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Depth and vertical hydrodynamics constrain the size structure of a lowland streambed community.

ABSTRACT: Abundance-body mass (N-M) relationships are prominent macroecological patterns and provide an integrated measurement of the structure and energy flow through natural communities. However, little is known about how N-M relationships are constrained by local environmental conditions. Here, we quantify how sediment depth and direction of surface-groundwater exchange (vertical hydrodynamics), two major drivers of the streambed ecology, determine N-M scaling in a sandy lowland European stream. Streambed assemblages included flagellates, ciliates, meiofauna and macroinvertebrates, and spanned five orders of magnitude in body mass. We detected a significant interaction of body mass with depth and vertical hydrodynamics with a sharp reduction in N-M slopes in the hyporheic zone and under upwelling conditions. These results revealed that streambed assemblages become more size-structured as environmental constraints increase with direct implications for the metabolic capacity and functioning of the system.

SUBMITTER: Peralta-Maraver I

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6684988 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Depth and vertical hydrodynamics constrain the size structure of a lowland streambed community.

Peralta-Maraver Ignacio I Robertson Anne L AL Perkins Daniel M DM

Biology letters 20190710 7

Abundance-body mass (N-M) relationships are prominent macroecological patterns and provide an integrated measurement of the structure and energy flow through natural communities. However, little is known about how N-M relationships are constrained by local environmental conditions. Here, we quantify how sediment depth and direction of surface-groundwater exchange (vertical hydrodynamics), two major drivers of the streambed ecology, determine N-M scaling in a sandy lowland European stream. Stream ...[more]

PMID: 31288689

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Project description:The widespread application of directional drilling and hydraulic fracturing technologies expanded oil and gas (OG) development to previously inaccessible resources. A single OG well can generate millions of liters of wastewater, which is a mixture of brine produced from the fractured formations and injected hydraulic fracturing fluids (HFFs). With thousands of wells completed each year, safe management of OG wastewaters has become a major challenge to the industry and regulators. OG wastewaters are commonly disposed of by underground injection, and previous research showed that surface activities at an Underground Injection Control (UIC) facility in West Virginia affected stream biogeochemistry and sediment microbial communities immediately downstream from the facility. Because microbially driven processes can control the fate and transport of organic and inorganic components of OG wastewater, we designed a series of aerobic microcosm experiments to assess the influence of high total dissolved solids (TDS) and two common HFF additives-the biocide 2,2-dibromo-3-nitrilopropionamide (DBNPA) and ethylene glycol (an anti-scaling additive)-on microbial community structure and function. Microcosms were constructed with sediment collected upstream (background) or downstream (impacted) from the UIC facility in West Virginia. Exposure to elevated TDS resulted in a significant decrease in aerobic respiration, and microbial community analysis following incubation indicated that elevated TDS could be linked to the majority of change in community structure. Over the course of the incubation, the sediment layer in the microcosms became anoxic, and addition of DBNPA was observed to inhibit iron reduction. In general, disruptions to microbial community structure and function were more pronounced in upstream and background sediment microcosms than in impacted sediment microcosms. These results suggest that the microbial community in impacted sediments had adapted following exposure to OG wastewater releases from the site. Our findings demonstrate the potential for releases from an OG wastewater disposal facility to alter microbial communities and biogeochemical processes. We anticipate that these studies will aid in the development of useful models for the potential impact of UIC disposal facilities on adjoining surface water and shallow groundwater.

Dataset Information

Depth and vertical hydrodynamics constrain the size structure of a lowland streambed community.

Publications

Depth and vertical hydrodynamics constrain the size structure of a lowland streambed community.

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