Christopher Mebane
Christopher Mebane is the Deputy Center Director of the USGS Idaho Water Science Center in Boise, Idaho.
Chris describes himself as a "dirty water biologist" with interests and experience in water pollution ecology in streams, that is, relating human-influences on stream environments to biological effects and estimating risks of adverse effects. His recent interests and work have included effects of mining and trace elements on stream ecosystems, developing biotic ligand models (BLMs) to predict effects of metal mixtures in natural waters, and studies of nutrient enrichments and eutrophication in streams.
His professional interests and experience are focused on water pollution ecology in streams, that is, relating human-influences on stream environments to biological effects and estimating risks of adverse effects. Particular areas of interests include:
- Effects of nutrient enrichment on stream ecosystems. Particular aspects of interest include 1) factors limiting nuisance growth in rooted aquatic plants vs. algae, 2) integrating experimental and field bioassessment information between factors such nutrients, flows, algae and plants.
- Ecological risk assessment, in particular predicting risks, adverse effects, and safe concentrations of trace metals in freshwater ecosystems. Particular aspects of interest include 1) water quality criteria development; 2) expanding the use of predictive toxicity models, with a recent emphasis on the biotic ligand model (BLM) with cadmium, cobalt, copper, lead, nickel, and zinc; 3) relating ecotoxicology testing to natural systems through population modeling or field studies.
- Use of aquatic bioassessment or biomonitoring techniques to interpret changing environmental conditions.
Science and Products
Understanding the captivity effect on invertebrate communities transplanted into an experimental stream laboratory
Mercury concentrations in water and mercury and selenium concentrations in fish from Brownlee Reservoir and selected sites in the Boise and Snake Rivers, Idaho and Oregon, 2013-17
Potential toxicity of dissolved metal mixtures (Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn) to early life stage white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) in the Upper Columbia River, Washington, United States
Spatial and temporal trends in selenium in the upper Blackfoot River watershed, southeastern Idaho, 2001–16
Understanding the influence of nutrients on stream ecosystems in agricultural landscapes
A long-term copper exposure in a freshwater ecosystem using lotic mesocosms: Invertebrate community responses
Larval aquatic insect responses to cadmium and zinc in experimental streams
Potential sources of analytical bias and error in selected trace element data-quality analyses
Environmental toxicology without chemistry and publications without discourse: Linked impediments to better science
Quantifying fish swimming behavior in response to acute exposure of aqueous copper using computer assisted video and digital image analysis
In Response: Biological arguments for selecting effect sizes in ecotoxicological testing—A governmental perspective
Expanding metal mixture toxicity models to natural stream and lake invertebrate communities
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
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Understanding the captivity effect on invertebrate communities transplanted into an experimental stream laboratory
Little is known about how design and testing methodologies affect the macroinvertebrate communities that are held captive in mesocosms. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted a 32‐d test to determine how seeded invertebrate communities changed once removed from the natural stream and introduced to the laboratory. We evaluated larvae survival and adult emergence in controls from 4 subsequent sAuthorsTravis S. Schmidt, Holly Rogers, Janet L. Miller, Christopher A. Mebane, Laurie S. BalistrieriByEcosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Energy Resources Program, Environmental Health Program, Mineral Resources Program, National Laboratories Program, Science and Decisions Center, Toxic Substances Hydrology, Colorado Water Science Center, Fort Collins Science Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, Idaho Water Science CenterMercury concentrations in water and mercury and selenium concentrations in fish from Brownlee Reservoir and selected sites in the Boise and Snake Rivers, Idaho and Oregon, 2013-17
Mercury (Hg) analyses were conducted on samples of water and sport fish collected from selected sampling sites in the Boise and Snake Rivers and Brownlee Reservoir, in Idaho and Oregon, to meet National Pollution Discharge and Elimination System permit requirements for the City of Boise, Idaho, from 2013 to 2017. City of Boise personnel collected water samples from six sites in October and NovembeAuthorsDorene E. MacCoy, Christopher A. MebanePotential toxicity of dissolved metal mixtures (Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn) to early life stage white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) in the Upper Columbia River, Washington, United States
The Upper Columbia River (UCR) received historical releases of smelter waste resulting in elevated metal concentrations in downstream sediments. Newly hatched white sturgeon hide within the rocky substrate at the sediment–water interface in the UCR for a few weeks before swim-up. Hiding behavior could expose them to metal contaminants, and metal toxicity could contribute to population declines inAuthorsLaurie S. Balistrieri, Christopher A. Mebane, Stephen E. Cox, Holly J. Puglis, Robin Calfee, Ning WangSpatial and temporal trends in selenium in the upper Blackfoot River watershed, southeastern Idaho, 2001–16
Phosphate mining in southeastern Idaho has been an important economic driver for the region and State for over 100 years, but weathering of mining waste rock has also released selenium into the Blackfoot River. This report analyzes and presents data from three separate but complementary studies monitoring selenium in streams in the region. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with theAuthorsLauren M. Zinsser, Christopher A. Mebane, Greg C. Mladenka, Lynn R. Van Every, Marshall L. WilliamsUnderstanding the influence of nutrients on stream ecosystems in agricultural landscapes
Sustaining the quality of the Nation’s water resources and the health of our diverse ecosystems depends on the availability of sound water-resources data and information to develop effective, science-based policies. Effective management of water resources also brings more certainty and efficiency to important economic sectors. Taken together, these actions lead to immediate and long-term economic,AuthorsMark D. Munn, Jeffrey W. Frey, Anthony J. Tesoriero, Robert W. Black, John H. Duff, Kathy Lee, Terry R. Maret, Christopher A. Mebane, Ian R. Waite, Ronald B. ZeltA long-term copper exposure in a freshwater ecosystem using lotic mesocosms: Invertebrate community responses
A lotic mesocosm study was carried out in 20-m-long channels, under continuous, environmentally realistic concentrations of copper (Cu) in low, medium, and high exposures (nominally 0, 5, 25, and 75 μg L−1; average effective concentrations <0.5, 4, 20, and 57 μg L−1 respectively) for 18 mo. Total abundance, taxa richness, and community structure of zooplankton, macroinvertebrates, and emerging insAuthorsSandrine Joachim, Hélène Roussel, Jean-Marc Bonzom, Eric Thybaud, Christopher A. Mebane, Paul Van den Brink, Laury GauthierLarval aquatic insect responses to cadmium and zinc in experimental streams
To evaluate the risks of metal mixture effects to natural stream communities under ecologically relevant conditions, the authors conducted 30-d tests with benthic macroinvertebrates exposed to cadmium (Cd) and zinc (Zn) in experimental streams. The simultaneous exposures were with Cd and Zn singly and with Cd+Zn mixtures at environmentally relevant ratios. The tests produced concentration–responseAuthorsChristopher A. Mebane, Travis S. Schmidt, Laurie S. BalistrieriPotential sources of analytical bias and error in selected trace element data-quality analyses
Potential sources of analytical bias and error associated with laboratory analyses for selected trace elements where concentrations were greater in filtered samples than in paired unfiltered samples were evaluated by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Water Quality Specialists in collaboration with the USGS National Water Quality Laboratory (NWQL) and the Branch of Quality Systems (BQS).Causes for tracAuthorsAngela P. Paul, John R. Garbarino, Lisa D. Olsen, Michael R. Rosen, Christopher A. Mebane, Tedmund M. StruzeskiEnvironmental toxicology without chemistry and publications without discourse: Linked impediments to better science
No abstract available.AuthorsChristopher A. Mebane, Joseph S. MeyerQuantifying fish swimming behavior in response to acute exposure of aqueous copper using computer assisted video and digital image analysis
Behavioral responses of aquatic organisms to environmental contaminants can be precursors of other effects such as survival, growth, or reproduction. However, these responses may be subtle, and measurement can be challenging. Using juvenile white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) with copper exposures, this paper illustrates techniques used for quantifying behavioral responses using computer assiAuthorsRobin Calfee, Holly J. Puglis, Edward E. Little, William G. Brumbaugh, Christopher A. MebaneIn Response: Biological arguments for selecting effect sizes in ecotoxicological testing—A governmental perspective
Criticisms of the uses of the no-observed-effect concentration (NOEC) and the lowest-observed-effect concentration (LOEC) and more generally the entire null hypothesis statistical testing scheme are hardly new or unique to the field of ecotoxicology [1-4]. Among the criticisms of NOECs and LOECs is that statistically similar LOECs (in terms of p value) can represent drastically different levels ofAuthorsChristopher A. MebaneExpanding metal mixture toxicity models to natural stream and lake invertebrate communities
A modeling approach that was used to predict the toxicity of dissolved single and multiple metals to trout is extended to stream benthic macroinvertebrates, freshwater zooplankton, and Daphnia magna. The approach predicts the accumulation of toxicants (H, Al, Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in organisms using 3 equilibrium accumulation models that define interactions between dissolved cations and biologicAuthorsLaurie S. Balistrieri, Christopher A. Mebane, Travis S. Schmidt, William (Bill) KellerNon-USGS Publications**
Mebane, C.A., Simon, N.S. & Maret, T.R. Hydrobiologia (2014) 722: 143. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-013-1693-4Essig, D. A., C. A. Mebane, and T. W. Hillman. 2003. Update of bull trout temperature requirements. Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, Boise, ID and BioAnalysts, Inc., Eagle, ID, Boise. 48.Mebane, C.A. 1994. Preliminary Natural Resource Survey - Blackbird Mine, Lemhi County, Idaho. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Hazardous Materials Assessment and Response Division, Seattle, WA. 130 pp.Dillon, F. S. and C. A. Mebane. 2002. Development of site-specific water quality criteria for the South Fork Coeur d'Alene River, Idaho: application of site-specific water quality criteria developed in headwater reaches to downstream waters. Idaho Department of Environmental Quality and Windward Environmental, Seattle, WA. 95 pp. Idaho. 44 pp.Royer, T. V. and C. A. Mebane. 2002. River Macroinvertebrate Index. Pages 3-1 to 3-21 in C. S. Grafe, editor. Idaho River Ecological Assessment Framework: an Integrated Approach. Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, Boise.Mebane, C. A. and D. L. Arthaud. 2010. Extrapolating growth reductions in fish to changes in population extinction risks: copper and Chinook salmon. Human and Ecological Risk Assessment: 16(5):1026-1065Mebane, C. A. 2001. Testing bioassessment metrics: macroinvertebrate, sculpin, and salmonid responses to stream habitat, sediment, and metals. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 67:292-322.Maret, T. R. and C. A. Mebane. 2005. Historical and current perspectives on fish assemblages of the Snake River, Idaho and Wyoming. Pages 41-59Mebane, C. A. 2002. Effects of metals on freshwater macroinvertebrates: a review and case study of the correspondence between a multimetric index, toxicity testing, and copper concentrations in sediment and water. Pages 281-306 in T. P. Simon, editor.Janz, D.M., D.K. DeForest, M.L. Brooks, P.M. Chapman, G. Gilron, D. Hoff, W.A. Hopkins, D.O. McIntyre, C.A. Mebane, V.P. Palace, J.P. Skorupa, and M. Wayland. 2010. Selenium toxicity to aquatic organisms. Pages 139-230 in P. M. Chapman, W. J. Adams, M. L. Brooks, C. G. Delos, S. N. Luoma, W. A. Maher, H. M. Ohlendorf, T. S. Presser, and D. P. Shaw, editors.Balistrieri, L.S. and C.A. Mebane. 2012Poole, G. C., J. B. Dunham, M. P. Hicks, D. M. Keenan, J. C. Lockwood, E. J. Materna, D. A. McCullough, C. A. Mebane, J. C. Risley, S. T. Sauter, S. A. Spalding, and D. J. Sturdevant. 2001Dunham, J. B., J. C. Lockwood, and C. A. Mebane. 2001**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
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