2,216
edits
Changes
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Line 13:
Line 13:
no edit summary
===Freshwater wildlife===
===Freshwater wildlife===
Just as we depend on air with the right makeup of oxygen, freshwater species – like fish, frogs, mussels, salamanders and zooplankton – need water with the right balance of chloride to survive. Having adapted to low levels of chloride in their habitats, increased levels begin to disrupt their basic functions – such as regulating their water content (osmoregulation) and breathing. Studies have shown widespread effects of salt on ecosystems at all trophic levels from biofilms to fish species. Specific effects vary based on exposure concentrations, and may include reductions in fecundity, size, shape, growth and abundance (Hintz and Relyea, 2019)<ref name="example1">Hintz, W.D. and Relyea, R.A. 2019. A review of the species, community, and ecosystem impacts of road salt salinisation in fresh waters. Freshwater biology, 64(6), pp.1081-1097. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/331991752_A_review_of_the_species_community_and_ecosystem_impacts_of_road_salt_salinisation_in_fresh_waters</ref>
Just as we depend on air with the right makeup of oxygen, freshwater species – like fish, frogs, mussels, salamanders and zooplankton – need water with the right balance of chloride to survive. Having adapted to low levels of chloride in their habitats, increased levels begin to disrupt their basic functions – such as regulating their water content (osmoregulation) and breathing. Studies have shown widespread effects of salt on ecosystems at all trophic levels from biofilms to fish species. Specific effects vary based on exposure concentrations, and may include reductions in fecundity, size, shape, growth and abundance (Hintz and Relyea, 2019)<ref name="example1">Hintz, W.D. and Relyea, R.A. 2019. A review of the species, community, and ecosystem impacts of road salt salinisation in fresh waters. Freshwater biology, 64(6), pp.1081-1097. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/331991752_A_review_of_the_species_community_and_ecosystem_impacts_of_road_salt_salinisation_in_fresh_waters</ref>
[[File:Wood Frog (Rana sylvatica) (6236874620).png|thumb|450px|A study by researchers at Yale and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, in NY found the interactive effects of road salt on wood frog species' sex ratios and sexual size dimorphism. Over a series of experiments conducted, the authors of the paper in the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences discovered that the number of females within the studied population of tadpoles decreased by ~10% when exposed to road salt. These findings suggest road salt may have a 'masculizing effect' on various amphibian species.<ref>Lambert, M.R., Stoler, A.B., Smylie, M.S., Relyea, R.A. and Skelly, D.K. 2017. Interactive effects of road salt and leaf litter on wood frog sex ratios and sexual size dimorphism. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 74(2), pp.141-146. https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/bitstream/1807/74970/1/cjfas-2016-0324.pdf</ref>]]
===Vegetation===
===Vegetation===
Salt affects vegetation in various ways. Salt in soil water generally makes it more difficult for roots to take up water. This phenomenon mimics drought conditions for the plant and underlies the recommendation for salt tolerant plants in LID practices. If passing traffic sprays salty water onto [[plants]] it can reduce cold hardiness in buds and new twigs. These then become more susceptible to freezing, mortality or deformation. In high enough concentrations, sodium and chloride can also be directly toxic to plants. In some species the ions are absorbed by the plant and build up in the leaves causing them to die.
Salt affects vegetation in various ways. Salt in soil water generally makes it more difficult for roots to take up water. This phenomenon mimics drought conditions for the plant and underlies the recommendation for salt tolerant plants in LID practices. If passing traffic sprays salty water onto [[plants]] it can reduce cold hardiness in buds and new twigs. These then become more susceptible to freezing, mortality or deformation. In high enough concentrations, sodium and chloride can also be directly toxic to plants. In some species the ions are absorbed by the plant and build up in the leaves causing them to die.