HR: 1330h
AN: NB33J-05    [Abstracts]
TI: Sublethal Ionic Liquid Concentrations Alter Grazer-Periphyton Interactions
AU: * Evans-White, M A
EM: mevanswh@nd.edu
AF: University of Notre Dame, Department of Biological Sciences, Notre Dame, IN 46556-0369 United States
AU: Lamberti, G A
EM: lamberti.1@nd.edu
AF: University of Notre Dame, Department of Biological Sciences, Notre Dame, IN 46556-0369 United States
AB: Ionic liquids (ILs) are non-volatile organic salts that are considered environmentally-friendly replacements for volatile organic compounds. While ILs will not pollute the atmosphere, they could enter aquatic ecosystems and negatively affect communities and ecosystem processes. To determine if the IL, 1-methyl-3-butylimidazolium bromide (bmimBr), affected grazer-periphyton interactions, we factorially crossed 4 levels of bmimBr (0, 1, 10, and 100 mg/L¹) with the presence or absence of the snail, Physa acuta, in laboratory experiments. After 14 days, all bmimBr concentrations reduced chlorophyll a (chl a) abundance by 35-49% relative to controls lacking bmimBr. Algal biovolume also declined by 65-85% at 10 and 100 mg/L¹ bmimBr relative to controls. When both bmimBr and snails were present, chl a abundance and algal biovolume were higher than expected if both factors acted additively, suggesting that snails were less efficient grazers in the presence of bmimBr. Furthermore, snail growth rates declined by 41-101% at 10 and 100 mg/L¹ bmimBr relative to controls. At the ecosystem level, snails stimulated periphyton primary production in the absence of bmimBr, suggesting that bmimBr can indirectly alter ecosystem processes. Our research shows that sublethal levels of an IL can negatively impact aquatic communites and ecosystem processes via complex trophic interactions.
DE: 1803 Anthropogenic effects
DE: 1845 Limnology
DE: 4804 Benthic processes/benthos
DE: 4857 Pollution
DE: 4880 Trophodynamics
SC: North American Benthological Society [NB]
MN: 2005 Joint Assembly