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Road Salt Stress Induces Novel Food Web Structure and Interactions

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Abstract

Freshwater salinization is an emerging global concern, and in northern latitudes can be largely attributed to road deicer applications during winter and spring. To investigate the effects of road salt contamination on pond food webs, we manipulated trophic structure and salt in experimental pond communities. In May 2008, we inoculated forty 600-L pond mesocosms with algae and zooplankton. Using a full-factorial design, we manipulated road salt presence (645 mg L−1 Cl−) and tadpoles (Hyla versicolor) in a food web that included two groups of primary producers (periphyton, phytoplankton) and two groups of primary consumers (tadpoles, zooplankton). Adult copepod density decreased significantly in the elevated chloride treatment (ANOVA P = 0.001). Tadpoles reared in the elevated chloride treatment grew larger (ANOVA P = 0.005) and metamorphosed sooner (ANCOVA P = 0.028) than those in the ambient treatment. Our results suggest there were more algal resources available to tadpoles as a result of declines in zooplankton, inducing a shorter time to and greater size at metamorphosis. While common pollutants such as road deicers are known to have direct effects on many taxa, the indirect effects on food web structure and interactions can be pronounced, even when pollutants occur at relatively low levels.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center staff for authorizing access to wetland impoundments and for research guidance. Many hours of field and laboratory assistance were given by Matt Gallagher, Adrianne Brand, Carrie DePalma, Jen Li, Pete Bogush, Josh Jones, Catie Iacovino, Joshua Plaschkes, Saliha Khan, Chance Pascale, Melanie Harrison, Dan Miles, Yvette Williams and Crystal Spinks. We gratefully acknowledge support from the US National Science Foundation (NSF), Long-Term Ecological Research (DEB-0423476) and Integrated Graduate Education Research and Training programs (NSF award #0549469), and the US Geological Survey (Project # 2008MD171B). The opinions and findings expressed in this paper are those of the authors and not of the National Science Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Marine Estuarine Environmental Sciences Program, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Robin J. Van Meter & Jeff Leips

  2. Department of Geography & Environmental Systems, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Christopher M. Swan

  3. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Jeff Leips

  4. Department of Biological Sciences, Towson University, Towson, MD, USA

    Joel W. Snodgrass

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  1. Robin J. Van Meter
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  2. Christopher M. Swan
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  4. Joel W. Snodgrass
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Correspondence to Robin J. Van Meter.

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Van Meter, R.J., Swan, C.M., Leips, J. et al. Road Salt Stress Induces Novel Food Web Structure and Interactions. Wetlands 31, 843–851 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-011-0199-y

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