ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF HEATED MINING WATERS ON CLITELLATE ASSEMBLAGES (ANNELIDA: CLITELLATA): A CASE STUDY
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2011 |
| Type | Conference abstract |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | Thermal alteration due to the inflow of heated water might have a serious impact on the composition of freshwater invertebrate communities. Within this study we examined the effect of heated mining water on the taxonomic composition of the clitellate assemblages (Annelida: Clitellata).The study was conducted at the Nedvedicka River, which is a recipient of heated decontaminated mining water discharging from the last operating underground uranium mine in the Czech Republic.The water of the mining tributary differed not only in temperature, but also in pH, conductivity, and inorganic carbon (higher values) and oxygen and nutrients (lower values), from the water in the Nedvedicka River. This rather complex environmental alteration was most probably responsible for a) a lower abundance and number of species of clitellates at the downstream sites compared to the upstream, and b) a shift in the assemblage composition as observed in the CA (Correspondence Analysis) diagram. To conclude, the impact of the mining water on the clitellate assemblages was evident. However, as the “polluted” water differed in more parameters from the “natural” one, we were unable to reveal the very effect of thermal pollution. |
| Related projects: |