Cultural Eutrophication Is Reflected in the Stable Isotopic Composition of the Eastern Mudsnail, Nassarius obsoletus.

ABSTRACT: In aquatic ecosystems, biological indicators are used in concert with nutrient concentration data to identify habitat impairments related to cultural eutrophication. This approach has been less commonly implemented in coastal areas due to the dominance of physical conditions in structuring biological assemblage data. Here, we describe the use of the stable isotopic composition of (Say), the eastern mudsnail, as an indicator of cultural eutrophication for 40 locations in coastal estuaries in New York. We found N enrichment in mudsnail tissue where watersheds had high population densities, land use patterns were more urbanized, and when sampling sites were adjacent to wastewater treatment plant discharges. Stable carbon isotopes were responsive to salinity and watershed forest cover, with mo

SUBMITTER: Watson EB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6775774 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature