Salinity tolerance of riverine microinvertebrates from the southern Murray–Darling Basin
Ben J. Kefford A C , Elizabeth J. Fields A , Colin Clay A B and Dayanthi Nugegoda AA Biotechnology and Environmental Biology, School of Applied Sciences, RMIT University, PO Box 71, Bundoora, Vic. 3083, Australia.
B Current address: PO Box 192, Boronia, Vic. 3155, Australia.
C Corresponding author. Email: ben.kefford@rmit.edu.au
Marine and Freshwater Research 58(11) 1019-1031 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF06046
Submitted: 20 March 2006 Accepted: 5 October 2007 Published: 3 December 2007
Abstract
Concern about the effect of rising salinity on freshwater biodiversity has led to studies investigating the salt tolerance of macroinvertebrates and fish, with less attention given to microinvertebrates. We investigated the acute lethal effects of salinity on 12 microinvertebrate species from rivers in the southern Murray–Darling Basin in central Victoria, Australia. For a subset of these species, sub-lethal salinity effects and the effect of water temperature on salinity tolerance were also investigated. The most sensitive microinvertebrates had broadly similar 72-h LC50 values to the most sensitive macroinvertebrates, reported in other studies. However, the most tolerant microinvertebrates tested were much more sensitive than the most tolerant macroinvertebrates and the microinvertebrates studied were more sensitive than most freshwater fish. Temperature affected the acute lethal toxicity of salinity but only to a small degree. In three of four species (the exception being Hydra viridissima), the effects of salinity on growth, development and/or reproduction at concentrations below their 72-h LC50 values were observed. However, different endpoints responded differently to salinity. The demonstrated effect of salinity on microinvertebrates has the potential to indirectly affect fish and salt-tolerant macroinvertebrates via changes to their prey species or ecological functions performed by microinvertebrates.
Additional keywords: microcrustaceans, Newnhamia fenestra, salinisation, Simocephalus, zooplankton.
Acknowledgements
This work was funded by Land and Water Australia (LWA) and the Murray–Darling Basin Commission, as part of the National River Contaminants Program (LWA project no. RMI 12), and the Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Mines. Kefford is currently supported by an Australian Research Council Fellowship (LP0882481). Rob Walsh is thanked for checking and correcting the identification of specimens. We appreciate the time given by Satish Choy, Brendan Edgar, Leon Metzeling, Richard Marchant, Daryl Nielsen, Carolyn Palmer and Phil Papas through their attendance on a steering committee and informal discussions and comments on a draft by Liliana Zalizniak and Richard Marchant.
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