Effects of Seasonal Changes on the Toxic Impacts of Oil Sands Process-Affected Water on Daphnia magna.

Abstract

Oil sands process-affected water (OSPW), which can be potentially toxic to aquatic biota, is a major by-product of bitumen mining in northern Alberta. The effects of environmental factors on the toxicity of OSPW are understudied. In the present study, the impacts of seasonal changes in water quality on the toxic effects of OSPW (1 and 10%) on Daphnia magna was examined. Animals were chronically exposed to OSPW under conditions that represented water quality of a cold or warm seasonal condition. At each seasonal scenario survival, growth (length and mass) and reproduction of exposed D. magna were investigated. Survival and length of D. magna were only affected by OSPW in the cold-season treatment. Exposure to OSPW reduced the mass of D. magna in both cold and warm season scenarios. Daphnia magna in the cold-season treatment did not reproduce or produce eggs during the course of the experiment. The results of the present study suggest that seasonal changes in water quality may alter the toxicity of OSPW on D. magna.