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University of Alberta Selenium dynamics in Canadian Rocky Mountain lakes by Barbra Linda Fortin A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Ecology Department of Biological Sciences ©Barbra Linda Fortin Spring 2010 Edmonton, Alberta Permission is hereby granted to the University of Alberta Libraries to reproduce single copies of this thesis and to lend or sell such copies for private, scholarly or scientific research purposes only. Where the thesis is converted to, or otherwise made available in digital form, the University of Alberta will advise potential users of the thesis of these terms. The author reserves all other publication and other rights in association with the copyright in the thesis and, except as herein before provided, neither the thesis nor any substantial portion thereof may be printed or otherwise reproduced in any material form whatsoever without the author's prior written permission Examining Committee David W. Schindler, Biological Sciences Rolf D. Vinebrooke, Biological Sciences Alexander P. Wolfe, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Abstract I investigated, water, invertebrates and fishes from lakes in Banff National Park and Kananaskis Country, Alberta for selenium (Se), an element known to be toxic to vertebrates. At some depths, Se concentrations in sediment exceeded recognized thresholds for bird and fish reproductive impairment. Se concentrations in water were over USEPA guidelines after spring melt runoff. In aquatic invertebrates, Se concentrations exceeded values known to cause reproductive impairment in fish and bird predators. Se concentrations in all fish species exceeded known thresholds for reproductive impairment in avian consumers and the majority surpassed concentrations that would negatively affect wildlife and human consumers. Se concentrations in some fish species have significantly increased over the past 6-16 years. The strongest predictors of fish Se concentrations were growth rate, condition factor, age, weight, trophic position (within lakes) and vegetation type (among lakes). These results suggest that consumption advisories are desirable for several lakes in the Banff and Kananaskis area, and that Se concentrations in fish from other area lakes should be investigated. Acknowledgements I would like to thank Dr. David Schindler for his financial, academic and scientific support throughout my research. I am grateful for the opportunity to do research in his laboratory, which allowed me to learn many skills necessary to further my career as an ecologist. I would also like to thank my supervisory committee of Dr. Rolf Vinebrooke and Dr. Alex Wolfe for their advice and guidance with my project. I appreciate everything they have done to make my research project a success. I would also like to acknowledge the support I received from Parks Canada Biologist Charlie Pacas. Charlie made it possible for me to complete my research in Banff, by providing field accommodation and supplying me with a boat. I also owe many thanks to Brian Lajeunesse, Fisheries Biologist for Alberta Sustainable Resource Development (SRD). Brian provided me with fish samples from Spray Lakes and Upper Kananaskis Lake and invaluable information regarding fish species distributions which helped me with my sampling in the Alberta Provincial Parks. I am extremely grateful for the accommodation that Steve Donelon of SRD provided for me during the summer sampling effort. I would also like to acknowledge David Donald of Environment Canada for providing access to historical fish samples for my research. For assistance in the field, I would like to thank Erin Kelly, Roseanna Radmanovich, Jacqueline Fortin, Tyler Wilson, Tina Thorsteinson, and Francis McIsaac. All of these people made my field season enjoyable, successful, and unforgettable. For laboratory assistance, I would like to thank Tina Thorsteinson, Erin Kelly, Roseanna Radmanovich and Diane Orihel. I sincerely appreciate all of the help in sample organization and processing. Special thanks to Roseanna Radmanovich for being an excellent field assistant and for her superior skills in invertebrate identification and processing. I would also like to acknowledge Brian Parker for all of his help with the planning and execution of my study. Special thanks to Margaret Foxcroft for being so helpful, supportive and patient. I would like to thank Mingsheng Ma, Holly Wellar and all of the staff in the Limnology lab at the University of Alberta for water chemistry and stable isotope analyses and advice throughout my program. Many thanks also to Antonio Simonetti and Guangcheng Chen of the Radiogenic Isotope Facility at the University of Alberta for analysing my samples for metals. I would also like to acknowledge Charlene Nielsen for all of her time, effort and patience with analysis of my data using GIS. Thanks also to David Harris at the University of California at Davis for stable isotope analyses. I would also like to thank Katherine Vladicka-Davies for ageing my fishes by reading otoliths. I would like to acknowledge Alberta Conservation Association Grants in Biodiversity, David Schindler‟s National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Discovery Grant, University of Alberta Graduate Teaching Assistantship, and University of Alberta Graduate Research Assistantship for providing financial support during my Master‟s program. I would like to thank my friends for their support. In particular, Tina Thorsteinson, for her assistance in the field, rain or shine, and in the laboratory with fish processing. I would like to give special acknowledgement to Erin Kelly. I am extremely grateful for the help Erin provided me from start to finish with my program. She was always there to give advice and input on everything, including grant proposals, committee meetings, field planning and execution, laboratory techniques and in the preparation of this manuscript. She helped me with data analysis, GIS, and spent many hours reviewing my thesis. Finally, I would like to thank my family and dedicate my thesis to them. I am eternally grateful for the support and encouragement of my parents, Ann and Greg Fortin. Their faith in me provided me with the confidence to enter my Master‟s program and the strength to complete it. Thanks also to my sister, Jacqueline Fortin, for all of her emotional support, in good times and especially during the stressful periods. Special thanks to my fiancé, Tyler Wilson for everything he did to encourage me throughout my program. Tyler‟s dependability, faith and positive attitude allowed me to stay focused on the present while looking to the future. Table of Contents 1.0 Introduction............................................................................................1 Significance.............................................................................................3 References...............................................................................................4 2.0 Review of Literature...........................................................................6 Sources of Se...........................................................................................6 Se cycling.................................................................................................6 Health effects of Se..............................................................................8 Factors that affect Se accumulation in fishes............................9 Factors that affect sources of Se to a catchment or lake.......................9 Factors that affect transport of Se within a catchment to a lake.......10 Factors that affect bioaccumulation and biomagnification...............10 Se in mountain lakes.......................................................................11 Climate Change and Se...................................................................13 Reservoirs and Se.............................................................................14 References.........................................................................................14 3.0 Selenium concentrations in sediment, water and biota from lakes in the Canadian Rocky Mountains: temporal and spatial trends and comparisons with guidelines for human and wildlife health.............................................................26 Introduction..........................................................................................26 Methods.................................................................................................29 Study Area................................................................................................29 Field Sampling.........................................................................................30 Laboratory Preparation..........................................................................31 Se and other trace metal analysis..........................................................32 Stable isotope analysis............................................................................33 Geographical Information Systems (GIS)............................................34 Statistical analysis...................................................................................35 Temporal trends......................................................................................36 Within lake trends...................................................................................37 Spatial trends...........................................................................................37