Chemical Pollution Levels in a River Explain Site-Specific Sensitivities to Micropollutants within a Genetically Homogeneous Population of Freshwater Amphipods

Anthropogenic micropollutants alter chemical and ecological conditions of freshwater ecosystems and impact aquatic species that live along the pollution gradient of a river. Species sensitivity to micropollutants depends on the site-specific exposure; however, it remains unclear to what degree this sensitivity relates to the species’ genetic structure. Here, we explored the relationship between the toxic sensitivity and genetic structure of the amphipod species Gammarus pulex (Linnaeus, 1758) along an organic micropollutant gradient in the Holtemme River in central Germany. We determined the river’s site-specific micropollutant patterns and analyzed the genetic structure of G. pulex using nuclear and mitochondrial genetic markers. Furthermore, we examined the exposure sensitivities and bioaccumulation of the commonly detected insecticide imidacloprid in G. pulex from different sites. Our results show that throughout the Holtemme River, G. pulex forms a well-connected and homogeneous population with no observable pollution-related differences in the genetic structure. However, G. pulex from polluted sites responded more sensitively to imidacloprid; survival times for half of the amphipods were up to 54% shorter, the percentage of immobile individuals increased up to 65%, and the modeled imidacloprid depuration rate was lower in comparison to amphipods from non-polluted sites. Altogether, these results suggest that the level of sensitivity of G. pulex amphipods to micropollutants in the river depends on the degree of pollution: amphipods may thrive in food-rich but polluted habitats; yet, their sensitivity is increased when chronically exposed to organic micropollutants.