{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T01:24:19Z","timestamp":1760059459500,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":54,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,13]],"date-time":"2025-06-13T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1749772800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"City of Calgary, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Discovery Alliance","award":["ALLRP 567652-21","RGPIN\/05146-2018","020-00-90-303"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["ALLRP 567652-21","RGPIN\/05146-2018","020-00-90-303"]}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100000038","name":"Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Discovery","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["ALLRP 567652-21","RGPIN\/05146-2018","020-00-90-303"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["ALLRP 567652-21","RGPIN\/05146-2018","020-00-90-303"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100000038","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100007583","name":"Alberta Conservation Association Research","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["ALLRP 567652-21","RGPIN\/05146-2018","020-00-90-303"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["ALLRP 567652-21","RGPIN\/05146-2018","020-00-90-303"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100007583","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"SVARE Endowed Research Chair (FJW)","award":["ALLRP 567652-21","RGPIN\/05146-2018","020-00-90-303"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["ALLRP 567652-21","RGPIN\/05146-2018","020-00-90-303"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Hydrobiology"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Municipal wastewater effluent (MWWE) is a common source of nutrient enrichment and provides a route for emerging substances of concern (ESOCs) to enter aquatic systems. Community composition and abundance metrics of benthic macroinvertebrates are commonly utilized to assess ecological impacts associated with nutrient enrichment; however, the responses of these metrics in systems with diverse chemical mixtures from MWWE, are not well understood. This study specifically addresses the effects of cumulative loading of tertiary-treated MWWE through responses in benthic macroinvertebrate communities in experimental control and treatment streams. Treatment streams used source river water previously exposed to upstream wastewater treatment plants but with an additional 5% by volume tertiarily treated MWWE, while control streams used only source river water. Surbers and artificial substrate rock baskets were used to examine impacts on both established and colonizing benthic communities, respectively. No significant differences were observed between the control and treatment streams in any of the community metrics of well-established benthic communities. In contrast, significant decreases in colonizing taxon diversity and evenness were found between treatment and control streams. The dominant taxa (most abundant family, by percentage of sample) in the community, often filter feeders, significantly increased in percentage of the total community in treatment streams. This response was consistent with a nutrient enrichment effect, with no evidence of ESOC related toxicity. This study highlights the need for bioassessment programs to utilize approaches involving varied in-situ sampling methods and controlled exposure systems to gain a better understanding of how various stages of community-level development are impacted by urban pollutants such as MWWE.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/hydrobiology4020017","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,13]],"date-time":"2025-06-13T06:19:28Z","timestamp":1749795568000},"page":"17","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Effects of Cumulative Municipal Wastewater Exposure on Benthic Macroinvertebrate Assemblages: An Experimental Stream Approach"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"4","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0006-0556-8561","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Aphra M.","family":"Sutherland","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1894-351X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Frederick J.","family":"Wrona","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9038-1860","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"David C.","family":"Barrett","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,13]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"174062","DOI":"10.1016\/j.scitotenv.2024.174062","article-title":"Occurrence of emerging contaminants in three river basins impacted by wastewater treatment plant effluents: Spatio-seasonal patterns and environmental risk assessment","volume":"946","author":"Zuloaga","year":"2024","journal-title":"Sci. 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