Effects of mining activities on fish communities and food web dynamics in a lowland river.

ABSTRACT: Fish communities of streams and rivers might be substantially subsidized by terrestrial insects that fall into the water. Although such animal-mediated fluxes are increasingly recognized, little is known about how anthropogenic perturbations may influence the strength of such exchanges. Intense land use, such as lignite mining, may impact a river ecosystem due to the flocculation of iron (III) oxides, thus altering food web dynamics. We compared sections of the Spree River in North-East Germany that were greatly influenced by iron oxides with sections located downstream of a dam where passive remediation technologies are applied. Compared to locations downstream of the dam, the abundance of benthic macroinvertebrates at locations of high iron concentrations upstream of the dam was signific

SUBMITTER: Scharnweber K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10928357 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature