ABSTRACT
This research will integrate the fields of aquatic toxicology and ecotoxicology to characterize the recovery of a stream ecosystem from mining pollution. The ultimate goals of our research are: i) to improve our mechanistic understanding of ecological responses to heavy metals across several levels of biological organization; and ii) to evaluate indicators of recovery in a metal polluted stream (the Arkansas River) following improvements in water quality. Experiments conducted in stream microcosms will quantify concentration-response relationships between heavy metals and biochemical, and ecosystem-level indicators. To test the hypothesis that these indicators are sensitive to improvements in water quality, we will validate responses in a large-scale ‘natural experiment’ (sensu Diamond 1986) conducted in the Arkansas River, a metal polluted stream in central Colorado. Metal concentrations in the Arkansas River are expected to decline over the next few years as a result of remediation activities in California Gulch, a U.S. EPA Superfund.
