Experiments using an artificial stream to investigate the seasonal growth of chalk-stream algae

Research into the production ecology of chalk streams using a large artificial recirculating stream is described. Physical chemical processes including calcium and inorganic phosphate levels, and exchange of gaseous carbon dioxide in both a simple closed system and a circulating system with gravel substrate have been monitored in both light and dark conditions. Further experiments were concerned with the seasonal changes in algal growth over the gravel substrate with constant water velocities and replenishment. The algal population, composed mainly of the diatoms Achnanthes minutissima, Meridion circulare, Nitzschia fonticola and Synedra ulna reached a peak in mid May and declined rapidly during June. Concentrations of phosphate phosphorus fell as the diatoms grew but was not thought to limit growth. Silicate concentrations followed the diatom cycle closely but never fell below 0.8 mg/l Si. It is possible that one of the nutrients may have been limiting the rate of growth due to steep diffusion gradients through the algal mat. In the last summer and autumn a hard calcareous crust composed of the green alga Gongrosira incrustans and the blue green alga Homeothrix varians , developed. The channel stream is compared with the natural conditions found in chalk streams.

Nitrates in surface waters, inputs and seasonality: Progress report for the period April - December 1987

The objective of this short project progress report is to investigate, in a catchment on which earlier nitrate data are available for comparison, seasonality and budgets, in relation to land use, of nitrate inputs, concentrations and loads. Sampling was undertaken from 1984-87 in the River Frome catchment and data on nitrate concentrations analysed.

Nitrates in surface waters, inputs and seasonality: Phase 2

Changes in management practices and agricultural productivity over the past twenty years have lead to nitrate pollution and eutrophication of lakes and rivers. Information on nitrate concentrations and discharge has been collected on the River Frome at East Stoke since 1965, using the same analytical nitrate method so that the results are comparable. These records of weekly spot values of nitrate concentration and daily mean discharges have been analysed for trends and seasonal patterns in both concentration and nitrate loadings. In this extension of our nitrate contract, a new automated method of intensive sampling has been used to monitor short-term variability and to assess how well similar routine (weekly) sampling schemes can represent the true nitrate record.

Petroleum hydrocarbons in fresh waters: a preliminary desk study and bibliography

A literature survey was carried out into the effects of petroleum hydrocarbons in freshwater, from the toxicity, biodegradability and concentration aspects. It was supplemented by a selective search on hydrocarbons in the marine environment for comparison. The aim was to determine the major inputs of these hydrocarbons, their accumulation, effects and fate in freshwaters. The search was confined to the period 1965-1978. The bibliography contains 390 references, divided by subject.

Use of macroinvertebrate communities to detect environmental stress in running waters

This paper presents an account of some current uses of RIVPACS (River Invertebrate Prediction and Classification System), a software package developed by the Institute of Freshwater Ecology (UK). Background information is also given on the unique data-set on which the system is based. Before discussing RIVPACS, we consider the range of environmental stresses encountered in flowing-water systems and some of the ways in which stresses may affect macroinvertebrate communities. The wide application and relevance of the RIVPACS approach was recognised when it was chosen as the biological method for use throughout the UK in the 1990 River Quality Survey (RQS). In the concluding section we list some lessons learnt both from the 1990 survey and from our own testing exercise, and we outline current developments which will lead to a new version of RIVPACS for use in the 1995 RQS.

From the individual to the community and beyond: water quality, stress indicators and key species in coastal waters

This review examines water quality and stress indicators at levels of organisation from the individual to the community and beyond by means of three case studies concentrating on rocky shores within the north-east Atlantic. Responses of dogwhelks (Nucella) to tributyltin pollution from antifouling paints is examined as the main case study. There are effects at the individual level (development of male sexual characteristics in the female leading to effective sterility) and population level (reduction in juveniles, few females and eventual population disappearance of dogwhelks in badly contaminated areas) but information on community level effects of dogwhelk demise is sparse. Such effects were simulated by dogwhelk removal experiments on well studied, moderately exposed ledges on shores on the Isle of Man. The removal of dogwhelks reduced the size and longevity of newly established Fucus clumps that had escaped grazing. Removal of dogwhelks also increased the likelihood of algal escapes. In a factorial experiment dogwhelks were shown to be less important than limpets \{Patella) in structuring communities but still had a significant modifying effect by increasing the probability of algal escapes. Community level responses to stress on rocky shores are then explored by reference to catastrophic impacts such as oil spills, using the Torrey Canyon as a case study. Recovery of the system in response to this major perturbation took between 10-15 years through a series of damped oscillations. The final case study is that of indicators of ecosystem level change in response to climate fluctuations, using ratios of northern \{Semibalanus balanoides) and southern (Chthamalus spp.) barnacles. Indices derived from counts on the shore show good correlations with inshore sea-water temperatures after a 2-year lag phase. The use of barnacles to measure offshore changes is reviewed. The discussion considers the use of bioindicators at various levels of organisation.

Biogeography of bacterioplankton in inland waters

Bacteria are among the most abundant groups of organisms. They mediate key ecological processes. Recent molecular advances have provided greater insight into bacterial diversity as well as allowing a more thorough examination of patterns in the spatial and temporal distribution of bacteria. Thus, the study of bacterial biodiversity and biogeographical distribution has stimulated considerable interest and dispute over the last decade. This review summarises the findings obtained from studies on the biogeography of bacterioplankton in inland waters. We examine factors and processes that may determine and maintain bacterial diversity and biogeography, and relate these to the theoretical metacommunity framework. We conclude that the importance of local environmental factors (such as lake character) for local bacterioplankton community compositions (BCC) is much more intensively studied than the importance of regional factors, such as dispersal. Further, few attempts have been made to evaluate simultaneously the relative importance of the two types of factors for BCC. Finally, we summarise gaps in knowledge, delineate challenges and put forward possible future research directions.

The diversity and ecological role of protozoa in fresh waters

Protozoa feed on and regulate the abundance of most types of aquatic microorganisms, and they are an integral part of all aquatic microbial food webs. Being so small, aerobic protozoa thrive at low oxygen tensions, where they feed (largely unaffected by metazoan grazing) on the abundance of other microorganisms. In anaerobic environments, they are the only phagotrophic organisms, and they live in unique symbiotic consortia with methanogens, sulphate reducers and non-sulphur purple bacteria. The number of extant species of protozoa may be quite modest (the global number of ciliate species is estimated at 3000), and most of them probably have cosmopolitan distributions. This will undoubtedly make it easier to carry out further tasks, e.g. understanding the role of protozoan species diversity in the natural environment.

Analysis of stream waters in the catchment of Lake Windermere (1975-1978), England [Dataset]

This dataset provides raw data of chemical analyses made during studies on seasonal variations of some major ions in the stream water of the catchment of Lake Windermere in Cumbria. Measurements of sodium, calcium, potassium, magnesium, chloride ions and pH were taken at 37 stations in the catchment between 1975 and 1978.

Activity patterns of Kemp's ridley turtles, Lepidochelys kempii, in the coastal waters of the Cedar Keys, Florida

Radio and sonic telemetry were used to investigate the tidal orientation, rate of movement (ROM), and surfacing behavior of nine Kemp's ridley turtles, Lepidochelys kempii, tracked east of the Cedar Keys, Florida. The mean of mean turtle bearings on incoming (48 ± 49 0) and falling (232 ± 41 0) tides was significantly oriented to the mean directions of tidal flow (37±9°, P<0.0025, and 234±9 0, P<0.005, respectively). Turtles had a mean ROM of 0.44±0.33 km/h (range: 0.004-1.758 km/h), a mean surface duration of 18± 15 s (range: 1-88 s), and a mean submergence duration of 8.4± 6.4 min (range: 0.2-60.0 min). ROM was negatively correlated with surface and submergence durations and positively correlated with the number of surfacings. Furthermore, ROMs were higher and surface and submergence durations were shorter during the day. Daily activities of turtles were attributed to food acquisition and bioenergetics.

Survival and Growth of American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) hatchlings after artificial incubation and repatriation

Hatchling American Alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) produced from artificially incubated wild eggs were returned to their natal areas (repatriated). We compared artificially incubated and repatriated hatchlings released within and outside the maternal alligator’s home range with naturally incubated hatchlings captured and released within the maternal alligator’s home range on Lake Apopka, Lake Griffin, and Orange Lake in Florida. We used probability of recapture and total length at approximately nine months after hatching as indices of survival and growth rates. Artificially incubated hatchlings released outside of the maternal alligator’s home range had lower recapture probabilities than either naturally incubated hatchlings or artificially incubated hatchlings released near the original nest site. Recapture probabilities of other treatments did not differ significantly. Artificially incubated hatchlings were approximately 6% shorter than naturally incubated hatchlings at approximately nine months after hatching. We concluded that repatriation of hatchlings probably would not have long-term effects on populations because of the resiliency of alligator populations to alterations of early age-class survival and growth rates of the magnitude that we observed. Repatriation of hatchlings may be an economical alternative to repatriation of older juveniles for population restoration. However, the location of release may affect subsequent survival and growth.