Conductivity And Selenium–Laboratory Approaches To Understanding The Impacts Of Chemical Stressors Released From Mountaintop Mining/Valley Fill On Aquatic Insects

Mountaintop removal-valley fill coal mining practices bury headwater streams and significantly change water chemistry in downstream reaches. It is unclear which contaminants are most responsible for observed ecological damage (dramatic reductions in aquatic insect abundance and diversity); however, elevated concentrations of selenium and total dissolved solids (as measured by specific conductance) are strongly correlated with ecological effects in the field. Little is known about how these contaminants affect aquatic insects, as laboratory data presently are limited. This research program will assess the potential toxicity of elevated selenium and specific conductance (individually and jointly) to aquatic insects by using a laboratory-based periphyton-mayfly test system.