Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID MT_2023_White

The influence of nutrients on the accumulation of dissolved, colloidal, and particulate metals in a stream food web 

Institute: Montana
Year Established: 2023 Start Date: 2022-09-14 End Date: 2022-10-27
Total Federal Funds: $2,490 Total Non-Federal Funds: $1,170

Principal Investigators: Dylan White

Project Summary: Streams and rivers are often impaired by contaminants like nutrients, metals, and metalloids. Such contamination is widespread affecting 68% of rivers in the United States and greater than 35% of river miles in the state of Montana alone. The response of stream ecosystems to this contamination is dynamic and can be additive, antagonistic, or synergistic. Therefore, identifying how multiple contaminants interact is critical for understanding negative outcomes for organisms and ecosystems. This research employed a mesocosm experiment to understand the importance of nutrient pollution and nutrient-induced algal growth in driving metal accumulation.