Predatory aquatic beetles, suitable trace elements bioindicators

Predatory aquatic beetles are common colonizers of natural and managed aquatic environments. While as important components of the aquatic food webs they are prone to accumulate trace elements, they have been largely neglected from metal uptake studies. We aim to test the suitability of three dytiscid species, i.e.Hydroglyphus pusillus, Laccophilus minutus and Rhantus suturalis, as trace elements (Al, As, Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Se and Zn) bioindicators. The work was carried out in a case area representing rice paddies and control sites (reservoirs) from an arid region known for its land degradation (Monegros, NE Spain). Categorical principal component analysis (CATPCA) was tested as a nonlinear approach to identify significant relationships between metals, species and habitat conditions so as to examine the ability of these species to reflect differences in metal uptake. Except Se and As, the average concentrations of all other elements in the beetles were higher in the rice fields than in the control habitats. The CATPCA determined that H. pusillus had high capacity to accumulate Fe, Ni and Mn regardless of the habitat type, and hence may not be capable of distinguishing habitat conditions with regards to these metals. On the other hand, L. minutus was found less sensitive for Se in non-managed habitats (i.e. reservoirs), while R. suturalis was good in accumulating Al, Mo and Pb in rice fields. The latter seems to be a promising bioindicator of metal enrichment in rice fields. We conclude that predatory aquatic beetles are good candidates for trace elements bioindication in impacted and non-impacted environments and can be used in environmental monitoring studies. CATPCA proved to be a reliable approach to unveil trends in metal accumulation in aquatic invertebrates according to their habitat status.     

Transportation and fate of cationic surfactant in river water

The degradation, sorption, transportation and material balance of cationic surfactants discharged from domestic waste into river water was studied. Ion-pair solid-phase extraction behavior showed that the sorption of cationic surfactants as an ion-pair with anionic surfactant onto river sediment was so strong that little cationic surfactant was found in the bulk water. Cationic surfactant was found in river sediment at more than 500 times higher concentration than that in the bulk water. The degradation of the cationic surfactant was very slow in river water and much slower in the sediment. A material balance of cationic surfactant was estimated for a river running through Toyama City by measuring the flow rate and the concentration of cationic surfactant in the water at several points. It was found that more than 30% of cationic surfactant introduced to the river was lost during the river running through ca. 3 km in 3 h. This reduction probably comes from a quick transfer of the cationic surfactant from river water to sediment and water weed by means of adsorption or precipitation with suspending solids.     

Adsorption and degradation of sulfosulfuron in soils

Adsorption of sulfosulfuron was studied in two soils (topsoil from Alfisol and Inceptisol). The adsorption of sulfosulfuron was greater in topsoil collected from Alfisol than in Inceptisol. The soil sorption coefficient K and the soil organic carbon sorption coefficient K _oc are the basic parameters used for describing the environmental fate of the herbicides. In topsoil the calculated K values from Alfisol was 4.43 and in topsoil from Inceptisol was 2.00. K _c values were 6.06 in topsoil from Alfisol and 3.33 in topsoil from Inceptisol. The K _oc values were 886.36 in topsoil from Alfisol and 770.26 in topsoil from Inceptisol. Field experimental plots with no previous history of sulfosulfuron were selected and studied the degradation of sulfosulfuron in the topsoil collected from Alfisol and Inceptisol. The half-life of sulfosulfuron in topsoil from Alfisol: T ₁− 3.97 days and T ₂− 4.54 days; topsoil from Inceptisol: T ₁ − 4.68 days and T ₂ − 5.52 days. The degradation of sulfosulfuron followed first-order kinetics. The persistence of sulfosulfuron was found relatively longer in the Inceptisol than in Alfisol. The combination of degradation data (t _1/2 – soil) and organic carbon based sorption (K _oc) data of herbicides have been used to assess the pesticide environmental impact in soils through Gustafson Ubiquity Score (GUS). The GUS values were found to be 0.69 in topsoil from Alfisol and 0.83 in Inceptisol.     

Effect of elevated CO2 on degradation of azoxystrobin and soil microbial activity in rice soil

An experiment was conducted in open-top chambers (OTC) to study the effect of elevated CO₂ (580?±?20 μmol mol^?1) on azoxystrobin degradation and soil microbial activities. Results indicated that elevated CO₂ did not have any significant effect on the persistence of azoxystrobin in rice-planted soil. The half-life values for the azoxystrobin in rice soils were 20.3 days in control (rice grown at ambient CO₂ outdoors), 19.3 days in rice grown under ambient CO₂ atmosphere in OTC, and 17.5 days in rice grown under elevated CO₂ atmosphere in OTC. Azoxystrobin acid was recovered as the only metabolite of azoxystrobin, but it did not accumulate in the soil/water and was further metabolized. Elevated CO₂ enhanced soil microbial biomass (MBC) and alkaline phosphatase activity of soil. Compared with rice grown at ambient CO₂ (both outdoors and in OTC), the soil MBC at elevated CO₂ increased by twofold. Elevated CO₂ did not affect dehydrogenase, fluorescein diacetate, and acid phosphatase activity. Azoxystrobin application to soils, both ambient and elevated CO₂, inhibited alkaline phosphates activity, while no effect was observed on other enzymes. Slight increase (1.8–2 °C) in temperature inside OTC did not affect microbial parameters, as similar activities were recorded in rice grown outdoors and in OTC at ambient CO₂. Higher MBC in soil at elevated CO₂ could be attributed to increased carbon availability in the rhizosphere via plant metabolism and root secretion; however, it did not significantly increase azoxystrobin degradation, suggesting that pesticide degradation was not the result of soil MBC alone. Study suggested that increased CO₂ levels following global warming might not adversely affect azoxystrobin degradation. However, global warming is a continuous and cumulative process, therefore, long-term studies are necessary to get more realistic assessment of global warming on fate of pesticide.     

Preferential sorption of some natural organic matter fractions to titanium dioxide nanoparticles: influence of pH and ionic strength

Natural organic matter (NOM) sorption to nanoparticles (NPs) can influence their transport and bioavailability in the aquatic environment. The sorption affinity of NOM to surfaces including NPs is size dependent, and depending on environmental conditions, NOM may enhance or mitigate NPs toxicity. The aim of this study was to investigate the preferential sorption of different-sized fractions of NOM to titanium dioxide (TiO₂) NPs. We specifically investigated the influence of pH, ionic strength, and NOM concentration on the extent of this preferential sorption using a constant sorbent concentration (400 mg/L TiO₂ NPs). Additionally, sorption of NOM to TiO₂ NPs at varying pH was investigated. The nonsorbed NOM was separated from the sorbed, by 50 nm polycarbonate membrane filters and ultracentrifugation. High-performance size exclusion chromatography (HPSEC) was used to determine the average molecular weights of NOM (MWw). Corroborative evidence of preferential sorption of different-sized molecular weight fractions of NOM was obtained from optical techniques such as absorbance and fluorescence spectrophotometry. The total organic carbon was measured by the Total Organic Carbon Analyzer—Shimadzu (TOC-VCPH). The results indicated that there is preferential sorption of larger sized fractions of NOM to TiO₂ NPs irrespective of NOM concentration. It was observed that the sorption of larger sized fractions of NOM was much enhanced at lower pH and at higher ionic strength. Both absorbance and fluorescence spectrophotometric techniques gave credible corroborative evidence on the extent of preferential sorption of lager sized fractions of NOM with respect to pH and ionic strength. The sorption results demonstrated higher sorption at lower pH than at higher pH. Overall, the results of this study suggest that the environmental conditions are key factors that can contribute to NOM’s fractional preferential sorption to NPs in the aquatic environment.     

Effects of exposure of aquatic snails to sublethal concentrations of waste drilling fluid

Static bioassays were carried out using two aquatic snails (Pilia sp. and Lanistes sp.) as test organisms in soft natural dilution water, with waste drilling fluid as the test material, at 28±2°C. Comparison of results for the control and different concentrations of the waste drilling fluid were made by means of the F-statistic method. The waste drilling fluid was practically non-toxic to the two aquatic snails.     

Almond shell activated carbon: adsorbent and catalytic support in the phenol degradation

In this work, two technologies are studied for the removal of phenol from aqueous solution: dynamic adsorption onto activated carbon and photocatalysis. Almond shell activated carbon (ASAC) was used as adsorbent and catalytic support in the phenol degradation process. The prepared catalyst by deposition of anatase TiO₂ on the surface of activated carbon was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, sorption of nitrogen, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and pH_ZPC point of zero charge. In the continuous adsorption experiments, the effects of flow rate, bed height, and solution temperature on the breakthrough curves have been studied. The breakthrough curves were favorably described by the Yoon–Nelson model. The photocatalytic degradation of phenol has been investigated at room temperature using TiO₂-coated activated carbon as photocatalyst (TiO₂/ASAC). The degradation reaction was optimized with respect to the phenol concentration and catalyst amount. The kinetics of disappearance of the organic pollutant followed an apparent first-order rate. The findings demonstrated the applicability of ASAC for the adsorptive and catalytic treatment of phenol.     

Sorption of carbon tetrachloride,ethylene dibromide,and trichloroethylene on soil and clay

The sorption of carbon tetrachloride, ethylene dibromide, and trichloroethylene in two silty clay loam soils and aluminium (Al³⁺) or calcium (Ca²⁺) saturated montmorillonite clay was studied. When the adsorbents were exposed to environmental levels of these chemicals (10 to 1000 ppb in water) the amounts of each of the chemicals sorbed were 6% or less of that available except for a 17% sorption of trichloroethylene by Al-saturated clay. In the case of the Ca-saturated clay, there was no apparent sorption of carbon tetrachloride or trichloroethylene. When soil sorption was normalized based on the soil organic carbon content (K _oc) a correlation was found between the K _oc, water solubility, and octanol/water partitioning coefficients of the chemicals. However, carbon tetrachloride did not behave according to with the predicted relationships.     

Adsorption-desorption and leaching potential of glyphosate and aminomethylphosphonic acid in acidic Malaysian soil amended with cow dung and rice husk ash

This study investigates adsorption-desorption and the leaching potential of glyphosate and aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) in control and amended—addition of cow dung or rice husk ash—acidic Malaysian soil with high oxide mineral content. The addition of cow dung or rice husk ash increased the adsorptive removal of AMPA. The isotherm data of glyphosate and AMPA best fitted the Freundlich model. The constant K_f for glyphosate was high in the control soil (544.873 mg g^?1) followed by soil with cow dung (482.451 mg g^?1) then soil with rice husk ash (418.539 mg g^?1). However, for AMPA, soil with cow dung was high (166.636 mg g^?1) followed by soil with rice husk ash (137.570 mg g^?1) then the control soil (48.446 mg g^?1). The 1/n values for both glyphosate and AMPA adsorptions were <?1 indicating their strong affinity for adsorbents. Desorption of both glyphosate and AMPA occurred only in the control soil. The compounds were not detected in soils with added cow dung or rice husk ash. The addition of cow dung or rice husk ash increased glyphosate mobility. However, ground water ubiquity scores for both control and amended soils were <?2.8. This indicated glyphosate is a transitional herbicide; therefore, its leaching potential in the soil is low, despite the addition of cow dung or rice husk ash. Addition of these wastes decreased the mobility and leaching potential of AMPA. The addition of cow dung or rice husk ash could be beneficial in increasing adsorption and enhancing degradation of these compounds.     

Management of invasive populations of the freshwater crayfish <Emphasis Type="Italic">Procambarus clarkii</Emphasis> (Decapoda,Cambaridae): test of a population-control method and proposal of a standard monitoring approach

Invasive species are one of the main threats to biodiversity. When an alien species is introduced into a new environment, fast identification and definition of management strategies may avoid or minimize impacts. When an invasive species is already established, the most adopted approaches are population control and monitoring. In order to perform such strategies, assessment of characteristics of the invasive population is imperative. This study tested a new method of population size estimation and monitoring in an invasive population of crayfish Procambarus clarkii in a conservation area in the Atlantic Rain Forest (Southeastern Brazil). The population dynamics was studied for 1 year to examine the efficacy of the selected method and to evaluate if the population is stable. Later, the effect of periodical removal of animals on the population size was tested. The method of population estimation used in this study proved to be very effective. We recommend using it to monitor invasive populations of P. clarkii. The population size varied discretely over the year with variable but low growth rate, indicating that the population is already established which introduce a notable threat to native species. The continuous removal of specimens proved to be inefficient since the growth rate was higher after the removal. One intensive removal event might be more effective than a continuous moderate removal as the one applied in this study.     

Modeling of Ecological Footprint and Climate Change Impacts on Food Security of the Hill Tracts of Chittagong in Bangladesh

This paper presents an integrated and dynamic model for the management of the uplands of the Hill Tracts of Chittagong to predict food security and environmental loading for gradual transition of shifting agriculture land into horticulture crops and teak plantation, and crop land into tobacco cultivation. Food security status for gradual transmission of shifting agriculture land into horticulture crops and teak plantation, and crop land into tobacco cultivation is the best option for food security, but this causes the highest environmental loading resulting from tobacco cultivation. Considering both food security and environmental degradation in terms of ecological footprint, the best option is gradual transition of shifting agriculture land into horticulture crops which provides moderate increase in the food security with a relatively lower environmental degradation in terms of ecological footprint. Crop growth model InfoCrop was used to predict the climate change impacts on rice and maize production in the uplands of the Hill Tracts of Chittagong. Climate change impacts on the yields of rice and maize of three treatments of temperature, carbon dioxide and rainfall change (+0 °C, +0 ppm and +0 % rainfall), (+2 °C, +50 ppm and 20 % rainfall) and (+2 °C, +100 ppm and 30 % rainfall) were assessed. The yield of rice decreases for treatment 2, but it increases for treatment 3. The yield of maize increases for treatments 2 and 3 since maize is a C₄ plant. There is almost no change in food security at upazila (sub-district) level for the historical climate change scenario, but there is small change in the food security at upazila levels for IPCC climate change scenario.     

Adsorption study of 14C-paraquat in two Malaysian agricultural soils

The adsorption equilibrium time and effects of pH and concentration of ¹⁴C-labeled paraquat (1,1^??-dimethyl-4,4^??-bipyridylium dichloride) in two types of Malaysian soil were investigated. The soils used in the study were clay loam and clay soils from rice fields. Equilibrium studies of paraquat in a soil and pesticide solution were conducted. Adsorption equilibrium time was achieved within 2 h for both soil types. The amount of ¹⁴C-labeled paraquat adsorbed onto glass surfaces increased with increasing shaking time and remained constant after 10 h. It was found that paraquat adsorbed by the two soils was very similar: 51.73 (clay loam) and 51.59 ?? g g^???1 (clay) at 1 ?? g/ml. The adsorption of paraquat onto both types of soil was higher at high pH, and adsorption decreased with decreasing pH. At pH 11, the amounts of ¹⁴C-labeled paraquat adsorbed onto the clay loam and clay soil samples were 4.08 and 4.05 ?? g g^???1, respectively, whereas at pH 2, the amounts adsorbed were 3.72 and 3.57 ?? g g^???1, respectively. Results also suggested that paraquat sorption by soil is concentration dependent.     

Leaching behavior of nitrogen in a long-term experiment on rice under different N management systems

The leaching behavior of nitrogen was studied in single rice paddy production ecosystems in Tsukuba, Japan after 75 years of consistent fertilization regimes (no fertilizer, ammonium sulfate, a combination of composted rice straw with soybean cake, and fresh clover). During the 75-year period, management was unchanged with respect to rice planting density, irrigation, and net N fertilization for each field to which an N-source was added. Percolation water was collected, from May 2001 to April 2002, using porous suction cups installed in the fields at depths of 15, 40, and 60 cm. All water samples were taken to the laboratory for the measurement of both NH₄ ^?+??CN and NO₃ ^????CN concentrations using a continuous-flow nitrogen analyzer. The result indicated that there were significant differences in N leaching losses between treatments during the rice growing season. Total N leaching was significantly lower with the application of composted rice straw plus soybean cake (0.58 kg N ha^???1) than with ammonium sulfate (2.41 kg N ha^???1), which resulted in N leaching at a similar level to that with the fresh clover treatment (no significant difference). The majority of this N leaching was not due to NO₃ ^????CN loss, but to that of NH₄ ^?+??CN. The mean N leaching for all fertilizer treatments during the entire rice growing season was 1.58 kg N ha^???1. Composted rice straw plus soybean cake produced leaching losses which were 65?C75% lower than those with the application of fresh clover and ammonium sulfate. N accumulation resulting from nitrification in the fallow season could be a key source of nitrate?CN leaching when fields become re-flooded before rice transplanting in the following year; particular attention should be paid to this phenomenon.     

Persistence and Distribution of Endosulfan under Field Condition

Rapid increase in industrialization and agricultural activities to meet the population need has led to environmental pollution. The major revolution in agricultural production is mainly due to increased use of pesticides and fertilizers. Soil act as a major sink for majority of pesticides applied on agricultural crops. Among the organochlorines, endosulfan is the most commonly used pesticide, hence this study concentrates on the persistence and distribution behaviour of endosulfan under field conditions. The result showed that the alpha endosulfan concentrations were very minimum (0.98 mg/kg of soil) in all the four fields under study (Nazarath, Othikadu, Ekkadu and Ekkadukandigai of Thiruvallur district, Tamil Nadu). Where as beta endosulfan concentration at the time of application was 6.39 mg/kg and declined to 0.8 mg/kg on soil at 150th day. The endosulfan sulfate concentration was 11.8 mg/kg in soil at 15th day and then concentration declined to 2.2 mg/kg at 150th day. Field run-off samples showed maximum residue levels (0.024 mg/l) at the early irrigation period. While plant foliar parts showed maximum concentrations of α-endosulfan (43.4 mg/kg), β-endosulfan (40.6 mg/kg) and endosulfan sulfate (20.1 mg/kg). At harvest stage, rice grain and husk also had lower concentrations of endosulfan sulfate (2.2 and 0.09 mg/kg), respectively.     

Mitigation Strategy to Contain Methane Emission from Rice-Fields

Methane is primarily a biogenic gas, which is implicated in global climate change. Among all the sources of methane emission, paddy fields form the most dominant source. An experiment was conducted with a common paddy crop (Oryza sativa var. Vishnuparag) by amending the soils with different organic manures and biofertilizers with a view to find out an inexpensive strategy to mitigate methane emission from the rice-fields. The results revealed that there was a seasonal change in the CH₄ flux, registering a peak at heading stage in all treatments. The application of rice straw before flooding and the biofertilizer after flooding enhances CH₄ efflux from the rice-fields significantly, while composts of cowdung and leaves did not stimulate CH₄ production and, rather, decreased CH₄ fluxes. As soil pH and temperature were optimum for methanogenesis, it was likely that the organic C and the redox potential mainly modulated methane production and its emission through rice plants.     

Hydrological connectivity and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Burkholderia pseudomallei</Emphasis> prevalence in wetland environments: investigating rice-farming community’s risk of exposure to melioidosis in North-East Thailand

In our analysis of 136 water samples from wetland environments (rice paddies, natural wetland sites, man-made water bodies) in rural areas of North-East Thailand, Burkholderia pseudomallei was most prevalent in rice paddies (15 of the 30 positive sites). The high prevalence in the water of rice fields is indicative of the inherent vulnerability of farmers in rural agricultural areas in this area of Thailand and likely other locations in the tropics. Nearly all B. pseudomallei-positive sites were found within the vicinity of a large wetland associated with the Chi River, in the month of July 2014. Positive samples were found in water ranging in pH from 5.9 to 8.7, salinity ranging from 0.04 to 1.58 ppt, nitrate ranging from 0 to 10.8 ppm, and iron ranging from 0.003 to 1.519 ppm. Of these variables, only iron content was statistically higher in B. pseudomallei-positive versus B. pseudomallei-negative sites, suggesting that increasing concentrations of iron may encourage the growth of this bacterium, which is responsible for melioidosis. Our results, when combined with data from other published studies, support the notion that B. pseudomallei can exist in a wide range of environmental conditions. Thus, we argue that health safety education is a more appropriate means of addressing farmer vulnerability than chemical or physical alterations to fields at large scales. Further, it may be important to investigate melioidosis through transdisciplinary approaches that consider the complex social and ecological contexts in which the disease occurs.     

Effects of exposure of crocodiles to sublethal concentrations of Petroleum waste drilling fluid in the Niger Delta basin of Midwestern Nigeria

Static bioassay were carried out using two aquatic crocodiles (the short nosed crocodile, Osteolemus tetraspis and the Nile crocodile, Crocodilus niloticus) as test organisms in soft natural dilution water, with Petroleum waste drilling fluid as the test material, at 28 ± 2 °C. Comparison of results for the control and different concentrations of the waste drilling fluid were made by means of the F-statistic method. Both crocodile species exhibited a high insensitivity to the undiluted waste drilling fluid and the different dilutions. Differences in concentration of waste drilling fluid did not influence the response of crocodiles to the potential toxicant. Percentage of deaths which was never greater than 0.2% in control tanks was not significantly different from that in test tanks where mortality values of organisms was typically 1.6% or less in most cases. There was a delay toxicant – induced mortality effect.     

2012—2019年松花江干流底栖动物群落变化及其对水环境因子的响应

底栖动物是水生态系统的重要组成部分,其群落特征通常用来评价水生态环境质量。研究了2012—2019年松花江干流水生态环境质量状况、变化趋势,并应用冗余分析(RDA)探究底栖动物群落结构特征与水环境因子之间的响应关系。结果表明:8年间共鉴定出底栖动物246个分类单元,隶属于4门、9纲、25目、58科、69属,其中水生昆虫的EPT物种为99个分类单元,占总物种数的40.24%;水生昆虫的其他物种为68个分类单元,占总物种数的27.64%;软体动物为36个分类单元,占总物种数的14.63%;环节动物为25个分类单元,占总物种数的10.16%;甲壳动物为18个分类单元,占总物种数的7.32%。底栖动物密度总体呈上升趋势,种类组成总体有所增多,其中环节动物、软体动物和甲壳动物有向水生昆虫转变的趋势,群落结构相对稳定且主要以水生昆虫占比最多,底栖动物密度平均值为5.97×10³个/m²,变化范围为2.86×10³~8.98×10³个/m²,优势科(属)主要为小蜉属Ephemerella、小寡脉蜉属Oligoneuriella、扁蜉属Heptagenia、等蜉属Isonychia、纹石蛾科Hydropsychidae、缺叉多距石蛾属Polycentropus、摇蚊科Chironomidae和圆田螺属Cipangopaludina等。生物指数评价结果多数为"中等"及以上,评价结果趋于稳定,且下游评价结果好于上游。松花江干流的水环境质量变化阶段性明显,溶解氧含量升高,氨氮呈下降趋势,其余指标呈波动变化。冗余分析(RDA)结果表明:影响松花江干流底栖动物群落结构变化的主要环境因子是随时间推移而变化的,其中溶解氧、生化需氧量、化学需氧量、总磷、氨氮和总氮等指标是影响该监测区域底栖动物群落分布的重要环境因子。     

Arsenic concentrations in local aromatic and high-yielding hybrid rice cultivars and the potential health risk: a study in an arsenic hotspot

The presence of high levels of arsenic (As) in rice fields has negative effects on the health of those consuming rice as their subsistence food. This study determined the variation in total As concentration in local aromatic rice (LAR) (kalijira) and two high-yielding varieties (HYVs) (BRRI dhan 32 and BRRI dhan 28) grown in paddy fields in Matlab, Bangladesh, an As hotspot with elevated As levels in groundwater. Mature rice grain samples and soil samples were collected from different paddy fields, and the As concentrations in both the de-husked grains and the husks of the three rice cultivars were analysed to identify the safest of the three cultivars for human consumption. The results showed that the total As concentration was higher (0.09–0.21 mg As kg^?1) in the de-husked grains of LAR than in the husks, while the opposite was found for the HYV rice. Moreover, the As concentration in soil samples was 2 to 5-fold higher for the LAR than for the HYVs, but the As accumulation factor (AF) was lower in the LAR (0.2–0.4%) than in the HYVs (0.9–1%). Thus, LAR can be considered the safest of the three cultivars for human consumption owing to its low AF value. Furthermore, due to the low AF, growing LAR instead of HYVs in soils with slightly elevated As levels could help improve the food safety level in the food chain.     

Impacts of acid rainon aquatic birds

Studies of toxicological and ecological effects of acidification on aquatic birds in Europe and North America are reviewed. Heavy metals are deposited by acid emissions, which also increase solubility and mobility of heavy metals in soil and water. Aluminium is leached from soil and mobilized from lake sediments under acid conditions; it removes susceptible fish and invertebrate species and contaminates remaining invertebrates. It is not highly toxic to birds, but may interfere with their regulation of calcium and phosphorus. Mercury is concentrated as methylmercury in fish tissues, and tends to be biomagnified in aquatic food chains. Experimental studies have demonstrated negative effects on reproduction of birds, and wild Common Loons Gavia immer breed less successfully in territories contaminated by mercury.The clearest demonstrable effect of acidification on aquatic birds is the disruption of their food chains. The loss of invertebrates and fish affects both the food-webs and the predators and competitors of aquatic birds. Cyprinid fish are important food resources for fish-eating birds, in Europe as well as North America, and are particularly sensitive to acidification. Fish-eating waterfowl in Ontario are scarcer, and breed less successfully, in areas of high acidic deposition. Experimental studies of imprinted young Black Duck Anas rubripes showed that they grew more slowly on acidic lakes, apparently due to competition from acid-tolerant fish for a reduced invertebrate resource. Negative effects of acidified habitats on growth and reproduction, again through depletion of the food-web, have also been demonstrated in field studies of Tree Swallows Tachycineta bicolor and European Dippers Cinclus cinclus.Contribution from Fourth World Wilderness Congress-Acid Rain Symposium, Denver (Estes Park), Colorado, September 11–18, 1987.