Freshwater meiofauna sensitive to TCE and other VOCs?

[Kelly Stettner]

I write today from soggy Vermont, USA with a question about the sensitivity of various meiofauna found in river sediment (interstitial waters of the hyporheic zone) to the presence of trichloroethylene and other VOCs.

I'm a complete lay-person when it comes to this; I am founder and director of a community river team that usually focuses on cleanups and tree plantings.  We began a monthly regime of water quality monitoring in 2012, and I am faced with the fascinatingly complex problem of looking at potential river contamination from a plume of TCE in the groundwater about 400 feet from the bank of the river.  There are groundwater monitoring wells in place and have been since the 1980s.

My only hope (since I have no budget or expertise for the outrageously expensive chemical tests on the actual water) is to explore the biota of the area, collecting baseline data in hopes of recognizing future trends and changes.

To that end, I'm searching for information on which of the little critters might be most sensitive to this particular toxin?  My initial research is showing daphnia, rotifers, and possibly hydra.  

I would be happy to share more details of my study plan (methods and equipment), if you are interested or feel it would be helpful.

Sincerely,

Kelly Stettner, Director

Black River Action Team (B.R.A.T.)

[Víctor Aramayo]

Dear Kelly, 

Perhaps you need performing a first approach with classical techniques of ecology, identifying species richness and dominance curves in the community. I guess that because the presence of toxics, it could be disfavorable for benthic populations, especially in less-resistant species (e.g. copepods), stimulating at the same time the growth of others groups more tolerant such as nematodes. A quick searching in 

These are just a few ideas. I have no experience in freshwater ecosystems meiofauna, but somebody in the list could help you better.   

All the best.

Víctor

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