The effects of low concentrations of particulates from paper mill effluent on the macroinvertebrate community of a fast-flowing stream

✍ Scribed by David T. Mayack; J. S. Waterhouse

• Book ID: 104616730
• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 1983
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 880 KB
• Volume: 107
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1573-5141
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00036697

✦ Synopsis

The effects of a paper mill effluent on the macroinvertebrate community were assessed for the riffle areas of a large fast-flowing stream, the lower reaches of the Saranac River of northern New York State, U .S .A . The effluent caused few changes in dissolved oxygen concentration, pH, biochemical oxygen demand, temperature or nutrient content; however, significant differences in transmitted light, concentrations of particulates and accumulated debris on the substrate were observed . A moderate decrease in invertebrate diversity correlated with increased levels of particulates and substrate debris . An analysis of the response of invertebrate functional groups revealed the effluent had little effect on the density of gathering collector organisms . The functional groups most severely reduced in density were the filtering collectors and scrapers . Predators showed a moderate reduction in density in response to the effluent . The alterations in invertebrate densities were attributed largely to the alterations in seston and substrate caused by the introduction of particulates composed mainly of paper fiber and inert dye .