It’s a trap! Evaluating and mitigating point source pollution as a widespread ecological trap for aquatic wildlife

Wastewater treatments plants (WWTPs) are one of the largest point-sources of nutrient and chemical pollution to freshwater habitats around the world. Mounting evidence shows that WWTP effluents can have detrimental effects on aquatic organisms. And yet, my own research has shown that fish are most abundant directly near WWTPs in the wild.

This raises an important question: are WWTPs a widespread ecological trap for aquatic wildlife? Ecological traps lure animals, but expose them to suboptimal conditions facilitating local population declines. This can hinder efforts to reach and maintain good ecological status.

I will focus on fishes to test hypotheses laid out by ecological trap theory, showing i) if and why fish are attracted to WWTP habitats, and ii) the ultimate consequences of exposure for their reproduction and survival.

This project is a significant step forward for ecological trap research: I ask my questions at a broad, national scale, and I take an experimental approach to show causal relationships between exposure, attraction, and ultimate outcomes for freshwater organisms.

I will develop a plan alongside my project’s end-users to mitigate traps and ultimately improve ecosystem services provided by fish and freshwaters.

My project’s determination of WWTPs as an ecological trap will have far-reaching implications because of the global ubiquity of WWTPs, and mitigating their harmful effects will be imperative for protecting overstretched freshwater resources.