Hyalella azteca was used to assess biological impairment in sediments from nine water bodies in the Mississippi Delta （i.e., lower Mississippi alluvial plain）. Water bodies were categorized according to land use and...Hyalella azteca was used to assess biological impairment in sediments from nine water bodies in the Mississippi Delta （i.e., lower Mississippi alluvial plain）. Water bodies were categorized according to land use and implementation of agricultural best management practices （BMPs）. Sediment samples were collected at three sites within each water body from June to July 2004 and analyzed for 17 current and historic-use pesticides and metabolites. Twenty-eight day H. azteca survival and growth were measured to assess the degree of biological impairment. No significant （P 〉 0.05） mortality occurred in animals exposed to sediments. Significant growth impairment was observed in sediments from all three 303（d） listed water bodies and two of three BMP oxbow lakes. Historic-use pesticides and metabolites were implicated in two of five biologically impaired water bodies. Complex contaminant mixtures often limit attempts to provide clear, definitive sources of biological impairment. In this study, even accounting for sediment characteristics such as sand-silt-clay fractions and organic carbon content did not further clarify sources of toxicity in some water bodies. Finally, results show that implementation of BMPs can mitigate biological impairment within lake sediments.展开更多
文摘Hyalella azteca was used to assess biological impairment in sediments from nine water bodies in the Mississippi Delta （i.e., lower Mississippi alluvial plain）. Water bodies were categorized according to land use and implementation of agricultural best management practices （BMPs）. Sediment samples were collected at three sites within each water body from June to July 2004 and analyzed for 17 current and historic-use pesticides and metabolites. Twenty-eight day H. azteca survival and growth were measured to assess the degree of biological impairment. No significant （P 〉 0.05） mortality occurred in animals exposed to sediments. Significant growth impairment was observed in sediments from all three 303（d） listed water bodies and two of three BMP oxbow lakes. Historic-use pesticides and metabolites were implicated in two of five biologically impaired water bodies. Complex contaminant mixtures often limit attempts to provide clear, definitive sources of biological impairment. In this study, even accounting for sediment characteristics such as sand-silt-clay fractions and organic carbon content did not further clarify sources of toxicity in some water bodies. Finally, results show that implementation of BMPs can mitigate biological impairment within lake sediments.
