Effects of mixtures of dissolved and particulate contaminants on phototrophic biofilms: new insights from a PICT approach combining toxicity tests with passive samplers and model substances

• Published in: Environmental science and pollution research international Vol. 22; no. 6; pp. 4025 - 4036
• Main Authors: Foulquier, Arnaud, Morin, Soizic, Dabrin, Aymeric, Margoum, Christelle, Mazzella, Nicolas, Pesce, Stéphane
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer-Verlag 01.03.2015; Springer Berlin Heidelberg; Springer Nature B.V; Springer Verlag
• Subjects: Agricultural management; Aquatic communities; Aquatic Pollution; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Bacillariophyceae; Bacillariophycidae; biofilm; Biofilms; Biofilms - drug effects; Biofilms - growth & development; Community structure; Contaminants; Contamination; Copper; Creeks & streams; Diatoms - drug effects; Drug Tolerance; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Environmental Monitoring - methods; Environmental Monitoring - statistics & numerical data; Environmental Sciences; Experiments; Exposure and Impacts on Biofilms; France; Freshwater environments; Herbicides; Laboratories; Metals; Metals, Heavy - toxicity; Organic chemicals; Organic pesticides; Pesticide toxicity; Pesticides; Pesticides - toxicity; Pollutants; Pollution-induced community tolerance; Potential Toxicity of Pesticides in Freshwater Environments: Passive Sampling; river water; Rivers; Rivers - chemistry; Samplers; Stream pollution; Streams; toxic substances; Toxicants; Toxicity; toxicity testing; Toxicity Tests; Vineyards; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis; Water Pollutants, Chemical - toxicity; Water pollution; Water Pollution Control; Watersheds; Wineries & vineyards; France; DGT; POCIS; Tolerance; Microbial ecotoxicology; Diuron; Copper; Photosynthesis; Freshwater; FRESHWATER; TOLERANCE; DIURON; MICROBIAL ECOTOXICOLOGY; COPPER; PHOTOSYNTHESIS
• ISSN: 0944-1344; 1614-7499
• DOI: 10.1007/s11356-014-3289-6

Streams located in vineyard areas are particularly exposed to mixtures of dissolved and particulate contaminants such as metals and organic pesticides. In this context, phototrophic biofilms are increasingly used as indicators of river water contaminations through pollution-induced community tolerance (PICT) assessments based on short-term toxicity tests with individual or mixtures of toxicants. We conducted a laboratory experiment to evaluate the relative influence of the dissolved and particulate fractions on the effects of metals and pesticides on phototrophic biofilms in a context of contamination from a vineyard watershed. Three sets of artificial channels were supplied with (i) unfiltered water from a stream reference site, (ii) unfiltered water from a stream contaminated site, and (iii) filtered water (0.45 μm) from the same contaminated site. Biofilm growth, diatom community structure, and dissolved toxicant concentrations differed slightly between channels supplied with unfiltered or filtered water from the contaminated site. However, PICT assessments with individual toxicants or mixtures of toxicants extracted from passive samplers suggested no significant difference in tolerance to metals and organic pesticides between phototrophic communities supplied with unfiltered or filtered contaminated water. Our results confirm the use of extracts from passive samplers as a promising approach in short-term toxicity tests to characterize impacts of contamination on aquatic communities.