Temperature-Dependent Growth and Life Cycle of Nemoura sichuanensis (Plecoptera: Nemouridae) in a Chinese Mountain Stream

Plecoptera constitute a numerically and ecologically significant component in mountain streams all over the world, but little is known of their life cycles in Asia. The life cycle of Nemoura sichuanensis and its relationship to water temperature was investigated during a 4-year study in a headwater stream (known as the Jiuchong torrent) of the Xiangxi River in Central China. Size structure histograms suggest that the life cycle was univoltine, and the relationships between the growth of Nemoura sichuanensis, physiological time, and effective accumulated water temperature were described using logistic regressions. The growth pattern was generally similar within year classes but growth rates did vary between year-classes. Our field data suggest a critical thermal threshold for emergence in Nemoura sichuanensis, that was close to 9 degrees C. The total number of physiological days required for completing larval development was 250 days. The effective accumulated water temperature was 2500 degree-days in the field. Development during the life cycle increased somewhat linearly with the physiological time and the effective accumulated water temperature, but some non-linear relationships were best developed by logistic equations.

Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera assemblages in litter in a mountain stream of the Atlantic Rainforest from Southeastern Brazil

A fauna de Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera e Trichoptera associadas ao folhiço em um riacho do sudeste do Brasil foi estudada com o objetivo de responder às seguintes questões: 1) A riqueza e a composição faunística de EPT difere entre os dois mesohabitats (corredeira-remanso) mesmo quando associadas ao mesmo substrato, folhiço? 2) A similaridade da fauna de EPT entre os dois mesohabitas muda temporalmente? 3) A estrutura funcional de EPT difere entre os dois mesohabitats (corredeira-remanso)? Para responder essas questões, coletas mensais, de novembro de 1999 a junho de 2000, foram feitas no Ribeirão Bocaina com rede D (10 acúmulos de folhas em remanso e 10 em corredeira). A fauna de EPT do Ribeirão Bocaina foi mais diversificada e mais abundante no folhiço em corredeira do que no folhiço em remanso, no entanto, quando a riqueza foi padronizada para o mesmo número de indivíduos essa se tornou similar para as duas condições. A fauna de EPT foi bastante diferente entre os dois mesohabitats, tanto em termos da composição faunística quanto em termos funcionais. Isso provavelmente ocorreu devido às diferenças de velocidade da água, no tempo de residência do folhiço e na taxa de oxigênio da água entre os dois mesohabitats.

Ecological distribution of stream macroalgal communities from a drainage basin in the Serra da Canastra National Park, Minas Gerais, Southeastern Brazil

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Ecological distribution of stream macroalgal communities from a drainage basin in the Serra da Canastra National Park, Minas Gerais, Southeastern Brazil

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Distribuição de macroalgas lóticas de uma bacia de drenagem no Parque Nacional da Serra da Canastra, Minas Gerais, Brasil

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Improving Colorado Mountain Highway Culvert Stream Crossings for Trout Passage

Highways can be effective barriers to animal migration. Where highways cross over streams, a passageway, typically a culvert, not designed for fish access can cut off an organism from miles of habitat. Traditional methods of culvert design, to convey floodwaters, reduced access to aquatic and riparian range. The Colorado Department of Transportation likely has numerous culverts that restrict aquatic passage. This paper provides guidance to CDOT for assessment of stream geomorphic conditions affecting culvert performance for fish passage, understanding aquatic organism habitat requirements, and incorporating ecological parameters into culvert designs that benefit fish and other organisms. A case study illustrates culvert problems in a difficult geomorphic setting including a fish passage assessment to evaluate stream stability for long-term culvert reliability.

Salmon and trout angling: its theory, and practice on southern stream, torrent river, and mountain loch,

Mode of access: Internet.

Mud-packing frog: A novel breeding behaviour and parental care in a stream dwelling new species of Nyctibatrachus (Amphibia, Anura, Nyctibatrachidae)

Reproductive modes are diverse and unique in anurans. Selective pressures of evolution, ecology and environment are attributed to such diverse reproductive modes. Globally forty different reproductive modes in anurans have been described to date. The genus Nyctibatrachus has been recently revised and belongs to an ancient lineage of frog families in the Western Ghats of India. Species of this genus are known to exhibit mountain associated clade endemism and novel breeding behaviours. The purpose of this study is to present unique reproductive behaviour, oviposition and parental care in a new species Nyctibatrachus kumbara sp. nov. which is described in the paper. Nyctibatrachus kumbara sp. nov. is a medium sized stream dwelling frog. It is distinct from the congeners based on a suite of morphological characters and substantially divergent in DNA sequences of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene. Males exhibit parental care by mud packing the egg clutch. Such parental care has so far not been described from any other frog species worldwide. Besides this, we emphasize that three co-occurring congeneric species of Nyctibatrachus, namely N. jog, N. kempholeyensis and Nyctibatrachus kumbara sp. nov. from the study site differ in breeding behaviour, which could represent a case of reproductive character displacement. These three species are distinct in their size, call pattern, reproductive behaviour, maximum number of eggs in a clutch, oviposition and parental care, which was evident from the statistical analysis. The study throws light on the reproductive behaviour of Nyctibatrachus kumbara sp. nov. and associated species to understand the evolution and adaptation of reproductive modes of anurans in general, and Nyctibatrachus in particular from the Western Ghats.

The local and global dimensions of metalliferous pollution derived from a reconstruction of an eight thousand year record of copper smelting and mining at a desert-mountain frontier in southern Jordan

Grattan, J.P., Gilbertson, D.D., Hunt, C.O. (2007). The local and global dimensions of metaliferrous air pollution derived from a reconstruction of an 8 thousand year record of copper smelting and mining at a desert-mountain frontier in southern Jordan. Journal of Archaeological Science 34, 83-110

Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera assemblages from riffles in mountain streams of Central Brazil: environmental factors influencing the distribution and abundance of immatures

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Diversity and structure of Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera (Insecta) assemblages from riffles in mountain streams of Central Brazil

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Longitudinal patterns of fish assemblages in mountain streams from tropical forest biome

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

The importance of a Biosphere Reserve of Atlantic Forest for the conservation of stream fauna

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Phytoplankton Dynamics in Three Rocky Mountain Lakes, Colorado, U.S.A.

In 1984 and 1985 seasonal changes in phytoplankton were studied in a system of three lakes in Loch Vale, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. Three periods were evident: (1) A spring bloom, during snowmelt, of the planktonic diatom Asterionella Formosa, (2) a mid- summer period of minimal algal abundance, and (3) a fall bloom of the blue-green alga Oscillatoria limnetica. Seasonal phytoplankton dynamics in these lakes are controlled partially by the rapid flushing rate during snowmelt and the transport of phytoplankton from the highest lake to the lower lakes by the stream, Icy Brook. During snowmelt, the A. formosa population in the most downstream lake has a net rate of increase of 0.34 d-1, which is calculated from the flushing rate and from the A. formosa abundance in the inflow from the upstream lake and in the downstream lake. Measurement of photosynthetic rates at different depths during the three periods confirmed the rapid growth of A. formosa during the spring. The decline in A. formosa after snowmelt may be related to grazing by developing zooplankton populations. The possible importance of the seasonal variations in nitrate concentrations were evaluated in situ enrichment experiments. For A. formosa and O. limnetica populations, growth stimulation resulted from 8- or 16-micromolar amendments of calcium nitrate and sulfuric acid, but the reason for this stimulation could not be determined from these experiments.

Stream sediments analysis for geochemical mapping of Romagna Apennines (Northern Italy): monitoring and management tool of environmental resources at various scales

Geochemical mapping is a valuable tool for the control of territory that can be used not only in the identification of mineral resources and geological, agricultural and forestry studies but also in the monitoring of natural resources by giving solutions to environmental and economic problems. Stream sediments are widely used in the sampling campaigns carried out by the world's governments and research groups for their characteristics of broad representativeness of rocks and soils, for ease of sampling and for the possibility to conduct very detailed sampling In this context, the environmental role of stream sediments provides a good basis for the implementation of environmental management measures, in fact the composition of river sediments is an important factor in understanding the complex dynamics that develop within catchment basins therefore they represent a critical environmental compartment: they can persistently incorporate pollutants after a process of contamination and release into the biosphere if the environmental conditions change. It is essential to determine whether the concentrations of certain elements, in particular heavy metals, can be the result of natural erosion of rocks containing high concentrations of specific elements or are generated as residues of human activities related to a certain study area. This PhD thesis aims to extract from an extensive database on stream sediments of the Romagna rivers the widest spectrum of informations. The study involved low and high order stream in the mountain and hilly area, but also the sediments of the floodplain area, where intensive agriculture is active. The geochemical signals recorded by the stream sediments will be interpreted in order to reconstruct the natural variability related to bedrock and soil contribution, the effects of the river dynamics, the anomalous sites, and with the calculation of background values be able to evaluate their level of degradation and predict the environmental risk.