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Ecotoxicology of alpine streams in the West Carpathians—Alpine Bullhead (Cottus poecilopus) and high mountain flash flood effects

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Abstract

Flash floods represent a serious threat to wildlife, water biota, and human life in pre-alpine regions, particularly in recent historical memory. The alpine bullhead is an established bioindicator of water quality in mountain streams, which can be adversely affected by an increased propensity for flash flooding. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of flash flooding on the variation of chemical elements found in the skull of alpine bullheads, with a focus on inter-annual effects. Their bone tissue reflects an increased concentration of K and Cl and a decreased concentration of biogenic Cr, Zn, and Mo, absorbed mainly through the gills, for up to 2 years following a flood. During autumn, following a summer flash flood, the amount of Mn and Fe present in skull tissues of fish was found to have increased, tapering off again over the following year. These metals are predominantly ingested by bullheads while feeding. The lack of specific types of biogenic concentration in the water may be critical to the definition of presence/absence patterns, as populations were shown to decline 2 to 3 years post-flood. Pre-alpine streams are particularly susceptible to this type of flooding. The decreases in biogenic elements and increase of K and Cl exhibited in bullhead tissues indicate that a negative ecological footprint due to flash floods can still be observed several years following the event.

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Data Availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. Authors declare to cite any publicly available data on which the conclusions of the paper rely in the manuscript.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to our colleagues and students for providing data on water chemistry and previously found data on alpine bullheads, especially Andrea Pogányová, Kristína Hrivnáková, and Michaela Perinajová. We would like to thank our colleagues and students for their assistance in the field, especially Zuzana Kompišová Ballová, Martin Kompiš, Michaela Perinajová, and Jaroslav Solár. For English proofreading and improving, we are indebted to native English-speaking editor Amanda Clarahan.

Funding

This research was funded by the European Structural Funds (ITMS: 26110230078).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of High Mountain Biology, University of Žilina, Tatranská Javorina 7, 059 56, Tatranská Javorina,, Slovakia

    Martin Janiga, Marián Janiga & Martina Haas

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  1. Martin Janiga
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  2. Marián Janiga
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  3. Martina Haas
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by Martin Janiga, Marián Janiga, and Martina Haas. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Martin Janiga and Marián Janiga. Martina Haas and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Martina Haas.

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Ethics approval and consent to participate

Naturally deceased bullhead (Cottus) bodies were used in the study. Their collection and subsequent manipulation took place according to ethical principles and with permission No. 999212018-6.3, Ministry of the Environment of the Slovak Republic, Department of State Nature and Landscape Protection, from date 21.11.2018.

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Janiga, M., Janiga, M. & Haas, M. Ecotoxicology of alpine streams in the West Carpathians—Alpine Bullhead (Cottus poecilopus) and high mountain flash flood effects. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 51297–51305 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-14157-1

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