A long-term copper exposure on freshwater ecosystem using lotic mesocosms - Invertebrate community responses

Taxonomic and chemical time-series datasets  and supplemental descriptive information for the journal article with the same title, published in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry.  The abstract of the companion article follows:   A lotic mesocosm study was carried out in 20 m long
channels, under continuous, environmentally realistic concentrations of copper
(Cu) in low, medium, and high exposure treatments (nominally 0, 5, 25 and 75 µg
L-1; average measured concentrations <0.5, 4, 20, and 57 µg L -1
respectively) for 18 months. Total abundance, taxa richness and community
structure of zooplankton, macroinvertebrates and emerging insects were severely
affected at Cu treatment levels of 25 and 75 µg L-1. Some taxa
seemed to be sensitive to Cu, i.e. gastropods such as Lymnaea spp. and Physa sp., crustaceans such as Chydorus
sphaericus, Gammarus pulex
and Asellus aquaticus, rotifers such as Mytilina sp. and Trichocerca sp. leeches such as Erpobdella sp. and the emergence of dipteran insects such as chironomini. Other taxa appeared to be tolerant or
favoured by indirect effects, i.e. chironimidae larvae, the emergence of
orthocladiinae and zooplanktoner Vorticella sp. which increased in the 25 and 75 µg L-1
treatments.

After about 8 months of Cu exposure, the
macroinvertebrate community in the high treatment was decimated to the point
that few organisms could be detected, with only moderate effects in the medium
treatment, and very slight effects among the macroinvertebrate community in the
low Cu treatment. Subsequently, most taxa in the high Cu exposure began a
gradual and partial recovery. By the end of the study at 18 months, macroinvertebrate
taxa richness was similar to control richness, although overall abundances
remained lower than controls. After 18 months of copper exposure, a No Observed
Effect Concentration at the community level (NOECcommunity) for
consumers was set at 5 (4) µg L-1, with a Lowest Observed Effect
Concentration (LOECcommunity) at 25 (20) µg L-1. 

The data repository set consists of 4 files with supporting information for the article:
SI-1. This file consists of photographs of key
features of the experimental stream design and tables detailing the sampling
designs.
SI-2. Dissolved copper (Cu), pH, and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) time-series values 
SI-3. Time-series data of zooplankton, benthic macroinvertebrate, and emerging insect taxonomic counts

SI-4. Supplemental Descriptions of Aquatic Chemistry Methods and Results (in French)