Community and Species Responses of Chironomidae (Diptera) to Contamination of Fresh Waters by Crude Oil and Petroleum Products, with Special Reference to the Trail River, Northwest Territories
- 1 September 1976
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Canadian Science Publishing in Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada
- Vol. 33 (9) , 1955-1963
- https://doi.org/10.1139/f76-249
Abstract
On oiled and unoiled artificial substrates in the Trail River, Northwest Territories, Canada, communities of Chironomidae were different during open-water periods but were similar over the winter. Greater numbers of species and individuals of Orthocladiinae occurred on the oiled than on the unoiled artificial substrates. The reverse was true for Tanypodinae and Chironominae. Ten species of Chironomidae showed a positive response to the presence of oil, 9 spp. showed a negative response, and 10 spp. were apparently unaffected. Based on this study and a literature review, 11 spp. of Chironomidae showing positive or negative responses to contamination by oil or petroleum products were evaluated for their potential to indicate oil contamination of freshwater ecosystems. Three criteria were used: taxonomic soundness, wide zoogeographic distribution, and numbers in the community. Nilotanypus fimbriatus (Walk.), Cricotopus bicinctus (Meig.), and C. varipes Coq., individually or as an assemblage, would fulfill this role.This publication has 1 reference indexed in Scilit:
- Species Diversity of Benthic Macroinvertebrates in a Stream Receiving Domestic and Oil Refinery EffluentsThe American Midland Naturalist, 1966