Abstract
Arsenic (As) pollution in water has important impacts for human and ecosystem health. In freshwaters, arsenate (AsV) can be taken up by microalgae due to its similarity with phosphate molecules, its toxicity being aggravated under phosphate depletion. An experiment combining ecological and ecotoxicological descriptors was conducted to investigate the effects of AsV (130 μg L−1 over 13 days) on the structure and function of fluvial biofilm under phosphate-limiting conditions. We further incorporated fish (Gambusia holbrooki) into our experimental system, expecting fish to provide more available phosphate for algae and, consequently, protecting algae against As toxicity. However, this protection role was not fully achieved. Arsenic inhibited algal growth and productivity but not bacteria. The diatom community was clearly affected showing a strong reduction in cell biovolume; selection for tolerant species, in particular Achnanthidium minutissimum; and a reduction in species richness. Our results have important implications for risk assessment, as the experimental As concentration used was lower than acute toxicity criteria established by the USEPA.
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Acknowledgments
Financial support was provided by Spanish Science and Education Ministry (project CTM2009-14111-CO2-01), Spanish Economy and Competitiveness Ministry (project CGL2013-43822-R), and the University of Girona project SING12/09. Laura Barral Fraga benefited from a doctoral fellowship from the Univeristy of Girona (BR 2013/06) and a mobility grant from the Institut National de Recherche en Sciences et Technologies pour l’Environnement et l’Agriculture (IRSTEA, Bordeaux, France). Kit Magellan benefited from a Marie Curie International Reintegration Grant within the 7th European Community Framework Programme.
Special thanks to Anna Freixa, Roberto Merciai, Pao Srean, Irene Tornero, Dr. Juanita Mora-Gómez, Dr. Elisabet Tornés, Dr. Stéphanie Gascón, and Dr. Emili García-Berthou for their advice and help. Also thanks to Esther Pérez for assistance with lab set-up, and the Unit of Structural and Chemical Analyses of the Technical Research Services of the University of Girona for the arsenic analyses.
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This study does not include endangered or otherwise protected species. All fish were properly collected and handled in an ethical manner, following all national and institutional guidelines for animal experiments. Every effort was made to ensure that suffering to the fish was minimized.
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Barral-Fraga, L., Morin, S., Rovira, M.D.M. et al. Short-term arsenic exposure reduces diatom cell size in biofilm communities. Environ Sci Pollut Res 23, 4257–4270 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-4894-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-4894-8