Lee Matthew R, Correa Juan A
Departamento de Ecología, Center for Advanced Studies in Ecology and Biodiversity, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Alameda 340, Santiago, Chile.
Mar Environ Res. 2007 Jul;64(1):1-20. doi: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2006.11.001. Epub 2006 Nov 12.
Microcosms were used to assess the impact of copper mine tailings disposal on the littoral meiofaunal assemblages of the Atacama region of northern Chile. The specific purpose was to establish a cause and effect relationship between the elevated copper concentrations and altered meiofaunal assemblages observed at the study sites. Meiofaunal assemblages were exposed to a series of copper concentrations to assess general toxicity, both densities and taxa diversities decreased with increasing copper. Natural coarse sediments were mixed with a tailings substitute to assess the physical impact of the tailings dumping on meiofaunal assemblages. Meiofaunal assemblage densities increased with increasing amounts of tailings substitute, entirely due to an increase in surface utilising foraminiferans. However, taxa diversities decreased as the interstitial spaces became blocked. Finally, the microcosms were used to conduct bioassays of sediments and seawaters from the impacted sites. The sediments from the impacted sites proved to be toxic resulting in reduced meiofaunal densities and taxa diversities. Seawater samples did not prove to be significantly toxic. The use of microcosms has allowed the effects of the physical and chemical components of tailings to be assessed individually, which was not possible in the field. Additionally, it allowed a cause and effect relationship to be established between elevated concentrations of porewater copper observed in the field and the reduced densities and taxa diversities of the meiofaunal assemblages observed at the same sites.
微宇宙被用于评估智利北部阿塔卡马地区铜矿尾矿处置对滨海小型底栖动物群落的影响。具体目的是在研究地点观察到的铜浓度升高与小型底栖动物群落改变之间建立因果关系。小型底栖动物群落暴露于一系列铜浓度下以评估一般毒性，随着铜含量增加，密度和分类多样性均下降。将天然粗沉积物与尾矿替代物混合，以评估尾矿倾倒对小型底栖动物群落的物理影响。随着尾矿替代物数量增加，小型底栖动物群落密度增加，这完全归因于利用表面的有孔虫数量增加。然而，随着间隙空间被堵塞，分类多样性下降。最后，微宇宙被用于对受影响地点的沉积物和海水进行生物测定。受影响地点的沉积物被证明具有毒性，导致小型底栖动物密度和分类多样性降低。海水样本未被证明具有显著毒性。微宇宙的使用使得能够分别评估尾矿物理和化学成分的影响，这在野外是不可能的。此外，它还能在野外观察到的孔隙水铜浓度升高与在同一地点观察到的小型底栖动物群落密度和分类多样性降低之间建立因果关系。
