Datasets / Salamander assemblage survey of mercury and selenium contaminated Headwater sites in the Appalachian Mountains of Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia


Salamander assemblage survey of mercury and selenium contaminated Headwater sites in the Appalachian Mountains of Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia

Published By US Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior

Issued over 9 years ago

US
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Summary

Type of release
a one-off release of a single dataset

Data Licence
Not Applicable

Content Licence
Creative Commons CCZero

Verification
automatically awarded

Description

Headwater streams comprise 6075 percent of the total stream length and watershed area in the MidAtlantic region. Due to their diverse and complex life histories and abundance in the MidAtlantic Highlands, Stream Plethodontid salamanders are a potential biological endpoint to assess headwater impairment and degradation from contaminant exposure, especially where traditional species assemblages macroinvertebrates, fishes are poorly developed or absent. In this study, we conducted salamander assemblage surveys of headwater sites and determined contaminant exposure in the highlands of Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia to assess potential effects of inorganic contaminant exposure on the salamander community, and potential risk of selenium and mercury to upper trophic level predators. We conducted salamander surveys on 32 study areas and analyzed 182 salamander samples from 50 study areas. Mean concentrations exceeded the respective toxicity reference values selected for salamanders at multiple study areas for selenium, mercury, aluminum, and copper. Selenium concentrations in salamanders from study areas downstream of mining valley fills were significantly higher than study areas exposed to high air emissions or no reported emissions according to the USEPA Toxic Release Inventory. The proportions of reference, intermediate, and impaired salamander assemblages are significantly different p 0.038 between study areas where selenium exceeds the toxicity reference value and those that do not. The proportions of reference, intermediate, and impaired salamander assemblages are significantly different p 0.005 between study areas downstream of mining valley fills versus those exposed only to selenium air emissions deposition. Selenium exceeded toxicity reference values at 11 study areas for Louisiana waterthrush, while one study area was below the toxicity reference value for northern water shrew. Mercury toxicity reference values were exceeded at two study areas for waterthrush and at no study area for water shrew. Our data indicate that selenium exposure may be a factor affecting headwater biota downstream of mining valley fills. Our ecological risk assessment demonstrates that highexposure risk scenarios with relevant receptors, particularly Statestatus species, should be considered in establishing aquatic selenium and mercury criteria that are protective of birds and mammals. Our data substantiate the need to couple salamander sampling with fish sampling to monitor ecological health in headwater streams and to protect their complex aquatic and aquaticdependent animal communities.