Response of microcrustacean communities from the ...

Environ Sci Pollut Res DOI 10.1007/s11356-013-1529-9

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Response of microcrustacean communities from the surface—groundwater interface to water contamination in urban river system of the Jarama basin (central Spain) Sanda Iepure & Virtudes Martinez-Hernandez & Sonia Herrera & Ruben Rasines-Ladero & Irene de Bustamante

Received: 29 November 2012 / Accepted: 28 January 2013 # Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2013

Abstract In order to evaluate the water quality at the surface/ groundwater interface (hyporheic zone), the pattern of microcrustacean assemblages in response to environmental stress caused by urban industrial contamination was studied in the Jarama River basin (central Spain) during high water discharges (March and April 2011). The clustering of biological variables and the concentration of urban contaminants in hyporheic waters showed that pristine hyporheic waters have moderate species diversity (two to seven species) and dominance of k strategist stygobites, whereas excessively contaminated sites are devoid by crustaceans. An intermediate level of disturbance in hyporheic waters is associated with a peak of species taxonomic diversity (four to nine species) and proliferation of r strategist more tolerant species. Typical species found in hyporheic zone, e.g., Paracyclops imminutus (Copepoda, Cyclopoida), Cryptocandona vavrai (Ostracoda) and Herpetocypris Responsible editor: Philippe Garrigues Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s11356-013-1529-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. S. Iepure (*) : V. Martinez-Hernandez : S. Herrera : R. Rasines-Ladero : I. de Bustamante IMDEA-Water (Madrid Institute for Advanced Studies), Calle Punto Net 1, Edificio ZYE 2, Parque Cientifico Tecnológico de la Universidad de Alcalá, 28805 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain e-mail: [email protected] S. Iepure Emil Racoviţă” Institute of Speleology, Romanian Academy, Clinicilor 5, 400006 Cluj Napoca, Romania I. de Bustamante Universidad de Alcalá, Campus Externo, 28871 Alcalá de Henares, Spain

chevreuxi (Ostracoda), were good indicators of high concentrations of Cr, Mn, Ni, Cd, Pb and VOCs; whereas the stygobites do not show any significant correlation. The effectiveness of hyporheic crustaceans as efficient bioindicators for assessing the current ecological status of river ecosystems is emphasised. Keywords Bioassessment . Crustacea . Environmental stress . Surface/groundwater interface ecotone . Jarama basin . Spain.

Introduction Recent studies of subsurface ecosystems have shown that the hyporheic zone (HZ)—the transitional ecotone between surface water and groundwater—of urban river systems is highly vulnerable to increased anthropogenic activity (Boulton et al. 1998; Boulton 2001; Brunke and Gonser 1999; Danielopol et al. 2001; Hancock 2002, 2006; Dole-Olivier et al. 2009a, b; Stein et al. 2010; Orghidan 1955). The main pressures from, and risks of, human impact rely on both water quality and quantity in the hyporheic zone and can be summarised as follows: direct release of effluents from urban and industrial activities, release of wastewater and discharge from sewage works and industrial processes (Pieri et al. 2012), diffuse pollution from mining activities (Iepure and Selescu 2009; Moldovan et al. 2011), changes in flow regimes due to the abstraction of water from streams and groundwater for public supply, industry and agriculture, regulation and modification of natural riparian zones (Hancock 2002), extractions from gravel bars (Jacobson and Primm 1994; Sinton et al. 1997), siltation and dam construction (Hancock 2002). Currently, the assessment of water quality in the subsurface HZ of rivers is efficiently based on groundwater fauna

Environ Sci Pollut Res

that is sensitive to various environmental changes, including chemical stressors from urban activities (Plénet et al. 1995; Dole-Olivier et al. 1994, 1997, 2000, 2009a, b; Malard et al. 1994, 1996; Notemboom and Boessenkool 1992; Plénet et al. 1995; Mösslacher 1998; Danielopol 1991; Gibert et al. 2009; Lerner et al. 2009; Malard et al. 2009; Iepure and Selescu 2009; Moldovan et al. 2011). The groundwater meiofauna is generally evaluated and monitored in relation to abiotic parameters in order to determine how groundwater responds to current and future anthropogenic disturbance (Malard et al. 1994, 1996; Hancock 2006; Boulton 2000; Boulton et al. 2008, 2010). Of all the meiofaunal groups present in the hyporheic zone of rivers, microbial and crustacean communities have been identified as the most efficient tools for assessing the quality of subsurface water (Danielopol 1984; Sinton 1984; Creuzé des Châtelliers and Reygrobellet 1990; Creuzé des Châtelliers 1991; Creuzé de Châtelliers et al. 1992; Creuzé de Châtelliers and Marmonier 1993; Schmidt et al. 1991; Dole-Olivier and Marmonier 1992a, b; Danielopol et al. 1994, 2003, 2006; Mösslacher 1998; Griebler et al. 2001, 2010; Creuzé de Châtelliers and

Marmonier 1993, 2001; Marmonier et al. 1992, 1997; Boulton 2007; Boulton et al. 2008; Tomlinson and Boulton 2010). The catchment of the Jarama River is the largest drainage basin in the Province of Madrid (central Spain). The area experienced extreme degradation of river system due to intense industrial activities and urban development, inadequate waste-water treatment and water use management. Previous studies have shown that a range of hazards affect river waters quality, reflected in changes of tubificide in-stream sediments communities (Hernández et al. 1988), macrobenthic algae and invertebrate assemblages composition, and an associated switch to tolerant species and decrease of diversity (Vega et al. 1996; Douterelo et al. 2004; Rasines 2011) and the occurrence of invasive species (Pavluk et al. 2011). In this study, we examine the response of crustacean communities to the contamination of hyporheic transitional waters by runoff from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in four rivers of the Jarama basin (central Spain) (Fig. 1). We aim to: (1) assess the taxonomic composition and spatial pattern of microcrustacean communities; (2) link the environmental and biotic data; and (3) to identify the taxonomic groups and/or

Fig. 1 Map of the study area showing streams and location of the 25 sampling sites in the Jarama basin (central Spain)


species from the hyporheic zone that can potentially be indicative for monitoring the degradation of subsurface water with urban contaminants. The selective tolerance of hyporheic crustaceans to discrete concentrations of pollutants, especially trace metals, was expected to reduce the biodiversity of crustacean communities, and species were expected to be spatially distributed along a gradient of contamination with urban products. We also aim to test whether the intermediate disturbance hypothesis (IDH) (Wilkinson 1999) consistent with the hint that an intermediate level of pollution is associated with a pick in species diversity in a community could be confirmed.

Methods Study area The Jarama River is the major northwestern tributary of the Tajo River in central Spain (Fig. 1). The Jarama River, with headwaters in the Sierra de Rincon and a dendritic catchment area of 6,000 km2, receives water from three main perennial rivers (Manzanares, Henares and Tajuña). The natural flow is governed by inputs from ground and rainwater (Fennessy 1982). The large seasonal variability of the climate in the area, with cold and relatively wet winters (average 6 °C) and hot and dry summers (average 25 °C), and a mean annual precipitation ranging between 400 and 500 mm/year (over the past 10 years) highly influences the discharge of water throughout the year (AEMET 2011). The total precipitation for the Madrid region in 2011 was 483.9 mm, with a total rainfall for March and April of 144.07 mm (AEMET 2011). The annual rate of discharge from the Jarama basin in 2011 had a maximum of 12.01 m3/s (March) and a minimum of 5.24 m3/s (September) (SAIH 2011). The upper reaches of the Jarama and its main tributary, the Manzanares, have an underlay of granitoid rocks (i.e., granites, gramodiorites and tonalites) with a metamorphic basement (gneiss, quartzite and slates) (Hernández-García and Custodio 2004). The Jarama and Manzanares have steep hydrological gradients, with mean slopes of 1.7 and 0.7 %, respectively. The discharge of water is relatively high at the confluence with the Tajo. The upper courses of the Jarama and Manzanares are unaltered by human activity and are in protected natural forests, whereas the central courses show distinct alterations in hydromorphology and water quality by both past and present industrial activity and the regulation of discharge (Vizcaíno et al. 2003). The natural development of the Jarama and Manzanares has been impeded by extensive regulation of their flows via dams and gravel mining since the 1960s (Uribelarrea et al. 2003). The course of the Manzanares outside the protected area is regulated by two large headwater reservoirs, Santillana and El Pardo, separated by a narrow

canyon. Downstream from the El Pardo dam, the river is artificially channelled and flows through metropolitan Madrid (Fig. 1). About 90 % of the lower courses of the Manzanares and Jarama receive wastewater released from several WWTPs (that serve between 2,000 and >10,000 inhabitants) (http:// www.chtajo.es). To improve the quality of the surface water downstream from Madrid, the lower courses of both rivers were included in a restoration plan in 1994 and were designated as protected areas (http://parqueregionalsureste.org/). The second most important tributaries of the Jarama are the Tajuña and Henares Rivers (Fig. 1). These rivers flow on limestone and gypsum bedrock, resulting in hard water with high ionic contents (Blanco-Garcia et al. 2007; Camargo and Jimenez 2007). The mean slopes are 1.1 % for the Henares and 2 % for the Tajuña. The watersheds of the Tajuña and Henares are located in areas with intensive agriculture, and their alluvial plains are thus mostly affected by the withdrawal of water for irrigation from the rivers and the ground (Bastida 2009). Additional changes in water quantity and quality are due to the removal of gravel from the streams and alluvial plains, the extraction of surface water and groundwater for industrial and domestic purposes, and the runoff from WWTPs (BlancoGarcia et al. 2007; Llamas and Garrido 2007). Sampling design The survey was conducted in 25 hyporheic sites distributed along the main channel of the Jarama River and the three tributaries, the Manzanares, Tajuña and Henares. The sites ranging from 550 to 1,700 ma.s.l. and were located in the Madrid community (Fig. 1, Table 1). The survey was performed during March and April 2011 when the discharge of water was high (13.71 m3/s) (http://www.chtajo.es). The design of the sampling sites was delineated to capture differences in the communities of hyporheic crustaceans in pristine water and at sources of contamination from WWTPs distributed within the Madrid community (http://www.chtajo.es). Five stations were selected in the natural upper and central courses where parameters of water quality indicated pristine conditions. Twenty stations were selected on a longitudinal transect of the river channels in moderately or excessively polluted sectors from the central and lower courses of all rivers and downstream of main industrial focal points and WWTP discharges that serve large urban areas (Madrid, Rivas-Vaciamadrid, Paracuellos de Jarama, Barajas airport and Alcalá de Henares) (Fig. 1). Water chemistry One litre of surface and interstitial water was sampled for physical and chemical analysis. Temperature, dissolved oxygen (DO) in percentage and milligramme per litre (OXI45P Oxymeter, Crison), conductivity (EC) (CM35 Conductimeter,

Environ Sci Pollut Res Table 1 Location of the hyporheic sites within the Jarama basin (central Spain)

Sites

Sites codes

Altitude (m asl)

Distance to the headwaters (km)

Geology

Hayedo de Montejo Torremocha de Jarama Talamanca de Jarama Fuente el Saz Paracuellos de Jarama San Fernando de Henares San Martin de la Vega Titulcia 1 Manzanares River Manzanares el Real 1 Manzanares el Real 2 Puente Medieval El Pardo Perales del Rio Rivas-Vaciamadrid Tajuña River Armuña de Tajuña Loranca de Tajuña

J1 J2 J3 J4 J5 J6 J7 J8

1,128 730 662 619 584 584 542 551

6 39 50 58 72 86 110 119

Siliceous Siliceous Siliceous Siliceous Siliceous Siliceous Siliceous Siliceous

M1 M2 M3 M4 M5 M6

1,073 968 844 601 553 530

5 6 11 28 40 54

Siliceous Siliceous Siliceous Siliceous Siliceous Siliceous

T1 T2

791 660

85 97

Carbonates Carbonates

Carabaña-Orusco San Galindo—Chinchon Titulcia 2 Henares River Heras de Ayuso Fontanar Azuqueca de Henares Los Santos de la Humosa Torejon de Ardoz Mejorada del Campo

T3 T4 T5

618 518 551

121 144 154

Carbonates Carbonates Carbonates

H1 H2 H3 H4 H5 H6

636 651 587 572 567 551

62 72 88 98 125 131

Carbonates Carbonates Carbonates Carbonates Carbonates Carbonates

Jarama River

Crison) and pH (PH25 pH meter, Crison) were measured in situ from the river and from three hyporheic replicates. Alkalinity was measured in the laboratory using the titration method. Water samples were analysed for 23 chemical parameters: non-purgeable organic carbon (NPOC) (ppm), non-purgeable total organic carbon (NTOC) (ppm), total carbon (TC) (ppm), inorganic carbon (IC) (ppm), DBO5 (milligramme per litre), DQO (milligramme per litre) CaCO3 (milligramme per litre), alkalinity, F− (milligramme per litre), Cl− (milligramme per litre), NO2− (milligramme per litre), NO3− (milligramme per litre), PO43− (milligramme per litre), SO42− (milligramme per litre), CO32− (milligramme per litre), HCO3− (milligramme per litre), OH− (milligramme per litre), Li+ (milligramme per litre), O+ (milligramme per litre), NH4+ (milligramme per litre), K+ (milligramme per litre), Mg2+ (milligramme per litre) and Ca2+ (milligramme per litre). Conductivity, alkalinity, Cl− and temperature were further used as natural hydrochemical tracers indicative of water residence time in the sediments over short

distances. Although we are aware of the difficulties in monitoring hyporheic water conditions, the combination of temperature and hydrochemical data can provide an adequate combination of techniques to characterise interactions of surface/hyporheic water at the sampling sites. The contamination of surface and hyporheic water was assessed by measuring dissolved concentrations of Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb, Mn and Ni by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Additionally, the hyporheic water downstream from major sources of industrial pollution were tested for the presence of hazardous substances (EU-WFD 2000 and EQS 2008) that may present significant risks for hyporheic biota, e.g., chlorinated volatile organic compounds (VOCs), analyzed by dynamic headspace followed by comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (DHS-GCxGC-TOF-MS) (Herrera-Lopez 2013).


Granulometry The amount of sampled sediments varied between sites and replicates due to heterogeneity in riverbed structure (ranging from 200 to 1,000 g/12 l pumped water). The sampled sediments were oven-dried (5 h, 105 °C) and filtered through 1-, 0.5-, 0.25-, 0.1- and 0.05-mm granulometric sieves. Each fraction was weighed and estimated as a percentage of the total weight of the sediment sample. The sediments belong to four categories: silt/clay (< 0.063 mm), fine sand (0.063– 0.25 mm), medium and coarse sand (0.25–1 mm) and very coarse sand (1–2 mm). Loss of ignition The organic content of the sediment samples was determined by a variation of the loss of weight on ignition method (LOI) (modified after Franken et al. 2001). Only the silt/clay samples (0.5. Multifactorial analyses in the PRIMER + package (Clarke and Warwick 2006; Anderson et al. 2008) was additionally used to identify the species that contribute most to site discrimination. Distance-based redundancy analysis (dbRDA) was applied to graphically examine the differences between sites and to assess the relative contribution of underlying species in structuring the assemblages of crustacean hyporheic assemblages across the four rivers. dbRDA is a multifactorial analysis-of-variance model for multispecies response variables that is able to centre the analyses based on measures of ecologically relevant associations (distance measures). dbRDA provides a robust test of randomisation and does not require more objects than variables in the original data matrix (Legendre and Anderson 1999). These advantages are especially important in ecological data sets that usually have more species (variables) than sampling units (objects) (Anderson et al. 2008). 4. To determine if spatial patterns of species distribution are natural or induced by anthropogenic activity, the relation between species distribution/abundance and distance to the headwaters was considered.

Results Environmental parameters For March and April 2011, the conductivity (EC) and hardness were typically higher in the HZ than the river water; whereas pH was slightly lower (Appendix I). Spatial differences in water quality were evident by large increases of EC and trace metals in both hyporheic and surface water from the headwaters to the lower courses in all rivers (Appendix I). The concentrations of trace metals in hyporheic water as indicated by the IPQTM index varied among stations, with low concentrations at the three headwater sites and gradually increasing concentrations in mid-catchment and downstream from WWTPs (Appendix I). VOCs and NH4+ were equally higher in hyporheic water downstream from WWTPs, especially in the Jarama and Manzanares (Appendix I).

Stream channel/hyporheic exchanges Exchanges of water among surface streams and HZs were indicated by significant correlations between major anions and cations, whereas pH and DO were significantly lower in the hyporheic water than in the river (Appendix I). Even though NPOC, NTOC, IC and TC were higher in hyporheic water, only IC was significantly correlated with IC in the surface water (Table 2). The concentrations of trace metals in surface water were generally lower than those in hyporheic water and paralleled the increase in hyporheic concentrations downstream from the sources of pollution (Appendix I). Ni (r= 0.89, p