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Communication at the NABS Annual meeting, Keystone, 2000
(514) DETECTION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF BENTHIC TROPHIC STRUCTURES IN STREAMS AFFECTED BY CONTAMINATED MINE DRAINAGE IN CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA.
K.D. Royal. Department of Biology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA 23284
Waters flowing into streams from abandoned and active mines can be characterized as acidic or near-neutral. Acidic mine drainage generally has a low pH (2.5-4.0), high concentrations (>5 mg/l) of iron, aluminum, and other metals, and precipitates containing goethite and schwartmannite that are orange-yellow in color. Near-neutral drainage has a near-neutral pH (6.0-7.0), lower concentrations of metals, and red-orange ferrihydrite precipitates. The spectral reflectance of the mineral precipitates found in the streams makes them distinguishable using airborne remote sensing methods. Additionally, the two types of drainage also have distinctly different benthic macroinvertebrate and microbial communities present. Acid affected waters contain the acidophilic Thiobacillus and Leptospirillum and the near-neutral contain the neutralophilic Gallionella and Leptothrix. The objective of this study is to further characterize acid versus near-neutral contaminated mine drainage by examining the benthic trophic structures present in the affected streams. There should be a distinctly less diverse structure, containing only invertebrates, bacteria, algae, and vegetation, present in the acid streams, a result of the elevated acidity and metal concentrations. This information will assist in providing a more holistic understanding of the impact of contaminated mine drainage and the differences between acid and near-neutral streams.
Presented at 1:00 PM on Wednesday, May 31, 2000 in Disturbance - Abiotic Factors
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