Uranium Water and Sediment Toxicity to the Freshwater Amphipod
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The water-sediment interactions for Hyalella azteca exposed to uranium-spiked or contaminated sediments and different overlying water chemistries by Lara Cabral Alves A thesis presented to the University of Waterloo in fulfillment of the thesis requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Biology Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, 2009 ©Lara Cabral Alves 2009 AUTHOR'S DECLARATION FOR ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION OF A THESIS I hereby declare that I am the sole author of this thesis. This is a true copy of the thesis, including any required final revisions, as accepted by my examiners. I understand that my thesis may be made electronically available to the public. ii ABSTRACT In comparison with other metals such as Cd, Cu, Pb, Ni, and Zn, little is known about uranium (U) toxicity to Hyalella azteca. There is even no national U water or sediment quality guideline yet for the protection of aquatic life in Canada, despite Canada being home to some of the biggest U producers in the world. In this context, the aim of this research was to determine the toxic effects of U concentrations in the water and sediment to H. azteca, and if these relationships can be modelled. This thesis demonstrated that U bioaccumulation was mainly via the water phase rather than the sediment phase. It showed that U bioaccumulation measurements in H. azteca were more reliable indicators of U toxicity than U concentrations in the water or sediment. A water-bioaccumulation saturation model was satisfactory at describing this relationship. Overlying water chemistry was found not only to influence U bioaccumulation and toxicity in the H. azteca but also the desorption of U in the sediment into the overlying water. A water-sediment partitioning saturation model was also satisfactory at explaining these interactions. Both body size and gut-content had an overall effect on U bioaccumulation in H. azteca exposed to water-only U concentrations in soft water. A saturation model was used not only to estimate the effect of gut-content on U bioaccumulation, but to predict the uptake and elimination rate constants for H. azteca exposed to water-only U concentrations. A field study was conducted to determine if the saturation models developed and applied in the laboratory could be used in the field to quantify U bioavailability, bioaccumulation and toxicity to H. azteca. Unfortunately, U concentrations in the water and sediment were below concentrations needed to validate these models. However, toxicity, not related to U concentrations in the field, was observed at some field sites. Overall this thesis not only encourages more work on U toxicity to H. azteca, but provides significant data and models to be used by risk assessors and regulators in the development of U water and sediment quality guidelines in the protection of aquatic environments in Canada. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I want to express my gratitude to my supervisors, mentors and friends, Dr. Uwe Borgmann and Dr. D.G. Dixon, for without their commitment, guidance, and support during the development and completion of this thesis I would be lost. Uwe, thank you for your enthusiasm, remarkable patience, thought provoking questions, and efforts in simply and clearly explaining the fundamentals of aquatic toxicology and life. I will always be indebted to you. Thank you, George, for your belief in me, insightful conversations and sound advice. I am honoured to have gotten this opportunity to do this Ph.D. under your guidance and superior leadership. Thank you! This thesis would not have appeared in its present form without the probing questions and constructive comments of my committee members: Dr. William Taylor, Dr. Robert Hecky, and Dr. James McGeer. Thank you all for your invaluable scientific knowledge and perspectives. This thesis would not have been possible without the financial support of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Metals in the Human Environment (MITHE) Strategic Network, the Ontario Graduate Scholarship Program and the University of Waterloo President’s Scholarship. Thank you! I am grateful to Jacques Carrier, National Laboratory for Environmental Testing, Environment Canada, for being instrumental and thorough in the analysis of my samples, and James Hudson and Dr. Warren Norwood who conducted the preliminary work on this project. I would like to thank Charles Talbot, Technical Operations, Environment Canada, whose hard work and diligence in the field will not be forgotten. Thank you to my amazing colleagues: Dr. Warren Norwood, Lisa Golding, Dr. Adrienne Bartlett, Lisa Brown, and our wonderful co-op students, you know who you are, for your assistance and great company. More importantly, I wish to thank my parents, Romana Alves and Jose Alves, for their knowledge, support, dedication, hard work, confidence and love throughout the years. To them I dedicate this thesis. And last, but not least, Erik Beese for coming into my life at the right time. Thank you for the incredible amount of patience that you have given me, especially throughout my thesis-writing period. I am deeply grateful to you. Now let’s go sailing! iv TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables ...........................................................................................................................viii List of Figures............................................................................................................................ ix List of Abbreviations ................................................................................................................. x CHAPTER 1....................................................................................................... 1 1.0 Introduction.......................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Uranium in the Aquatic Environment .............................................................................................................1 1.2 Routes of Exposure and metal uptake .............................................................................................................1 1.3 Metal Regulation and excretion ......................................................................................................................2 1.4 Modifying factors affecting bioaccumulation..................................................................................................3 1.5 Uranium speciation and toxicity .....................................................................................................................5 1.6 Environment Quality Guidelines.....................................................................................................................7 1.7 Project Objectives ...........................................................................................................................................8 References................................................................................................................................. 10 CHAPTER 2..................................................................................................... 19 Abstract..................................................................................................................................... 22 2.0 Introduction........................................................................................................................ 22 2.1 Theory................................................................................................................................. 23 2.1.0 Metal Bioaccumulation ..............................................................................................................................23 2.1.1 Sediment.....................................................................................................................................................25 2.1.2 Metal Toxicity and Bioaccumulation Relationships...................................................................................26 2.2 Methods .............................................................................................................................. 27 2.2.0 Culturing ....................................................................................................................................................27 2.2.1 Sediment.....................................................................................................................................................27 2.2.2 Water Chemistry.........................................................................................................................................28 2.2.3 Experimental Set-up...................................................................................................................................29 2.2.4 Statistical and Data Analysis .....................................................................................................................30 2.3 Results................................................................................................................................. 32 2.3.0 Overlying Water Chemistry........................................................................................................................32 2.3.1 Speciation Model........................................................................................................................................32 2.3.2 Bioaccumulation and Sediment Saturation Models....................................................................................33