A review of the potential effects of suspended sediment on fishes: potential dredging-related physiological, behavioral, and transgenerational implications

Michael E. Kjelland (), Christa M. Woodley, Todd M. Swannack and David L. Smith
Additional contact information
Michael E. Kjelland: U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center
Christa M. Woodley: U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center
Todd M. Swannack: U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center
David L. Smith: U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center

Environment Systems and Decisions, 2015, vol. 35, issue 3, 334-350

Abstract: Abstract The long-term effects of sediment exposure on aquatic organisms are poorly understood, yet it is critical for determining threshold effects and exposure limits to mitigate potential impacts with regard to population dynamics. In this paper, we present the current state of knowledge to help consolidate the breadth of information regarding total suspended solids (TSS) thresholds for aquatic species, as well as identify areas where data are lacking. More specifically, we provide the state of the science related to TSS effects on freshwater and estuarine fish including short-term (i.e., physiology and behavior) and long-term effects. Our research indicated that little attention has been given to examining long-term effects, e.g., transgenerational effects, from suspended sediments (SS) on fish populations. Understanding transgenerational effects is paramount to developing and predicting the links between fish condition, survival, populations, and communities. Survival of a local fish population to high sediment loads often translates into short-term physiological and behavioral effects; however, the ramifications of such exposure events are rarely tracked across generations. The majority of studies involving SS effects on fish have focused on exposure and mortality rates of affected fish, deposited eggs, or larvae. We developed a conceptual model that highlighted the interactions between sediment dynamics and fish populations. The model can assist in the formulation of more quantitative-based approaches for modeling these interactions. Future research efforts should focus on developing an understanding of whether environmental disturbances, e.g., dredging, may lead to epigenetic changes that may lead to cascade population effects, and if so, under what circumstances.

Keywords: Suspended sediments; Dredging; Physiology; Behavior; Population dynamics; Epigenetics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10669-015-9557-2 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:envsyd:v:35:y:2015:i:3:d:10.1007_s10669-015-9557-2

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.springer.com/journal/10669

DOI: 10.1007/s10669-015-9557-2

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Environment Systems and Decisions from Springer
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().