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Factors Controlling Nickel Bioavailability And Effects On Benthic Invertebrates In Hardwater Freshwater Streams, Kevin Wayne Custer

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Sediments in aquatic ecosystems function ecologically as habitat, food, and refugia that aid in reproduction processes, and chemically as sources and sinks for contaminants. Sediment contamination from metals and organics has been linked to numerous health and ecological effects, extending from fish consumption advisories to endangered species listings. This dissertation research examines Ni bioavailability (simultaneously extracted metal (SEM)/acid volatile sulfide (AVS) models) and toxicity in five separate studies using Ni-spiked sediments in a variety of designs, and mainly with two different sediment types (low AVS, total organic carbon (TOC), and high AVS, TOC).

Two separate streamside mesocosm Ni experiments indicated …