Tolerance of native and non-native fish species to chemical stress: a case study for the River Rhine

Anastasia Fedorenkova,J Arie Vonk,Anton Breure,Rob Leuven,A Jan Hendriks

doi:10.3391/ai.2013.8.2.10

Anastasia Fedorenkova, J Arie Vonk + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3391/ai.2013.8.2.10

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Abstract

Freshwater ecosystems can be impacted by invasive species. Non-native species can become invasive due to their high tolerance to environmental stressors (e.g., pollution and habitat modifications). Yet, tolerance of native and non-native fish species exposed simultaneously to multiple chemical stressors has not been investigated. To quantify tolerance of native and non-native fish species in the Delta Rhine to 21 chemical stressors we derived Species Sensitivity Distributions (SSDs). Differences in tolerance between the two species groups to these stressors were not statistically significant. Based on annual maximum water concentrations of nine chemical stressors in the Delta Rhine the highest contribution to the overall Potentially Affected Fraction (PAF) of both species groups was noted for ammonium, followed by azinphos-methyl, copper, and zinc. PAFs of both groups for metals and ammonium showed a significant linear decrease over the period 1978–2010. Deriving a PAF for each species group was a useful tool for identifying stressors with a relatively highest impact on species of concern and can be applied to water pollution control. Species traits such as tolerance to chemical stress cannot explain the invasiveness of some fish species. For management of freshwater ecosystems potentially affected by non-native species, attention should be given also to temperature, hydrological regimes, and habitat quality.

Highlights

Large numbers of species have been introduced in habitats outside their native areas (Lodge 1993)
21 chemical stressors were included in the analysis, i.e., 3 metals, 16 pesticides, and 2 phenols
The HC50 values derived from Sensitivity Distributions (SSDs) for each chemical stressor did not differ significantly between the native and nonnative species (e.g., Figure 2 for copper)

Summary

Introduction

Large numbers of species have been introduced in habitats outside their native areas (Lodge 1993). About ten percent of these non-native species can become highly invasive (Jeschke and Strayer 2005; Ricciardi and Kipp 2008). One of the characteristics considered to make a non-native species become invasive is a higher tolerance to environmental stressors, both natural and human induced, compared with that of native species (Karatayev et al 2009; Leuven et al 2011; Verbrugge et al 2012). Research on relative tolerances of non-native species to physicochemical stressors is severely limited for three main reasons. There is a lack in comparative and quantitative assessment of tolerance of native and non-native species to (multiple) stressors (Vila-Gispert et al 2005; Scott et al 2007; Alonso and Castro-Diez 2008)

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