Experimental Acidification of a Stream in the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, New Hampshire

Citations Over TimeTop 10% of 1980 papers

Abstract

Incident precipitation in the northeastern United States averages about pH 4 as a result of increased pollution from sulfuric and nitric acids. To determine the effect of this increased acidity on the ecology of aquatic ecosystems, dilute concentrations of sulfuric acid were added to Norris Brook, a stream in the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, West Thornton, New Hampshire, USA. The stream was maintained at pH 4 from April to September 1977. With increased acidity stream water concentrations of Al, Ca, Mg, K, and probably Mn, Fe, and Cd were elevated; no change in dissolved organic carbon (DOC), Na, NO 3 NH 4 , Ni, Pb, Cu, or Zn occurred at the lower pH. Emergence of adult mayflies (Ephemeroptera), some stoneflies (Plecoptera), and some true flies (Diptera) decreased at the lower pH. Larger numbers of immature aquatic invertebrates in the collector, scraper, and predator functional groups were found in drift samples from the experimental are during the 1st wk after acid addition. After the 1st wk of increased acidity total numbers of organisms drifting in the experimental area were similar to values obtained in the reference area. Emergence of adult collectors and invertebrate density in the benthos decreased in the treatment area. Periphyton biomass increased at the low pH, but hyphomycete fungal densities decreased. A basidiomycete fungus increased in the experimental area relative to the reference section. Brook trout showed no morphological signs of stress at the low pH. Stream acidification decreased species diversity, increased representation of community dominants, and decreased the complexity of the food web.

Related Papers

• → Effect of periphyton on water quality.(2005)16 cited
• → Conspecific cases as alternative grazing surfaces for larval Glossosoma intermedium (Trichoptera:Glossosomatidae)(2004)10 cited
• Study of Periphyton on Glass Substrates in Sago River Pekanbaru(2015)
• → Periphyton(2003)
• → Automatic Periphyton Sampler (APS):A new technique for precise in-situ sampling of periphyton in aquatic environments(2023)