Respiration of aquatic insect larvae (Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera) in acid mine water.

Abstract

Ecotoxicology (Truhaut 1975) is the study of the harmful effects of natural substances and artificial pollutants experienced by organisms in the environment. The degree of response exhibited by an organism toward the presence of noxious substances can often be determined by monitoring a physiological parameter. One such parameter is respiration. The majority of studies dealing with the biological impact of acid mine drainage have been ecological surveys. No studies have been reported which deal with the physiological response of an organism to acid mine water other than acute toxicities of the various components expected in an effluent stream (Bell and Nebeker 1969; Kimmel and Hales 1973; Warnick and Bell 1969). These studies did not consider possible synergistic effects between individual components of acid mine water or the mode of action of pollutants involved. The work we report was undertaken to determine whether the toxic mode of action of an acid water effluent involves any aspect of the respiratory processes in three species of aquatic insect larvae. Although respirometry can be valuable in detecting signs of metabolic involvement, one must be aware that it is not a technique for the identification of specific toxic mechanisms.