Incorporating Ground Beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) Assemblage Data and Earthworm Bioassays in the Ecological Risk Assessment of a Trap and Skeet Shooting Range THESIS Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Science in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Joshua Lee Bryant Graduate Program in Entomology The Ohio State University 2010 Master's Examination Committee: Roman Lanno “Advisor” David Horn Richard Bradley Copyright by Joshua Lee Bryant 2010 Abstract Ecological risk assessment is an important tool for evaluating potentially hazardous contaminants on a site-specific basis. Few methods exist for evaluating population and community level effects of contaminants on terrestrial invertebrates, though such assessments may aid in site evaluation and subsequent decision-making with regard to site remediation. A particularly promising group of invertebrates for terrestrial site-based risk assessment is ground beetles (Carabidae) due to their high diversity in most terrestrial ecosystems. Ground beetles have also been shown to be important indicators of physical disturbances in their habitats. In the current study, we investigated the utility of ground beetles as indicators of elevated metal concentrations originating from lead-based shot in a trap and skeet shooting range. Concentration of the metals lead (Pb), arsenic (As), and antimony (Sb) were 3668, 46, and 0.28mg/kg in the shotfall and 537, 22, and 0.15mg/kg in the reference site, respectively. Ground beetles were collected in 2008 and 2009 using pitfall traps placed in the shotfall region of the shooting range and an adjacent reference site. Overall, ground beetle species richness did not differ between sites. Abundance of the most common species was either not significantly different between sites or they were more abundant in the reference site. A total of 45 species was collected in the two sites over both years. In addition to the ground beetle data, bioassays using the earthworm Eisenia andrei were used to determine bioavailability and sub-lethal effects of the metals in the shooting range. Bioavailability of Sb, As, and Pb was greater in the ii shotfall soil compared to the reference soil. There was no mortality in any of the test soils during the 28-day toxicity test. Earthworm cocoon production was reduced in shotfall soil relative to the soil from the reference area and Webster, a lab standard soil. Although earthworm data suggests that there are sub-lethal reproductive effects from exposure to shotfall associated metals, ground beetle diversity appeared to be robust to these environmental changes. Additional years of sampling may reveal additional trends in ground beetle distribution and abundance. iii Dedication This document is dedicated to my family iv Acknowledgments I would like to thank my advisor, Dr. Roman P. Lanno, for his support and assistance in the development of this project. I also would like to thank my fellow lab mates, David Sovic, Shuo Yu, Meaghan Sutherland, and Chris Hurdzan, for their input and guidance during various parts of my project. I would like to thank the following friends and colleagues for helping me either set up traps or collect samples; Erin Morris, Kaitlin Uppstrom, Allison Byrnes, and George Keeney. I would also like to thank my committee members David Horn and Richard Bradley for their guidance and input in this project. I wish to thank Foster Purrington for confirming my carabid identifications and teaching many tricks for discerning closely related species. v Vita January 28, 1985.......................................... Born, Chillicothe, Ohio, USA 2003 ............................................................ Piketon High School 2007 ............................................................ B.S. Biology, The Ohio State University 2008 to 2009 ................................................ Robert H. Edgerley Ecotoxicology Fellow 2007 to present ............................................ Graduate Teaching Associate, Department of Entomology, The Ohio State University Fields of Study Major Field: Entomology vi Table of Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................... ii Dedication .............................................................................................................. iv Acknowledgments ....................................................................................................v Vita ........................................................................................................................ vi Fields of Study ....................................................................................................... vi Table of Contents .................................................................................................. vii List of Tables ......................................................................................................... xi List of Figures ....................................................................................................... xii Chapter 1: Introduction and Literature Review .........................................................1 1.1 Ground beetles ....................................................................................................1 1.2 Pitfall traps .........................................................................................................2 1.3 Biological Indicators ...........................................................................................3 1.4 Effects of heavy metals on arthropods .................................................................5 1.5 Bioavailability ................................................................................................. 11 1.6 Bioavailability and distribution of metals in shooting ranges ............................. 13 1.7 Studies of soil arthropod communities in shooting ranges ................................. 15 vii 1.8 Scope of the current study ................................................................................ 16 1.9 Hypotheses ....................................................................................................... 16 Chapter 2: Diversity of Ground Beetle assemblages of a shooting range and adjacent reference area ......................................................................................................... 18 2.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................... 18 2.2 Methods ............................................................................................................ 18 2.2.1Study site ........................................................................................................ 18 2.2.2 2008 Field Season .......................................................................................... 20 2.2.3 2009 Field Season .......................................................................................... 20 2.2.4 Sample processing and identification ............................................................. 22 2.2.5 Data analysis .................................................................................................. 23 2.3 Results .............................................................................................................. 24 2.3.1 2008 field season ........................................................................................... 24 2.3.2 2009 field season ........................................................................................... 24 2.3.3 Ground beetle activity over time .................................................................... 26 2.3.4 Species abundance patterns, richness, and evenness ....................................... 28 2.3.5 Site preference ............................................................................................... 30 2.2.6 Trap disturbance ............................................................................................ 31 2.3 Discussion ........................................................................................................ 32 viii Chapter 3: Bioavailability and sublethal effects of shotfall associated metals .......... 38 to Eisenia andrei .................................................................................................... 38 3.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................... 38 3.2 Methods ............................................................................................................ 38 3.2.1 Preparation of soils ........................................................................................ 38 3.2.2 Test organisms ............................................................................................... 39 3.2.3 Bioaccumulation Assay.................................................................................. 39 3.2.4 Reproduction Bioassay .................................................................................. 40 3.2.5 Bioaccumulation factor .................................................................................. 41 3.2.6 Analysis of metals in E. andrei tissues and test soils ...................................... 41 3.2.7 Data analysis .................................................................................................. 42 3.3 Results .............................................................................................................