Geology topics

Ning Wang

Publications and source records attributed to Ning Wang.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2025

Evaluation of the effects of sediments contaminated by industrial discharges to a unionid mussel (Fatmucket, Lampsilis siliquoidea) and a common test benthic organism (Amphipod, Hyalella azteca)

Freshwater mussels are among the most sensitive species to a variety of chemicals in water exposures. However, few studies have been conducted to evaluate the effect of toxicants in sediments on mussels. Industrial discharges containing polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and metals entered the Kanawha River surrounding Blaine Island, South Charleston, West Virginia, USA; a river which supports eight federally endangered mussel species. We collected sediment samples from a highly contaminated site, a nearby upstream site, and a further upstream reference site to assess the effects of contaminated sediment on the survival and growth of a unionid mussel (fatmucket, Lampsilis siliquoidea ) and a commonly tested benthic organism (amphipod, Hyalella azteca ) using standard 28-d sediment toxicity tests. We also determined mussel toxicity in a serial dilution of the highly contaminated sediment. Results showed that concentrations of PAHs, VOCs, and metals in the contaminated sediment were consistently greater than the other two sites. The mean survival of mussels and amphipods in the reference sediment was 100% and 95%, respectively, whereas the mean survival of both test species in the contaminated sediment was 0%. In the sediment dilution study, mean survival and biomass of mussels in the ≥6.25% treatment were significantly reduced relative to the control, with a 25% inhibition concentration of 4.1% for survival and 3.6% for biomass. We used sediment screening values and equilibrium partitioning sediment benchmarks to determine that nickel, mercury, and PAH mixture were likely responsible for the toxicity observed to mussels and amphipods and will provide critical data to identify and mitigate the sources of the mixture in contaminated sediment.

West Virginia↗

USGS2025

Evaluation of the sensitivity of a federally endangered freshwater mussel (Venustaconcha trabalis) to selected chemicals

Protection of critically endangered species requires identification of factors limiting their survival and growth. Previous studies have demonstrated that unionid mussels are sensitive to some chemicals and the sensitivity was similar among different taxonomic families and tribes of mussels. However, common species of mussels were generally used in these previous studies; little is known about the sensitivity of endangered and threatened mussels relative to common species. The objective of this study was to evaluate the sensitivity of a critically endangered mussel (Tennessee bean, Venustaconcha trabalis ) to seven chemicals with different modes of toxic action (ammonia, chloride, nitrite, potassium, cobalt, manganese, nickel) in acute 96-h exposures and to three chemicals (nitrite, cobalt, iron) in chronic 28-d exposures conducted following standard methods. A commonly tested mussel (fatmucket, Lampsilis siliquoidea ) was also tested side-by-side with Tennessee bean in chronic exposures. Test chemicals were selected based on (1) chemicals of potential concern found in a review of existing data for the river where a population of Tennessee bean occurs or was historically present, (2) chemicals to which other mussels are sensitive, or (3) chemicals that had not been previously tested with mussels. Acute 50% effect concentrations (EC50s) for the seven chemicals from the Tennessee bean tests were within or close to the range of EC50s for other mussel species tested in previous studies, and chronic 20% effect concentrations for the three chemicals were similar between Tennessee bean and fatmucket, indicating the endangered species has sensitivity similar to other tested mussel species. Inclusion of the new mussel data in existing toxicity databases for freshwater organisms would rank one or more mussel species among the four most sensitive species to ammonia, chloride, potassium, and nickel in acute exposures and to nitrite, cobalt, and iron in chronic exposures.

Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry↗

USGS2024

Evaluation of short-term mussel test for estimating toxicity

Effect concentrations of ammonia, nickel, sodium chloride, and potassium chloride from short-term 7-day tests were compared to those from standard chronic 28-day toxicity tests with juvenile mussels (fatmucket, Lampsilis siliquoidea ) to evaluate the sensitivities of the 7-day tests. The effect concentrations for nickel (59 µg Ni/L), chloride (316–519 mg Cl/L, a range from multiple tests), and potassium (15 mg K/L) obtained from the 7-day tests were within a range of effect concentrations for each corresponding chemical in the 28-day tests (41–91 µg Ni/L, 251–>676 mg Cl/L, 15–23 mg K/L), whereas the 7-day ammonia effect concentration (0.40 mg/L total ammonia nitrogen; TAN) was up to 3.3-fold greater than the 28-day effect concentrations (0.12–0.36 mg TAN/L) but with overlapped 95% confidence limits. These results indicate that the 7-day tests produced similar estimates compared to the 28-day tests. Further studies are needed to evaluate the 7-day test sensitivity using additional chemicals with different modes of toxic action. Environ Toxicol Chem 2024;00:1–6. Published 2024. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry↗

USGS2024

Evaluation of chronic effects of potassium chloride and nickel on survival, growth, and reproduction of a unionid mussel (Lampsilis siliquoidea)

The ASTM International standard test method for freshwater mussels (E2455‐13) recommends 4‐week toxicity testing with juveniles to evaluate chronic effects on survival and growth. However, concerns remain that the method may not adequately address the sensitivity of mussels to longer term exposures (>4 weeks), particularly in relation to potential reproductive impairments. No standard method directly evaluates toxicant effects on mussel reproduction. The objectives of the present study were to (1) evaluate toxicity endpoints related to reproduction in fatmucket ( Lampsilis siliquoidea ) using two common reference toxicants, potassium chloride (KCl) and nickel (Ni); (2) evaluate the survival and growth of juvenile fatmucket in standard 4‐week and longer term (12‐week) KCl and Ni tests following a method refined from the standard method; and (3) compare the sensitivity of the reproductive endpoints with the endpoints obtained from the juvenile mussel tests. Reproductive toxicity tests were conducted by first exposing female fatmucket brooding mature larvae (glochidia) to five test concentrations of KCl and Ni for 6 weeks. Subsamples of the glochidia were then removed from the adults to determine three reproductive endpoints: (1) the viability of brooded glochidia; (2) the viability of free glochidia in a 24‐h exposure to the same toxicant concentrations as their mother; and (3) the success of glochidia parasitism on host fish. Mean viability of brooded glochidia was significantly reduced in the high KCl concentration (26 mg K/L) relative to the control, with a 20% effect concentration (EC20) of 14 mg K/L, but there were no significant differences between the control and any Ni treatment (EC20 > 95 µg Ni/L). The EC20s for viability of free glochidia after the additional 24‐h exposure and parasitism success were similar to the EC20s of brooded glochidia. The EC20s based on the most sensitive biomass endpoint in the 4‐week juvenile tests were 15 mg K/L and 91 µg Ni/L, similar to or greater than the EC20s from the reproductive KCl and Ni tests, respectively. When exposure duration in the juvenile tests was extended from 4 to 12 weeks, the EC20s decreased by more than 50% in the KCl test but by only 8% in the Ni test. Overall, these results indicate that a standard 4‐week test with juvenile mussels can prove effective for estimating effects in chronic exposures with different life stages although a longer term 12‐week exposure with juvenile mussels may reveal higher sensitivity of mussels to some toxicants, such as KCl.

Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry↗

USGS2023

Influences of water hardness on chronic toxicity of potassium chloride to a unionid mussel (Lampsilis siliquoidea)

Elevated concentrations of potassium (K) often occur in effluents from wastewater treatment plants, oil and gas production operations, mineral extraction processes, and from other anthropogenic sources. Previous studies have demonstrated that freshwater mussels are highly sensitive to K in acute and chronic exposures, and acute toxicity of K decreases with increasing water hardness. However, little is known about the influence of hardness on the chronic toxicity of K. The objective of this study was to evaluate the chronic toxicity of K (tested as KCl) to a commonly tested unionid mussel (fatmucket , Lampsilis siliquoidea ) at five hardness levels (25, 50, 100, 200, 300 mg/L as CaCO 3 ) representing most surface waters in the United States. Chronic 28-d K toxicity tests were conducted with 3-week-old juvenile fatmucket in the five hardness waters using an ASTM standard method. The maximum acceptable toxicant concentrations (geometric mean of the no-observed-effect concentration and the lowest-observed-effect concentration) increased from 15.1 to 69.3 mg K/L for survival and from 15.1 to 35.8 mg K/L for growth (length and dry weight) and biomass when water hardness was increased from 25 mg/L (soft) to 300 mg/L (very hard). These results provided evidence to support water hardness influence on chronic K toxicity to juvenile fatmucket. However, the chronic effect concentrations based on the more sensitive endpoint (growth or biomass) increased only 2.4-fold from the soft water to the very hard water, indicating that water hardness had limited influence on the chronic toxicity of K to the mussels. These results can be used to establish chronic toxicity thresholds for K across a broad range of water hardness and to derive environmental guideline values for K to protect freshwater mussels and other organisms.

Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry↗

USGS2023

Survival and growth of juvenile mussels in an outdoor pond after 28-day laboratory exposure to aqueous zinc

The extent to which effects seen in chronic toxicity studies in the laboratory affect mussel fitness later in life is poorly known. We examined juvenile Fatmucket ( Lampsilis siliquoidea ) survival and growth for 56 d following exposure to Zn in a laboratory bioassay. We conducted a 28-d chronic toxicity bioassay with 6-wk-old juvenile mussels exposed to a control and two Zn treatments (120 and 240 µg/L). We then transferred surviving mussels into a grow-out pond and monitored their survival and growth for 56 d. Survival and shell length were lower in both Zn treatments than in the control after the 28-d toxicity bioassay. After the 56-d grow-out period, survival did not differ among treatments, but shell length was lower in the 240-µg/L treatment than in the control and mass was lower in both Zn treatments than in the control. Mussel length was lower throughout the experiment in both Zn treatments than in the control, but there was weak support for a difference in the slopes, suggesting that Zn-exposed mussels may fall farther behind in size over time. Persistence of reduced size following Zn exposure could result in delayed sexual maturation and lowered fecundity, which could have long-term population-level effects.

Freshwater Mollusk Biology and Conservation↗

USGS2021

Method development for a short-term 7-day toxicity test with unionid mussels

The US Environmental Protection Agency's short-term freshwater effluent test methods include a fish ( Pimephales promelas ), a cladoceran ( Ceriodaphnia dubia ), and a green alga ( Raphidocelis subcapitata ). There is a recognized need for additional taxa to accompany the three standard species for effluent testing. An appropriate additional taxon is unionid mussels because mussels are widely distributed, live burrowed in sediment and filter particles from the water column for food, and exhibit high sensitivity to a variety of contaminants. Multiple studies were conducted to develop a relevant and robust short-term test method for mussels. We first evaluated the comparative sensitivity of two mussel species ( Villosa constricta and Lampsilis siliquoidea ) and two standard species ( P. promelas and C. dubia ) using two mock effluents prepared by mixing ammonia and five metals (cadmium, copper, nickel, lead, and zinc) or a field-collected effluent in 7-day exposures. Both mussel species were equally or more sensitive (more than two-fold) to effluents compared with the standard species. Next, we refined the mussel test method by first determining the best feeding rate of a commercial algal mixture for three age groups (1, 2, and 3 weeks old) of L. siliquoidea in a 7-day feeding experiment, and then used the derived optimal feeding rates to assess the sensitivity of the three ages of juveniles in a 7-day reference toxicant (sodium chloride [NaCl]) test. Juvenile mussels grew substantially (30%–52% length increase) when the 1- or 2-week-old mussels were fed 2 ml twice daily and the 3-week-old mussels were fed 3 ml twice daily. The 25% inhibition concentrations (IC25s) for NaCl were similar (314–520 mg Cl/L) among the three age groups, indicating that an age range of 1- to 3-week-old mussels can be used for a 7-day test. Finally, using the refined test method, we conducted an interlaboratory study among 13 laboratories to evaluate the performance of a 7-day NaCl test with L. siliquoidea . Eleven laboratories successfully completed the test, with more than 80% control survival and reliable growth data. The IC25s ranged from 296 to 1076 mg Cl/L, with a low (34%) coefficient of variation, indicating that the proposed method for L. siliquoidea has acceptable precision. Environ Toxicol Chem 2021;40:3392–3409. © 2021 SETAC

Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry↗

USGS2021

The sensitivity of a unionid mussel (Lampsilis siliquoidea) to a permitted effluent and elevated potassium in the effluent

Freshwater mussels are one of the most imperiled groups of animals in the world and are among the most sensitive species to a variety of chemicals. However, little is known about the sensitivity of freshwater mussels to wastewater effluents. The objectives of the present study were to (1) assess the toxicity of a permitted effluent, which entered the Deep Fork River, Oklahoma (USA), to a unionid mussel ( Lampsilis siliquoidea ) and to two standard test species (cladoceran Ceriodaphnia dubia ; and fathead minnow Pimephales promelas ) in short-term 7-day effluent tests; (2) evaluate the relative sensitivities of the three species to potassium (K), an elevated major ion in the effluent, using 7-day toxicity tests with KCl spiked into a Deep Fork River upstream reference water; (3) determine the potential influences of background water characteristics on the acute K toxicity to the mussel (96-h exposures) and cladoceran (48-h exposure) in four reconstituted waters that mimicked the hardness and ionic composition ranges of the Deep Fork River; and (4) determine the potential influence of temperature on acute K toxicity to the mussel. The effluent was found to be toxic to mussels and cladocerans, and it contained elevated concentrations of major cations and anions relative to the upstream Deep Fork River reference water. The K concentration in the effluent was 48-fold greater than in the upstream water. Compared with the standard species, the mussel was more than 4-fold more sensitive to the effluent in the 7-day effluent tests and more than 8-fold more sensitive to K in the 7-day K toxicity tests. The acute K toxicity to the mussel decreased by a factor of 2 when the water hardness was increased from soft (42 mg/L as CaCO 3 ) to very hard (314 mg/L as CaCO 3 ), whereas the acute K toxicity to the cladoceran remained almost the same as hardness increased from 84 to 307 mg/L as CaCO 3 . Acute K toxicity to the mussel at 23 °C was similar to the toxicity at an elevated temperature of 28 °C. The overall results indicate that the two standard test species may not represent the sensitivity of the tested mussel to both the effluent and K, and the toxicity of K was influenced by the hardness in test waters, but by a limited magnitude.

Oklahoma↗

USGS2021

Direct and delayed mortality of Ceriodaphnia dubia and rainbow trout following time-varying acute exposures to zinc

The potential for delayed mortality following short-term episodic pollution events was evaluated by exposing cladocerans ( Ceriodaphnia dubia ) and rainbow trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss ) to zinc (Zn) in various 1- to 48-h and 1- to 96-h exposures, respectively, followed by transferring the exposed organisms to clean water for up to 47 h for C. dubia and up to 95 h for trout for additional observation. For C. dubia , 1-h exposures of up to 3790 µg Zn/L never resulted in mortality during the actual Zn exposures, but by 48 h, a 1-h exposure to 114 µg/L, a concentration similar to the present US national water quality acute criterion for the test water conditions, ultimately killed 70% of C. dubia . With C. dubia , the speed of action of Zn toxicity was faster for intermediate concentrations than for the highest concentrations tested. For rainbow trout, pronounced delayed mortalities by 96 h only occurred following ≥8-h exposures. For both species, ultimate mortalities from Zn exposures ≤8 h mostly presented as delayed mortalities, whereas for exposures ≥24 h, almost all ultimate mortalities presented during the actual exposure periods. With Zn, risks of delayed mortality following exposures to all concentrations tested were much greater for the more sensitive, small-bodied invertebrate ( C. dubia ) than for the less sensitive, larger-bodied fish (rainbow trout). These results, along with previous studies, show that delayed mortality is an important consideration in evaluating risks to aquatic organisms from brief, episodic exposures to some substances. Environ Toxicol Chem 2021;40:2484–2498. © 2021 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC. This article has been contributed to by US Government employees and their work is in the public domain in the USA.

Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry↗

USGS2020

Evaluation of acute and chronic toxicity of nickel and zinc to 2 sensitive freshwater benthic invertebrates using refined testing methods

The US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) is reviewing the protectiveness of the national ambient water quality criteria (WQC) for nickel (Ni) and zinc (Zn) and compiling toxicity databases to update the WQC. An amphipod ( Hyalella azteca ) and a unionid mussel ( Lampsilis siliquoidea ) have shown high sensitivity to Ni and Zn in previous studies. However, there remained uncertainties regarding the influence of test duration (48 vs 96 h) and the presence and absence of food in acute exposures with the amphipod, and there were also concerns about poor control of amphipod growth and reproduction and mussel growth in chronic exposures. We conducted acute 48‐ and 96‐h water‐only toxicity tests to evaluate the influence of feeding and test durations on the toxicity of dissolved Ni and Zn to the amphipod; we also used recently refined test methods to conduct chronic Ni and Zn toxicity tests to evaluate the sensitivity of the amphipod (6‐wk exposure) and the mussel (4‐ and 12‐wk exposures). The 96‐h 50% effect concentrations (EC50s) of 916 µg Ni/L and 99 µg Zn/L from acute amphipod tests without feeding decreased from the 48‐h EC50s by 62 and 33%, respectively, whereas the 96‐h EC50s of 2732 µg Ni/L and 194 µg Zn/L from the tests with feeding decreased from the 48‐h EC50s by 10 and 26%, indicating that the presence or absence of food had apparent implications for the 96‐h EC50. Our chronic 6‐wk EC20s for the amphipod (4.5 µg Ni/L and 35 µg Zn/L) were 50 to 67% lower than the 6‐wk EC20s from previous amphipod tests, and our chronic 4‐wk EC20s for the mussel (41 µg Ni/L and 66 µg Zn/L) were similar to or up to 42% lower than the 4‐wk EC20s from previous mussel tests. The lower EC20s from the present study likely reflect more accurate estimates of inherent sensitivity to Ni and Zn due to the refined test conditions. Finally, increasing the chronic test duration from 4 to 12 wk substantially increased the toxicity of Zn to the mussel, whereas the 4‐ and 12‐wk Ni effect needs to be re‐evaluated to understand the large degree of variation in organism responses observed in the present study.

Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry↗

USGS2020

Acute and chronic toxicity of sodium nitrate and sodium sulfate to several freshwater organisms in water-only exposures

Elevated nitrate (NO3) and sulfate (SO4) in surface water are of global concern, and studies are needed to generate toxicity data to develop environmental guideline values for NO3 and SO4. The present study was designed to fill existing gaps in toxicity databases by determining the acute and/or chronic toxicity of NO3 (tested as NaNO3) to a unionid mussel (Lampsilis siliquoidea), a midge (Chironomus dilutus), a fish (rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss), and 2 amphibians (Hyla versicolor and Lithobates sylvaticus), and to determine the acute and/or chronic toxicity of SO4 (tested as Na2SO4) to 2 unionid mussels (L. siliquoidea and Villosa iris), an amphipod (Hyalella azteca), and 2 fish species (fathead minnow, Pimephales promelas and O. mykiss). Among the different test species, acute NO3 median effect concentrations (EC50s) ranged from 189 to >883 mg NO3‐N/L, and chronic NO3 20% effect concentrations (EC20s) based on the most sensitive endpoint ranged from 9.6 to 47 mg NO3‐N/L. The midge was the most sensitive species, and the trout was the least sensitive species in both acute and chronic NO3 exposures. Acute SO4 EC50s for the 2 mussel species (2071 and 2064 mg SO4/L) were similar to the EC50 for the amphipod (2689 mg SO4/L), whereas chronic EC20s for the 2 mussels (438 and 384 mg SO4/L) were >2‐fold lower than the EC20 of the amphipod (1111 mg SO4/L), indicating the high sensitivity of mussels in chronic SO4 exposures. However, the fathead minnow, with an EC20 of 374 mg SO4/L, was the most sensitive species in chronic SO4 exposures whereas the rainbow trout was the least sensitive species (EC20 > 3240 mg SO4/L). The high sensitivity of fathead minnow was consistent with the finding in a previous chronic Na2SO4 study. However, the EC20 values from the present study conducted in test water containing a higher potassium concentration (3 mg K/L) were >2‐fold greater than those in the previous study at a lower potassium concentration (1 mg K/L), which confirmed the influence of potassium on chronic Na2SO4 toxicity to the minnow.

Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry↗

USGS2020

Pulsed flow-through auto-feeding beaker systems for the laboratory culture of juvenile freshwater mussels

Newly metamorphosed freshwater mussels are small and delicate, so that captive laboratory culture presents challenges for handling; for maintenance of suitable microhabitat, water quality, and food; and for avoidance of competitors and predators. To address these challenges, a new pulsed flow-through auto-feeding beaker system was developed for culturing juvenile mussels. In this system, groups of mussels were maintained in 300- to 1000-mL beakers with a thin layer of sand substrate. The water in the beakers was static except for pulses that were delivered every 1 or 2 h and that displaced about half of the water in each beaker per water cycle. A peristaltic pump delivered food to multiple mixing cells where the water was automatically mixed with food just before the water delivery. In testing this approach, newly metamorphosed mussels of 4 species were cultured in the system for 84 to 357 d. The sand and beakers were replaced weekly. Survival was high (>85% at day 84) for Lampsilis siliquoidea and Villosa iris , but relatively lower for Anodonta californiensis (29% at day 155) and Margaritifera falcata (23% at day 357). Growth rate ranged among the 4 species from 27 to 60 μm/d, with the slowest rate for M. falcata and fastest for A. californiensis. Overall, the new pulsed flow-through auto-feeding beaker system improved survival and growth of juvenile mussels versus other methods previously tested. Additionally, a simplified system for the water and food delivery was developed with a single mixing cell. The use of both systems indicate that they are suitable for laboratory experiments and for captive culture of juvenile mussels.

Aquaculture↗

USGS2019

A phylogenomic supertree of birds

It has long been appreciated that analyses of genomic data (e.g., whole genome sequencing or sequence capture) have the potential to reveal the tree of life, but it remains challenging to move from sequence data to a clear understanding of evolutionary history, in part due to the computational challenges of phylogenetic estimation using genome-scale data. Supertree methods solve that challenge because they facilitate a divide-and-conquer approach for large-scale phylogeny inference by integrating smaller subtrees in a computationally-efficient manner. Here, we combined information from sequence capture and whole-genome phylogenies using supertree methods. However, available phylogenomic trees had limited overlap so we used taxon-rich (but not phylogenomic) megaphylogenies to weave them together. This allowed us to construct a phylogenomic supertree, with support values, that included 707 bird species (~7% of avian species diversity). We estimated branch lengths using mitochondrial sequence data and we used this to estimate divergence times. Our time-calibrated supertree supports radiation of all three major avian clades (Palaeognathae, Galloanseres, and Neoaves) near the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) boundary. The approach we used will permit the continued addition of taxa to this supertree as new phylogenomic data are published, and it could be applied to other taxa as well.

Diversity↗

USGS2019

Biological effects of elevated major ions in surface water contaminated by a produced water from oil production

Produced water (PW) from oil and gas extraction processes has been shown to contain elevated concentrations of major ions. The objective of this study was to determine the potential effects of elevated major ions in PW-contaminated surface water on a fish (fathead minnow, Pimephales promelas ) and a unionid mussel (fatmucket, Lampsilis siliquoidea ) in short-term (7-day) exposures. The test organisms were exposed in 3 reconstituted waters formulated with 1, 2, and 4 times the major ions measured at a PW-contaminated stream site 1 month after a PW spill from an oil production wastewater pipeline in the Williston Basin, North Dakota. A reconstituted water mimicking the ionic composition of an upstream site from the spill was used as a reference water. Significant reductions in survival and growth of the fish were observed in the 4× treatment compared with the reference. The mussels were more sensitive than the fish, with significant reductions in survival in the 2× and 4× treatments, and significant reductions in length in the 1× and 2× treatments. Overall, these results indicate that elevated concentrations of major ions in PW-contaminated surface waters could adversely affect the fish and mussels tested and potentially other aquatic organisms.

Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxico↗

USGS2018

Evaluation of chronic toxicity of sodium chloride or potassium chloride to a unionid mussel (Lampsilis siliquoidea) in water exposures using standard and refined toxicity testing methods

Freshwater mussels are generally underrepresented in toxicity databases used to derive water quality criteria, especially for long‐term exposures. Multiple tests were conducted to determine the chronic toxicity of sodium chloride (NaCl) or potassium chloride (KCl) to a unionid mussel (fatmucket, Lampsilis siliquoidea ). Initially, a 4‐wk NaCl test and a 4‐wk KCl test were conducted starting with 2‐mo‐old mussels in water exposures with and without a thin layer of sand substrate. A feeding study was conducted later to refine test conditions for longer‐term 12‐wk exposures, and 3 chronic NaCl tests were then conducted following the refined method to assess the influence of test duration (4–12 wk) and age of organisms (starting age ∼1 wk to 2 mo) on mussel sensitivity. Biomass (total dry wt of surviving mussels in a replicate) was generally a more sensitive endpoint compared to survival and growth (length and dry wt). In the 4‐wk NaCl or KCl test started with 2‐mo‐old juveniles, a 20% effect concentration (EC20) based on biomass (264 mg Cl/L from the NaCl test or 8.7 mg K/L from the KCl test) in the exposure with sand was 2‐fold lower than the EC20 in the exposure without sand. The longer‐term 12‐wk NaCl tests started with the 1‐wk‐old and 2‐mo‐old juveniles were successfully completed under refined test conditions based on the feeding study, and younger juveniles were more sensitive to NaCl than older juveniles. The NaCl toxicity did not substantially change with extended exposure periods from 4 to 12 wk, although the 4‐wk EC20s for biomass were slightly greater (up to 37%) than the 12‐wk EC20s in the 2 longer‐term exposures. Including the toxicity data from the present study into existing databases would rank fatmucket the most sensitive species to KCl and the second most sensitive species to NaCl for all freshwater organisms.

Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry↗

USGS2018

Chronic toxicity of 4-nonylphenol to two unionid mussels in water-only exposures

Limited studies indicate that mussels are generally insensitive to organic chemicals; however, these studies were conducted in acute or short-term exposures, and little is known about the chronic sensitivity of mussels to organic chemicals. We evaluated the chronic (28 days) toxicity of 4-nonylphenol (4-NP) to two commonly tested species of mussels: fatmucket ( Lampsilis siliquoidea ) and rainbow mussel (Villosa iris). By the end of the 28 days chronic exposures, mean survival was ≥93% in all treatments, but the mean dry weight and biomass of mussels at the highest exposure concentrations were significantly reduced relative to the control. The 20% effect concentrations were similar between the two species. When compared to all other tested species, fatmucket and rainbow mussels are among the top four most sensitive species to 4-NP. However, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency chronic water quality criterion of 6.6 μg 4-NP/L should protect the two mussel species.

Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxico↗

USGS2018

Potential toxicity of dissolved metal mixtures (Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn) to early life stage white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) in the Upper Columbia River, Washington, United States

The Upper Columbia River (UCR) received historical releases of smelter waste resulting in elevated metal concentrations in downstream sediments. Newly hatched white sturgeon hide within the rocky substrate at the sediment–water interface in the UCR for a few weeks before swim-up. Hiding behavior could expose them to metal contaminants, and metal toxicity could contribute to population declines in white sturgeon over the past 50 years. This study evaluates whether there is a link between the toxicity of dissolved metals across the sediment-water interface in the UCR and the survival of early life stage (ELS) white sturgeon. Toxicity of dissolved metal mixtures is evaluated using a combination of previously collected laboratory and field data and recently developed metal mixture toxicity models. The laboratory data consist of individual metal (Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn) toxicity studies with ELS white sturgeon. The field data include the chemical composition of surface and pore water samples that were collected across the sediment–water interface in the UCR. These data are used in three metal accumulation and two response models. All models predict low toxicity in surface water, whereas effects concentrations greater than 20% are predicted for 60–72% of shallow pore water samples. The flux of dissolved metals, particularly Cu, from shallow pore water to surface water likely exposes prime ELS sturgeon habitat to toxic conditions.

Washington↗

USGS2018

Acute toxicity of sodium chloride and potassium chloride to a unionid mussel (Lampsilis siliquoidea) in water exposures

Freshwater mussels (order Unionoida) are one of the most imperiled groups of animals in the world. However, many ambient water quality criteria and other environmental guideline values do not include data for freshwater mussels, in part because mussel toxicity test methods are comparatively new and data may not have been available when criteria and guidelines were derived. The objectives of the present study were to evaluate the acute toxicity of sodium chloride (NaCl) and potassium chloride (KCl) to larvae (glochidia) and/or juveniles of a unionid mussel (fatmucket, Lampsilis siliquoidea ) and to determine the potential influences of water hardness (50, 100, 200, and 300 mg/L as CaCO 3 ) and other major ions (Ca, K, SO 4 , or HCO 3 ) on the acute toxicity of NaCl to the mussels. From the KCl test, the 50% effect concentration (EC50) for fatmucket glochidia was 30 mg K/L, similar to or slightly lower than the EC50s for juvenile fatmucket (37–46 mg K/L) tested previously in our laboratory. From the NaCl tests, the EC50s for glochidia increased from 441 to 1597 mg Cl/L and the EC50s for juvenile mussels increased from 911 to 3092 mg Cl/L with increasing water hardness from 50 to 300 mg/L. Increasing K from 0.4 to 1.9 mg/L, SO 4 from 13 to 40 mg/L, or HCO 3 from 44 to 200 mg/L in the 50 mg/L hardness water did not substantially change the NaCl EC50s for juvenile mussels, whereas increasing Ca from 9.9 to 42 mg/L increased the EC50s by a factor of 2. The overall results indicate that glochidia were equally or more sensitive to NaCl and KCl compared with juvenile mussels and that the increased water hardness ameliorated the acute toxicity of NaCl to glochidia and juveniles. These responses rank fatmucket among the most acutely sensitive freshwater organisms to NaCl and KCl.

Missouri↗