Road Salt Stress Induces Novel Food Web Structure and Interactions

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 com...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Wetlands (Wilmington, N.C.) N.C.), 2011-10, Vol.31 (5), p.843-851
Main Authors: Van Meter, Robin J., Swan, Christopher M., Leips, Jeff, Snodgrass, Joel W.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Abiotic stress
Algae
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Chemical contaminants
Chloride
Chlorides
Coastal Sciences
Competition
Deicers
Drinking water
Ecology
Environmental Management
Factorial design
Food chains
Food contamination
Food webs
Freshwater & Marine Ecology
Hydrogeology
Juveniles
Landscape Ecology
Life Sciences
Metamorphosis
Novel foods
Periphyton
Phytoplankton
Plankton
Pollutants
Ponds
Reptiles & amphibians
Road salt
Roads
Salinization
Salt
Salts
Toxicity
Variance analysis
Wetlands
Zooplankton
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Summary: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.
ISSN:0277-5212
1943-6246
DOI:10.1007/s13157-011-0199-y