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Impact of Metals on Macroinvertebrate Assemblages in the Forgotten Stretch of the Rio Grande

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Abstract

The objective of this study was to examine how changes in the benthic macroinvertebrate community structure and a variety of abiotic variables, such as conductivity and sediment metal concentrations, are modified along the Forgotten River stretch of the Rio Grande. This stretch receives industrial effluent, raw sewage, and agricultural return flow from the El Paso (TX, USA)–Ciudad Juárez (CHI, Mexico) metroplex and then flows relatively undisturbed for 320 km before its next significant input. The high degree of use, followed by the 320-km undisturbed stretch, makes the Forgotten River a unique study site to examine downstream attenuation of contaminants and other abiotic variables to determine their potential effects on macroinvertebrates. Five different sites along the Forgotten Stretch were sampled over a 2-year period. Metal concentrations were low throughout the stretch and were predominantly correlated to percent sediment organic matter rather than explained spatially. Several sensitive invertebrate species, such as Leptophlebiidae, increased in relative abundance downstream, whereas the percentage of tolerant invertebrates decreased. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling separated the macroinvertebrate communities upstream from those downstream, with the more sensitive species being found predominantly downstream and more tolerant taxa associated upstream. Additionally, there was a distinct seasonal gradient to the community. The most important drivers of the community assemblage appear to be distance downstream and seasonality, as well as water conductivity and concentrations of sediment cadmium, which was the only metal that exceeded protective criteria. This study did not provide evidence of the downstream attenuation of heavy metals in the sediments in the Forgotten Stretch; however, downstream changes in macroinvertebrates toward more sensitive taxa suggests that other, unmeasured contaminants might be affecting biological communities in this isolated stretch of an international waterway.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank William Baldwin, Jonathan Roling, Jeffrey Sivils, and Gilbert Anaya for assistance with the collection of field samples, Craig Tweedie and William Bridges with statistical assistance, and Christian Andresen with mapping the study region. Funding was provided in part by The Texas Water Resources Institute (grant No. USGS01HQGR0102).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA

    Catalina Ordonez & Vanessa L. Lougheed

  2. Department of Chemistry, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA

    Jorge L. Gardea-Torresdey

  3. Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA

    Lisa J. Bain

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  1. Catalina Ordonez
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  2. Vanessa L. Lougheed
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  3. Jorge L. Gardea-Torresdey
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  4. Lisa J. Bain
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Correspondence to Lisa J. Bain.

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Ordonez, C., Lougheed, V.L., Gardea-Torresdey, J.L. et al. Impact of Metals on Macroinvertebrate Assemblages in the Forgotten Stretch of the Rio Grande. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 60, 426–436 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-010-9557-7

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