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Special Section on the Use of Benthic Invertebrates in Environmental Assessment (Proceedings of a Symposium Held at the 31st Conference on Great Lakes Research, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario)
J. Great Lakes Res. 15(4):537 Internat. Assoc. Great Lakes Res., 1989
Special Section on the Use of Benthic Invertebrates in Environmental Assessment (Proceedings of a Symposium Held at the 31st Conference on Great Lakes Research, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario) PREFACE
To date limnological studies of the Great Lakes have inadequately defined many biological processes, and even basic distribution and life history information on many species is unknown. This is particularly true of the zooplankton and zoobenthos. There has, however, been a recent resurgence of interest in investigating the role of benthic macroinvertebrates in the lake ecosystem because of their utility as indicators of ecosystem health. Recent recommendations resulting from activities sponsored by the U .S./Canadian International Joint Commission have identified macroinvertebrates as being important in the assessment of contaminated sediments. Attributes of the benthic invertebrate community can be used to determine environmental conditions in situ, both by observation of community structure and other functional measures. Invertebrates can also be used as bioassay organisms to provide information on the acute and chronic toxicity of environmental contaminants. This purpose of this symposium was to coalesce the current thinking on both field and laboratory approaches to the use of benthic invertebrates in environmental assessment. Keynote speakers were asked to provide overviews of past and current work in these areas and to present examples of current investigations and approaches. Following the introductory papers by Giesy and Hoke on bioassay approaches and Barton on community studies, a number of presentations were given on current work being conducted on environmental assessment using invertebrates. Of the other papers in this symposium, seven addressed organic contaminants and bioaccumulation, either the kinetics of contaminant uptake or tissue concentrations of contaminants. The remaining two described a sediment bioassay and the use of benthic invertebrates as ecosystem objectives. The symposium concluded with a panel discussion during which the following major points were made: (1) there is a need for multidisciplinary studies and particularly the collection of chemical and physical information when conducting field studies (the collection of these data will allow cause and effect relationships to be investigated), (2) laboratory studies should consider growth rates and other life history parameters as end points for monitoring sublethal effects, thus allowing laboratory data to be extrapolated to field effects, (3) linkages between the benthos and the food chain, particularly the pelagic food chain, require quantification (this in turn, requires extensive investigation of predator-prey relationships). In summary, from the nature of the papers presented in this symposium it would appear that the current emphasis in benthic research is on contaminants and bioaccumulation. While there has been and continues to be extensive work done on community structure, this tends to be published mainly in the gray literature and all too often consists simply of extensive species lists, frequently with little or no other physical or chemical data to allow interpretation or understanding of causative factors. There is little work being done in other areas, yet much work is still required on the basic biology and ecology of benthic invertebrates, for the interpretation of field and laboratory data. Chemical, physical, and field and laboratory biological assessments must be performed concurrently so that cause and effect relationships can be established and bioassays should be conducted with ecologically significant endpoints. EDITORS Janice L. Metcalfe and Trefor B. Reynoldson National Water Research Institute Environment Canada
537
Special Section on the Use of Benthic Invertebrates in Environmental Assessment (Proceedings of a Symposium Held at the 31st Conference on Great Lakes Research, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario) PREFACE
To date limnological studies of the Great Lakes have inadequately defined many biological processes, and even basic distribution and life history information on many species is unknown. This is particularly true of the zooplankton and zoobenthos. There has, however, been a recent resurgence of interest in investigating the role of benthic macroinvertebrates in the lake ecosystem because of their utility as indicators of ecosystem health. Recent recommendations resulting from activities sponsored by the U .S./Canadian International Joint Commission have identified macroinvertebrates as being important in the assessment of contaminated sediments. Attributes of the benthic invertebrate community can be used to determine environmental conditions in situ, both by observation of community structure and other functional measures. Invertebrates can also be used as bioassay organisms to provide information on the acute and chronic toxicity of environmental contaminants. This purpose of this symposium was to coalesce the current thinking on both field and laboratory approaches to the use of benthic invertebrates in environmental assessment. Keynote speakers were asked to provide overviews of past and current work in these areas and to present examples of current investigations and approaches. Following the introductory papers by Giesy and Hoke on bioassay approaches and Barton on community studies, a number of presentations were given on current work being conducted on environmental assessment using invertebrates. Of the other papers in this symposium, seven addressed organic contaminants and bioaccumulation, either the kinetics of contaminant uptake or tissue concentrations of contaminants. The remaining two described a sediment bioassay and the use of benthic invertebrates as ecosystem objectives. The symposium concluded with a panel discussion during which the following major points were made: (1) there is a need for multidisciplinary studies and particularly the collection of chemical and physical information when conducting field studies (the collection of these data will allow cause and effect relationships to be investigated), (2) laboratory studies should consider growth rates and other life history parameters as end points for monitoring sublethal effects, thus allowing laboratory data to be extrapolated to field effects, (3) linkages between the benthos and the food chain, particularly the pelagic food chain, require quantification (this in turn, requires extensive investigation of predator-prey relationships). In summary, from the nature of the papers presented in this symposium it would appear that the current emphasis in benthic research is on contaminants and bioaccumulation. While there has been and continues to be extensive work done on community structure, this tends to be published mainly in the gray literature and all too often consists simply of extensive species lists, frequently with little or no other physical or chemical data to allow interpretation or understanding of causative factors. There is little work being done in other areas, yet much work is still required on the basic biology and ecology of benthic invertebrates, for the interpretation of field and laboratory data. Chemical, physical, and field and laboratory biological assessments must be performed concurrently so that cause and effect relationships can be established and bioassays should be conducted with ecologically significant endpoints. EDITORS Janice L. Metcalfe and Trefor B. Reynoldson National Water Research Institute Environment Canada
537