Metal-contaminated Sediment Effects on Biofilm Communities: Impairment of Multiple Stream Ecosystem Functions

Photosynthetic biofilms are crucial drivers of many important stream ecosystem functions (e.g., primary and secondary production, N cycling), yet we have a limited understanding of how these critical communities respond to contaminated sediments. Divalent metals (e.g., Cu, Ni, Zn) are ubiquitous in urban streams and may be contributing to the decline in ecosystem function in urban waters. We exposed natural biofilm communities in five different streams to a common sediment amended with four concentrations of Ni and Cu. Contaminated sediments were placed into cups, covered with mesh disks for biofilm attachment, and secured to the streambed. After 6 weeks, biofilm-colonized disks were analyzed for net primary production (NPP), chlorophyll a, and metal content. Sediments below the biofilms were analyzed for total metals, acid volatile sulfide, and high-resolution vertical dissolved oxygen concentrations. Additional biofilm disks were separated from the sediment and fed to Lymnaea stagnalis to assess indirect effects of sediment metal on grazers. Among our five streams, we found variation in the biofilm response to metals with the most productive stream (Elm Creek) showing the strongest negative response to metal-contaminated sediment. Contaminated sediments in Elm Creek reduced biofilm growth, slowed primary production, and prevented penetration of oxygen into surface sediments. In the less productive streams, biofilms did not reduce NPP in the presence of sediment metal and there was still substantial penetration of oxygen into sediments; however, metals moved out of the sediment and accumulated in the biofilm. L. stagnalis exposed to metal-contaminated biofilms fed at a slower rate than those given clean biofilms. This study suggests that biofilms, and the biogeochemical cycles they drive, can potentially be impaired by contaminated sediment but the response is context dependent. Further, indirect dietary effects of contaminated sediment occur more widely than direct effects on biofilms. We suggest that further work on biofilm ecotoxicology is crucial to understanding ecosystem-level effects of contaminants.