Making the ecosystem services approach operational: A case study application to the Aarhus River, Denmark.

The ecosystem services (ESS) approach seeks to identify and characterize links between ecosystems and human welfare. The DESSIN ESS evaluation framework is a novel methodology that has been developed to operationalize ecosystem service assessment, with a focus on urban freshwater settings. This paper describes an application of the framework to a retrospective case study in Aarhus, Denmark, which was used to test the framework and make suggestions for improvement.

Sensitivity ranking for freshwater invertebrates towards hydrocarbon contaminants.

Hydrocarbons have an utmost economical importance but may also cause substantial ecological impacts due to accidents or inadequate transportation and use. Currently, freshwater biomonitoring methods lack an indicator that can unequivocally reflect the impacts caused by hydrocarbons while being independent from effects of other stressors. The aim of the present study was to develop a sensitivity ranking for freshwater invertebrates towards hydrocarbon contaminants, which can be used in hydrocarbon-specific bioindicators.

Metal toxicity affects predatory stream invertebrates less than other functional feeding groups.

Ecosystem effects of heavy metals need to be identified for a retrospective risk assessment, and potential impacts need to be predicted for a prospective risk assessment. In this study, we established a strong correlation between the toxic pressure of dissolved metals and invertebrate species. We compiled available data from a wide geographical range of Australian streams that were contaminated with heavy metals [mainly copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn)] and the corresponding invertebrate communities.

Stream invertebrate community structure at Canadian oil sands development is linked to concentration of bitumen-derived contaminants.

In Canada, the Athabasca oil sands deposits are a source of bitumen-derived contaminants, reaching the aquatic environment via various natural and anthropogenic pathways. The ecological effects of these contaminants are under debate. To quantify the effects of bitumen-derived contaminants we monitored the aquatic exposure of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), metals, and naphthenic acids as well as the invertebrate community in the Athabasca River and its tributaries.

How to characterize chemical exposure to predict ecologic effects on aquatic communities?

Reliable characterization of exposure is indispensable for ecological risk assessment of chemicals. To deal with mixtures, several approaches have been developed, but their relevance for predicting ecological effects on communities in the field has not been elucidated. In the present study, we compared nine metrics designed for estimating the total toxicity of mixtures regarding their relationship with an effect metric for stream macroinvertebrates.

Non-native marine invertebrates are more tolerant towards environmental stress than taxonomically related native species: results from a globally replicated study.

To predict the risk associated with future introductions, ecologists seek to identify traits that determine the invasiveness of species. Among numerous designated characteristics, tolerance towards environmental stress is one of the most favored. However, there is little empirical support for the assumption that non-native species generally cope better with temporarily unfavorable conditions than native species.