Abstract:
Over the period 1953–1979, a battery factory on the Hudson River
in New York released 53 tons of cadmium (Cd) and nickel hydride
wastes into Foundry Cove. The most common aquatic benthic
species, the oligochaete Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri, rapidly evolved
resistance to Cd. The capacity for detoxification and internal
storage of Cd resulted in a strong potential for trophic transfer of
Cd through the aquatic food web. As a result of United States
Superfund legislation, a major remediation effort in 1994–1995
removed the majority of the Cd, thereby removing the selective
force for resistance. The cleanup of this cove resulted in the
maintenance of resistant forms but then there ensued a rapid loss
of resistance in 9–18 generations, showing the potential for
ecological restoration to rapidly reduce the potential for trophic
transfer of Cd through the ecosystem. This study demonstrates a
genetic approach to the study of ecological restoration and connects
a genetic indicator of restoration to transfer of toxic metals
through ecosystems.
