Abstract
Anthropogenic inputs of heavy metals and metalloids pose a risk to wetlands due to their long retention time in sediment, high toxicity at low concentrations, and biological accumulation. This study aimed to assess risk from seven heavy metals (cadmium:Cd, chromium:Cr, copper:Cu, mercury:Hg, nickel:Ni, lead:Pb, zinc:Zn) and one metalloid (arsenic:As) along a trophic pathway by quantifying contaminant loads in muskrat livers, roots of invasive hybrid cattail (Typha x glauca), and in sediment at Horicon National Wildlife Refuge, a wetland of international importance in southeastern Wisconsin, United States. Overall, comparison to literature and thresholds from the Environmental Protection Agency led us to conclude that heavy metals and metalloids pose a low risk to refuge biota with maximum concentrations as follows in sediment, T. x glauca roots, and muskrat livers in mg/kg dry weight: Zn—82, 54, 111, Pb—42, 43, 0.06, Cu—26, 59, 13, Ni—22, 5, 0.7, Cr—20, 3, 0.5, As—6, 11, 0.08, Cd—3, 1, 0.08, Hg—0.1, 0.02, 0.08, a finding which was further supported by low bioconcentration factors between sample types. A spatial analysis using GIS revealed hotspots for Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, and Zn in sediment in one subplot. However, even in hotspots concentrations mostly fell below protective thresholds and were similar to or lower than concentrations found in a prior survey from 1990 (α < 0.05). Overall, while anthropogenic influences are undoubtedly present, we interpret the concentrations found here to be relatively low and present them as points of comparison regarding risk to plants and mammals for others conducting similar surveys on wetlands.
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Acknowledgements
We would like to thank UW Oshkosh faculty members Eric Hiatt, Sabrina Mueller-Spitz, Laura Ladwig, Robert Stelzer, Kevin Crawford for their expertise, as well as David Dilkes for assisting with muskrat dissection and Mamadou Coulibaly for his technical support with GIS. We are grateful for the time put in by students Pedro Cachu Cuevas, who assisted with dissections, and Jessica Roberts who aided with GIS analysis. This research would not have been possible without the guidance of Christa Dahman, Nicolas Slater, Joel Overdier, Kirsten Widmayer, and Pamela Skaar in the laboratory and the help of trappers Fred, Mark, Benny, Chris, and Dan in the field. Disclaimer: The findings and conclusions in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
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This work was supported by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s departments of Ecological Services and Migratory Birds, the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh’s student-faculty collaborative grant, and by Horicon National Wildlife Refuge. The authors declare that no funds, grants, or other support were received during the preparation of this manuscript.
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Field work was facilitated by Sadie O’Dell and Jon Krapfl and carried out by Sarah Woody. Lab work was conducted by Sarah Woody. Statistical analyses were completed by Sarah Woody with guidance from M. Elsbeth McPhee. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Sarah Woody, which was reviewed and edited by all authors. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Woody, S., O’Dell, S., Krapfl, J. et al. Assessment of heavy metal and metalloid concentrations at Horicon National Wildlife Refuge. Wetlands Ecol Manage (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-024-09987-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-024-09987-y