Freshwater springs represent unique ecological systems that support diverse biological communities and provide critical ecosystem services with direct human benefits. Because of their intersectional role, it is essential to understand the factors affecting their biogeochemical integrity. Central Appalachia was chosen as the focal area for this study because of its abundance of freshwater springs and their common use for critical water resources.
Across all freshwater systems, microplastics represent a potential threat to both human and environmental health. Previous research has shown the sheer abundance and extensive spread of these pollutants across Appalachia, in surface waters. Springs may be more insulated from microplastic contamination; however, flow from groundwater may still contribute to contamination. While geochemical characteristics of Appalachian springs have been documented extensively, biological data remain scarce, leaving critical gaps in understanding community composition and ecosystem function. This lack of biological data limits our ability to assess how spring communities contribute to ecosystem services and respond to emerging contaminants such as microplastics. We sampled the ecological communities of Appalachian springs across a gradient of carbonate - shale - sandstone lithologies to evaluate the degree of microplastic contamination in spring macroinvertebrate communities and determine if specific geochemical traits predict microplastic presence.
We sampled springs throughout central Pennsylvania and West Virginia and specifically collected water to analyze the concentration of microplastics and macroinvertebrates to develop a greater understanding of community composition and biomagnification of pollutants within spring ecosystems. We hope to compare this data with simultaneously collected and historical geochemical data in order to better understand the movement of microplastics into and through springs, as well as potential health risks that microplastics pose. We predict that springs across Appalachia will have moderate concentrations of microplastics, which will in turn affect macroinvertebrate communities additively with geologic and chemical factors. Our results not only supplement the current lack of biological record across Appalachian springs for future research but also provide insight into the role microplastics play within springs, a vital resource for both human and environmental health.