DISTRIBUTION OF COPPER, LEAD, AND ZINC IN SELECTED COMPONENTS OF

Coaceauadoos of copper, lead, aod DOC in sneral compooents of ao aquatic ecoqttem were decermioed by atomic:.bsorpcioo spec:uopbocoDMtty. CoocentratioGl of all merab were found to be lowest in the water.na s.reacest in the sedimeoa and biota. No ioc.rease in the amount of metals could be UIOCiated with inc.reasioJ uophic len' " Domacic duclu and tree leaves from the pond's perimeter COIIUJ-bated heavy metals to the pond ecosystem. Heavy meta " are natural mmponeots of me earth's crust and are present in soil, streams, and lakes. Increased amounts of meaals from industrial and municipal wastes have been released to many ec0sys-tems since the advent of our technological IOciccy (1). Although data on heavy metal distribution in different components or ecosystems are scarce, sNdies suggest that heavy metals are unevenly distributed (1, 2). Meta " are generally found in trace quantities in water and are more mncen-trated in tediments and biota (2, 3). The objectives of the present study were to (a) measure the concentrations of " copper, lead, and zinc in the components of a small ecosystem, (b) compare concentrations of metals among components within the sys-tem, and (c) compare tbe coocentrations found in organisms of different trophic levels. Theta Pond, located on the Oklahoma State University campus, was chosen fOl ' the stUdy because it was readily accessible. Theta Pond has an approximate surface area of 2250 m, mean depth of about 1 m, and a muimwn depth of 2.3 m. The pond is maintained at benkful conditions and oc-allionally overflows. Imported material enters tbe pond from feeding domestic ducks and surface water runoff from lawns, asphalt parking lots, and streets 00 the campus