Freshwater mussels as indicators of ecosystem health along a gradient of agricultural land use

淡水贻贝作为农业用地利用梯度生态系统健康的指标

• 批准号: 357046-2007
• 负责人: Xenopoulos, Marguerite
• 金额: $ 7.1万
• 依托单位: Trent University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Strategic Projects Supplemental Competition
• 财政年份: 2007
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2007-01-01 至 2008-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=363995
• 关键词: Freshwater; mussels; indicators; ecosystem; health

Protecting our freshwater resources requires us to identify critical elements essential for the long term health and sustainability of aquatic ecosystems. These include not only identifying which specific organisms in a community are important, but also understanding how all organisms within a community interactively contribute to the functioning of ecosystems. Additionally, it is also important to understand the mechanisms of energy and material flow between organisms and their surroundings to appreciate the underlying processes that are responsible for maintaining healthy ecosystems. Here we are proposing an integrative approach that combines physiology, ecology, and toxicology disciplines to address how stress related to various aspects of land-use (nutrient loading and metal contamination) influence the integrity and ecological services provided by freshwater mussel beds. Mussels are useful biological indicators of ecosystem health because they integrate metals and other contaminants from the water column into their shell and tissue. Our study will be focused inthe southern region of Ontario where there are currently eight species of mussels listed as critically endangered on the species-at-risk-act. We will compare commonly used indicators of ecosystem health (nutrient loading, diversity and species abundance indices) with more novel techniques and measurements (stable isotopes, fatty acid analysis, and ecological stoichiometry) to evaluate key ecological processes in native freshwater mussel communities. Results and information obtained from this research will facilitate the development of guidelines for better water management and land use plans as well as critical information to protect our endangered biodiversity.

保护我们的淡水资源要求我们确定对水生生态系统的长期健康和可持续性至关重要的关键要素。这不仅包括确定社区中哪些特定的生物是重要的，而且还包括了解社区内的所有生物如何相互促进生态系统的运作。此外，了解生物体与其周围环境之间的能量和物质流动机制也很重要，以了解负责维持健康生态系统的潜在过程。在这里，我们提出了一种结合生理学、生态学和毒理学学科的综合方法，以解决与土地利用的各个方面(养分负载和金属污染)相关的压力如何影响淡水贻贝养殖场提供的完整性和生态服务。贻贝是生态系统健康的有用生物学指标，因为它们将水柱中的金属和其他污染物整合到贝壳和组织中。我们的研究将集中在安大略省南部地区，那里目前有8种贻贝被列为濒危物种法案中的极度濒危物种。我们将比较常用的生态系统健康指标(营养负荷、多样性和物种丰富度指数)与更新的技术和测量(稳定同位素、脂肪酸分析和生态化学计量学)，以评估本地淡水贻贝群落的关键生态过程。从这项研究中获得的结果和信息将有助于制定更好的水管理和土地利用计划的指导方针，以及保护濒危生物多样性的关键信息。