author information

Author notes

  1. W. Aaron Wilson

    Present address: Environmental Studies Program, Illinois Wesleyan University, 1312 Park St, Bloomington, IL, 61701, USA

  2. Andrea K. Fritts

    Present address: USGS Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, 2630 Fanta Reed Rd, La Crosse, WI, 54603, USA

  3. Mark W. Fritts

    Present address: US Fish and Wildlife Service, La Crosse Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office, 555 Lester Avenue, Onalaska, WI, 54650, USA

  4. Andrew F. Casper

    Present address: Daniel P. Haerther Center for Conservation and Research, John G. Shedd Aquarium, 1200 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL, 60604, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological, Chemical and Physical Sciences, Roosevelt University, 430 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL, 60605, USA

    W. Aaron Wilson

  2. Illinois Natural History Survey, Illinois River Biological Station, Havana, IL, 62644, USA

    Andrea K. Fritts, Mark W. Fritts & Andrew F. Casper

  3. Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40546, USA

    Jason M. Unrine

Authors
  1. W. Aaron Wilson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Andrea K. Fritts
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Mark W. Fritts
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Jason M. Unrine
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Andrew F. Casper
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to W. Aaron Wilson.

Additional information

Handling editor: Eric R. Larson

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Wilson, W.A., Fritts, A.K., Fritts, M.W. et al. Freshwater mussel (Unionidae) shells document the decline of trace element pollution in the regional watersheds of Chicago (Illinois, USA). Hydrobiologia 816, 179–196 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-018-3582-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-018-3582-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation