Diffuse urban pollution increases metal tolerance of natural heterotrophic biofilms
| Type | Article | ||||||||||||
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| Date | 2012-03 | ||||||||||||
| Language | English | ||||||||||||
| Author(s) | Fechner Lise1, 2, Gourlay-France Catherine1, 2, Bourgeault Adeline1, 2, Tusseau-Vuillemin Marie-Helene3 | ||||||||||||
| Affiliation(s) | 1 : Irstea, Unite Rech Hydrosyst & Bioproc, F-92163 Antony, France. 2 : FIRE, FR 3020, F-75005 Paris, France. 3 : IFREMER, F-92138 Issy Les Moulineaux, France. |
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| Source | Environmental Pollution (0269-7491) (Elsevier Sci Ltd), 2012-03 , Vol. 162 , P. 311-318 | ||||||||||||
| DOI | 10.1016/j.envpol.2011.11.033 | ||||||||||||
| WOS© Times Cited | 16 | ||||||||||||
| Keyword(s) | Metal tolerance, Beta-glucosidase, Freshwater biofilm, ARISA, Environmental quality standards, PICT, Heterotrophic communities | ||||||||||||
| Abstract | This study is a first attempt to investigate the impact of urban contamination on metal tolerance of heterotrophic river biofilms using a short-term test based on beta-glucosidase activity. Tolerance levels to Cu, Cd, Zn, Ni and Pb were evaluated for biofilms collected at three sites along an urban gradient in the Seine river (France). Metallic pollution increased along the river, but concentrations remained low compared to environmental quality standards. Biofilm metal tolerance increased downstream from the urban area. Multivariate analysis confirmed the correlation between tolerance and contamination and between multi-metallic and physico-chemical gradients. Therefore, tolerance levels have to be interpreted in relation to the whole chemical and physical characteristics and not solely metal exposure. We conclude that community tolerance is a sensitive biological response to urban pressure and that mixtures of contaminants at levels lower than quality standards might have a significant impact on periphytic communities. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. | ||||||||||||
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