An Inexpensive Model System for In Situ Evaluations of Ecological Risk in Petrochemical-Contaminated Terrestrial Environments.
Abstract
The overall objective of this research was further elucidate the mechanisms by which petrochemical contaminants influence terrestrial ecosystems and to develop reliable in situ biomonitoring tools for assessing risks to mammalian systems and ecosystems. Specifically, we approached this objective by examining the feasibility of using internal parasite communities harbored by resident small mammals as an in situ assay system for evaluating impacts of petrochemical contamination on complex ecological processes in terrestrial environments. Host parasite community ecology represents a culmination of a myriad complex ecological processes, including interactions among hosts, intermediate hosts, and parasites, host immunity, direct toxicity to parasite and other processes. Overall effects of petrochemical soil contamination on the structure (species composition and abundances) of the parasitic communities of cotton rats were evident in the single-linkage cluster analysis of similarity indices. Host animals inhabiting the reference sites harbored a richer parasitic fauna than hosts residing on the contaminated sites, suggesting that contamination negatively impacted community structure. Higher relative densities of surface-dwelling macroarthropod groups were observed on the contaminated sites.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 31, 1997
- Accession Number
- ADA336746
Entities
People
- Robert L. Lochmiller
Organizations
- Oklahoma State University–Stillwater