Development of a new biotic index to assess freshwater pollution

We developed a new biotic index of species pollution value (SPV) and community pollution value (CPV) based on the correlation of protozoan communities with chemical water quality to assess freshwater pollution. Five hundred and twenty-three species of protozoa SPV were established based on the data of River Hangjiang and Lake Donghu. The present research was conducted in order to further consummate the biotic index. Protozoa of the water system in Changde City were collected from 16 stations using the PFU method and the water chemical parameters of the stations were analyzed. The results showed that CPV calculated from SPV had a close correlation with the degree of water pollution (p < 0.00001), which indicated that the method is reliable. By combining the data of River Hangjiang, Lake Donghu and Changde City, the final form of SPV was accomplished and the SPV list increased to 757. The ultimate water standard evaluated by CPV calculated from SPV was proposed.     

Macroinvertebrate community as a biological indicator of ecological and toxicological factors in Lake Saint-François (Québec)

To assess the potential of the macroinvertebrate community for monitoring variation in the environmental quality of large rivers, the response of littoral macrobenthos in Lake Saint-Fran?ois, a fluvial lake of the St Lawrence River (Québec) are described. First, the composition of total macroinvertebrate communities and important taxonomic groups as well as the biotic ICI-SL index in 16 littoral stations varying in sedimentology, water chemistry and contamination are described to define indicator species groups and environmental quality ranks. Thereafter, the relative contribution of ecological and toxicological factors in explaining the variation observed in macroinvertebrate assemblages and biotic index were quantified using partial canonical correspondence analysis. Cluster analyses based on taxonomic composition separated five groups of stations where macroinvertebrate assemblages varied in density, composition and tolerance to pollution. The ICI-SL biotic index varied from 7.2 to 27.2 with a mean value of 19 +/- 6. The ICI-SL values determined for the macroinvertebrate communities in Lake Saint-Fran?ois did not reflect an important deterioration in environmental quality, and there was some agreement between the environmental quality ranking of the stations expressed either by the ICI-SL index or the community cluster analysis. Water conductivity and phosphorus concentration, followed by macrophyte types (Chara, Ceratophyllum) and sediment grain size, were the most significant ecological variables to explain variation in macroinvertebrate communities and derived ICI-SL index in Lake Saint-Fran?ois. Among the toxicological factors, metals in water (Fe, Cr, Pb, Mn, Zn) and sediment (Mn, Pb, Se), as well as the composite indices of metal and organic contamination (water CI, sediment CI, sediment total PAHs) were the most important factors. The contamination factors selected in our models represented contaminant sorption processes rather than direct toxicological effects. The lack of clear relationships between contaminants and macroinvertebrate variables reflected the relative low level of contamination in the stations sampled in Lake Saint-Fran?ois. There were some interactions between toxicological and ecological variables that should be considered in the planning of sampling and interpretation of biomonitoring studies. However, the large amount of unexplained variance (49.2-86.6%) in the CCA models underlined the limitations of the use of the indices of macroinvertebrate community structure that were assessed in this study for biomonitoring purposes in the absence of a contrasting pollution gradient.     

Studies on the restoration succession of PFU microbial communities in a pilot-scale microcosm

In order to imitate the restoration succession process of natural water ecosystem, a laboratory microcosm system of constant-flow-restoration was designed and established. A eutrophycation lake, Lake Donghu, was selected as the subject investigated. Six sampling stations were set on the lake, among which the water of station IV was natural clean water, and others were polluted with different degrees. Polyurethane foam unit microbial communities, which had colonized in the stations for a month, were collected from these stations and placed in their respective microcosms, using clean water of station IV to gradually replace the water of these microcosms. In this process, the healthy community in clean water continuously replaced the damaged communities in polluted water, the restoration succession of the damaged communities was characterized by weekly determination of several functional and structural community parameters, including species number (S), diversity index (DI), community pollution value (CPV), heterotrophy index (HI), and similarity coefficient. Cluster analysis based on similarity coefficient was used to compare the succession discrepancies of these microbial communities from different stations. The ecological succession of microbial communities during restoration was investigated by the variable patterns of these parameters, and based on which, the restoration standards of these polluted stations were suggested in an ecological sense. That was, while being restored, the water of station 0 (supereutrophycation) should be substituted with natural clean water by 95%; station I (eutrophycation), more than 90%; station II (eutrophycation), more than 85%; station III (eutrophycation), about 85%; station V (mesoeutrophycation), less than 50%. The effects of the structural and functional parameters in monitoring and assessing ecological restoration are analyzed and compared.     

The effects of a basic effluent on macroinvertebrate community structure in a temporary Mediterranean river

Macroinvertebrate communities and environmental variables were assessed seasonally for 1 year in a temporary river in South Portugal receiving an effluent with high conductivity, pH, sulphates, nitrates and low oxygen content. The usefulness of the ordination method canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) and the classification method cluster analysis (UPGMA) were examined to evaluate the perturbation. Macroinvertebrate samples were segregated along the first ordination axis by CCA, which in turn correlated with sulphates and nitrates. CCA produced a two-dimensional distribution of sites similar to the grouping formed by cluster analysis. In general, three or four groups were distinguished. Immediately downstream of the effluent discharge point, only taxa tolerant to low oxygen, high pH and high sulphate and nitrate concentrations were present. Further downstream, sites had a community similar to the reference sampling locations. During flowing conditions the CCA ordination axis 1 was also correlated with several classic measures of water quality (i.e. taxon richness, diversity and biotic indices). In other periods, only the percentage of Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera (%EPT) and the ratio EPT/(Chironomidae + EPT) were significantly correlated with CCA axis one. This suggests that ordination methods outperform benthic indices in detecting pollution during low flows and segregated polluted from clean/recovered sites in all periods.     

Leaf litter processing and invertebrate assemblages along a pollution gradient in a Maine (USA) headwater stream

During the autumn of 1997 and 1998, leaf litter processing rates and leaf pack invertebrate assemblages were examined at eight stations along a pollution gradient in Goosefare Brook, a first-order coastal plain stream in southern Maine (USA). There was no significant effect on litter softening rate in 1997, and only the most polluted station showed a decrease in 1998. However, litter loss rates showed decreases in both years. The structure of invertebrate assemblages changed in response to the stresses, showing a decline in EPT richness and an increase in the proportion of collecting taxa. However, total shredder biomass was only weakly affected. Shredder biomass at all stations was dominated by Tipula, and biomass of other shredder taxa showed a serial replacement along the gradient of stress related to their pollution tolerance. Rather than the expected relationship with shredder biomass, litter processing rates were directly related to water and sediment quality. Goosefare Brook demonstrates how variable pollution tolerance of community members enables stress resistance and a consequent preservation of ecosystem function.     

Bacterial community structure analyses to assess pollution of water and sediments in the Lake Shkodra/Skadar, Balkan Peninsula

- Goal, Scope, Background. Lake Skadar is the largest lake in Balkan Peninsula, located on the Montenegro-Albanian border. The unique features of the lake and wide range of endemic and rare or endangered plant and animal species resulted in the classification of the Skadar as a wetland site of international significance. In spite of its importance the Lake is influenced by inflowing waters from river Morača and other regional rivers contaminated by the industry, municipal and agricultural activities in the area. Therefore, the Lake has been subject of various physical, chemical, biological and toxicological examinations. However, community-level analyses are most relevant to assess the effect of stressors on aquatic ecosystems. In the present study bacterial community structure among differently polluted sites of the lake was compared by genetic fingerprinting technique. Methods Water and sediment samples were collected from five differently polluted sampling sites on the Lake Skadar in spring and autumn of the same year. The bacterial community structure in the samples was characterized and compared by temporal temperature gel electrophoresis (TTGE) analysis of polymerase chain reaction-amplified bacterial 16S rRNA genes. Results and Discussion The TTGE analysis resulted in many distinguishable and reproducible band patterns, allowing reliable comparison of bacterial communities among sampling sites. Results on the bacterial community structure revealed that three of the selected locations can be considered as sites that have not shown any pollution degradation determined by our method, due to similar structure of bacterial community in the sediment samples. On the other hand, significant shifts in bacterial community structure in the mouth of the river Morača and Plavnica were shown. Since the results coincide with some of the bioassays and chemical analysis performed previously, the changes in bacterial community structure are explained as an effect of antropogenic pollution on the lake ecosystem by waters of river Morača and stream Plavnica. Conclusion The TTGE has proven to be an efficient and reliable method to monitor bacterial dynamics and community shifts in aquatic environment, especially in the sediments. Within the variety of environmental quality assessments the use of TTGE analyses of bacterial community is strongly recommended, particularly as an initial investigation. However, in any conclusion on the state of the environment, the TTGE results should be combined to some other biological, chemical and hydrological data. Recommendation and Outlook Since prokaryotes are a crucial group of organisms in the biosphere, the ecosystem function studies are largely based on bacterial communities. Therefore, bacterial community structure analysis should be a part of an integrated weight of evidence approach in pollution assessment. In case of Triad approach, consisting of chemical analyses, bioassays, and community studies in the field, the TTGE bacterial community structure analyses should be placed in the later Triad leg. In comparison to other community studies, based on various biotic indices, the TTGE bacterial community analysis has proven to be very sensitive, reliable and less time consuming.     

Enhancement of dissolved phosphorus release from sediment to lake water by Microcystis blooms--an enclosure experiment in a hyper-eutrophic,subtropical Chinese lake

To clarify the possible influence of Microcystis blooms on the exchange of phosphorus (P) between sediment and lake water, an enclosure experiment was conducted in the hypereutrophic subtropical Lake Donghu during July-September 2000. Eight enclosures were used: six received sediment while two were sediment-free. In mid-August, Microcystis blooms developed in all the enclosures. There was a persistent coincidence between the occurrence of Microcystis blooms and the increase of both total P (TP) and soluble reactive P (SRP) concentrations in the water of the enclosures with sediments. In sediment-free enclosures, TP and SRP concentrations remained rather stable throughout the experiment, in spite of the appearance of Microcystis blooms. The results indicate that Microcystis blooms induced massive release of P from the sediment, perhaps mediated by high pH caused by intense algal photosynthesis, and/or depressed concentrations of nitrate nitrogen (NO3-N).     

Ambient Ozone Concentration Patterns among Eastern U.S. Urban Areas Using Factor Analysis

Data on dally maximum ozone concentrations measured at ambient air monitoring stations operated by state and local air pollution control agencies in the Eastern United States were analyzed using principal factor analysis. Four orthogonal factors representing O₃ formation potentials were derived using the statistical package SPSS; these factors accounted for over two-thirds of the variations in 1978 summer O₃ levels at 21 urban-oriented stations. The analysis confirmed that O₃ variations are similar among stations within defined geographical areas; this confirmation supports the widely held theory that ambient O₃ formations are reglonwlde. The analysis suggested that trends analysis for determining general progress in improving O₃ air quality should be based on aggregate statistics from clusters of monitors rather than from a single monitoring station within areas associated with the derived factors.     

Understanding the patterns and mechanisms of urban water ecosystem degradation: phytoplankton community structure and water quality in the Qinhuai River, Nanjing City, China

The temporal and spatial distribution characteristics of environmental parameters and the phytoplankton community were investigated in October 2010 and January 2011 in the Qinhuai River, Nanjing, China. Results showed that the water quality in the study area was generally poor, and the main parameters exceeding standards (level V) were nitrogen and phosphorus. The observed average concentrations of the total nitrogen (TN) were 4.90 mg?L^?1 in autumn and 9.29 mg?L^?1 in winter, and those of the total phosphorus (TP) were 0.24 mg?L^?1 in autumn and 0.88 mg?L^?1 in winter, respectively. Thirty-seven species, 30 genera, and four phyla of phytoplankton were detected in the river. Cyanophyta and Bacillariophyta were the dominant phyla in autumn, with average abundance and biomass of 221.5?×?10⁴?cells?L^?1 and 4.41 mg?L^?1, respectively. The dominant population in winter was Bacillariophyta, and the average abundance and biomass were 153.4?×?10⁴?cells?L^?1 and 6.58 mg?L^?1, respectively. The results of canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) between environmental parameters and phytoplankton communities showed that Chlorophyta could tolerate the higher concentrations of the permanganate index, nitrogen, and phosphorus in eutrophic water; Bacillariophyta could adapt well to changing water environments; and the TN/TP ratio had obvious impacts on the distributions of Cyanophyta, Euglenophyta, and some species of Chlorophyta. CCA analyses for autumn and winter data revealed that the main environmental parameters influencing phytoplankton distribution were water temperature, conductivity, and total nitrogen, and the secondary factors were dissolved oxygen, NH₄ ⁺–N, NO₃–N, TN, COD_Mn, TN/TP ratio, and oxidation-reduction potential.     

Use of protein phosphatase inhibition assay to detect microcystins in Donghu Lake and a fish pond in China

Seasonal variations in the level of total microcystins in water samples collected from Donghu Lake and a fish pond in Wuhan, China, were studied between March 1995 and February 1996 using a protein phosphatase inhibition assay involving a radioactive 32P-labelled substrate. The assay is highly reliable and repeatable, and is probably the most sensitive assay for microcystin detection to date. Results of the survey indicated the presence of microcystins in the water samples, and the concentration of microcystins appeared to be related to the degree of eutrophication and water temperature. There is also a correlative relationship between the quantity of microcystins and the abundance of microcystin-producing cyanobacteria (Anabaena and Oscillatoria) in the water bodies over a year cycle. In the present study, the positive detection of microcystins in water bodies having no signs of algal bloom warns of considerable potential threat of these waters to public health.     

Assessment of water quality observation stations using cluster analysis and ordinal logistic regression technique

Variations in the surface water quality parameters of the observation stations have been investigated using cluster analysis and the ordinal logistic regression technique. Ordinal logistic regression analysis results showed that nitrite, ammonium and total phosphorus were identified as the parameters that displayed essential variations. These results were supported by the cluster analysis. The cluster analysis of the observation stations identified two clusters. It was concluded that domestic, agricultural and industrial discharges strongly affected the northwest part of the Tahtali dam reservoir. Finally, it was determined that the variations in the water quality parameters could reliably be estimated by these techniques.     

Extreme learning machines: a new approach for modeling dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration with and without water quality variables as predictors

In this paper, several extreme learning machine (ELM) models, including standard extreme learning machine with sigmoid activation function (S-ELM), extreme learning machine with radial basis activation function (R-ELM), online sequential extreme learning machine (OS-ELM), and optimally pruned extreme learning machine (OP-ELM), are newly applied for predicting dissolved oxygen concentration with and without water quality variables as predictors. Firstly, using data from eight United States Geological Survey (USGS) stations located in different rivers basins, USA, the S-ELM, R-ELM, OS-ELM, and OP-ELM were compared against the measured dissolved oxygen (DO) using four water quality variables, water temperature, specific conductance, turbidity, and pH, as predictors. For each station, we used data measured at an hourly time step for a period of 4 years. The dataset was divided into a training set (70%) and a validation set (30%). We selected several combinations of the water quality variables as inputs for each ELM model and six different scenarios were compared. Secondly, an attempt was made to predict DO concentration without water quality variables. To achieve this goal, we used the year numbers, 2008, 2009, etc., month numbers from (1) to (12), day numbers from (1) to (31) and hour numbers from (00:00) to (24:00) as predictors. Thirdly, the best ELM models were trained using validation dataset and tested with the training dataset. The performances of the four ELM models were evaluated using four statistical indices: the coefficient of correlation (R), the Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE), the root mean squared error (RMSE), and the mean absolute error (MAE). Results obtained from the eight stations indicated that: (i) the best results were obtained by the S-ELM, R-ELM, OS-ELM, and OP-ELM models having four water quality variables as predictors; (ii) out of eight stations, the OP-ELM performed better than the other three ELM models at seven stations while the R-ELM performed the best at one station. The OS-ELM models performed the worst and provided the lowest accuracy; (iii) for predicting DO without water quality variables, the R-ELM performed the best at seven stations followed by the S-ELM in the second place and the OP-ELM performed the worst with low accuracy; (iv) for the final application where training ELM models with validation dataset and testing with training dataset, the OP-ELM provided the best accuracy using water quality variables and the R-ELM performed the best at all eight stations without water quality variables. Fourthly, and finally, we compared the results obtained from different ELM models with those obtained using multiple linear regression (MLR) and multilayer perceptron neural network (MLPNN). Results obtained using MLPNN and MLR models reveal that: (i) using water quality variables as predictors, the MLR performed the worst and provided the lowest accuracy in all stations; (ii) MLPNN was ranked in the second place at two stations, in the third place at four stations, and finally, in the fourth place at two stations, (iii) for predicting DO without water quality variables, MLPNN is ranked in the second place at five stations, and ranked in the third, fourth, and fifth places in the remaining three stations, while MLR was ranked in the last place with very low accuracy at all stations. Overall, the results suggest that the ELM is more effective than the MLPNN and MLR for modelling DO concentration in river ecosystems.     

Macrobenthic community colonization and community development in dredged material disposal habitats off coastal Louisiana

We examined marine benthic macroinvertebrate colonization and community structure at multiple spatial scales (study areas, reference and disposal sites, and depth zones within sites) within a 3-day period at three relatively widely separated (ca 60 km) dredged material disposal areas (Mermentau and Atchafalaya Rivers and Freshwater Bayou) in coastal Louisiana. Study areas had different histories of dredged material disposal, but all three are subject to frequent natural habitat disturbances (e.g. freshets). Nine phyla and 51 taxa were represented among the three study areas at reference (R) and disposal (D) sites (Freshwater Bayou: 21(R), 18 (D); Mermentau River: 14 (R), 17 (D) and Atchafalaya River: 38 (R), 40 (D)). Only 15 taxa were common to all three study areas. At the Freshwater Bayou, average taxa richness and abundance responded to water depth, not sites. These response variables averaged higher mean values at the Mermentau River disposal than at the reference site. No consistent pattern in the average of these response variables was detected between sites at the Atchafalaya River. Multidimensional scaling ordination and non-parametric multivariate inferential analysis provided a distinctly different picture of community structure within study areas compared to parametric analyses. A relatively moderate to strong separation in community structure between sites was detected depending on study area. Non-parametric multivariate inferential analysis detected significant differences in internal community structure at the scale of stations and sites within study areas. The weight of evidence suggests that frequent natural disturbances explain differences in macrobenthic animal community structure more than effects of dredged material disposal.     

模糊物元识别模型在巢湖水体富营养化评价中的应用研究

选取TN、TP、Chl-a、COD、BOD5、DO和SD等7项指标,应用模糊物元识别模型对2000~2007年巢湖的12个水质监测点的富营养化等级进行了模糊识别。通过与巢湖同期水质浓度变化及其分布区域进行对比分析,验证了模糊物元识别模型在巢湖水体富营养化评价中的适用性。巢湖富营养化评价结果表明,2000~2007年富营养化呈逐年加重的趋势,据采样点模糊物元计算结果得知西巢湖(1#~6#)的富营养化状况比东巢湖(7#~12#)更严重,西巢湖贴近度最高值为0.9974,接近极富营养状态,而东巢湖的最高值仅为0.5866。从年际变化上看,2000~2007年东巢湖富营养化状况变化不大,营养状态级处在较低的水平,而西巢湖的富营养状况变化则较大,营养状态级则处在较高水平。     

Macroinvertebrate community in relation to water quality and riparian land use in a substropical mountain stream,China

Exploring how water quality and land use shape the benthic macroinvertebrate community composition is of widespread interest in biodiversity conservation and environmental management. In this study, we investigated the structures of benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages and their environmental controls in terms of water quality and riparian land use in the Jinshui River, China. We carried out three campaigns including wet season (August 2009), dry season (November 2009), and normal season (April 2010) based on the hydrological regime in Jinshui basin. The result showed that macroinvertebrate assemblage variations were better explained by water quality factors than land use based on variance partitioning procedure. The land use of 2 km upstream from the sampling sites had explained more variation than that of the whole riparian zone in upstream catchment on macroinvertebrate community, and land use of 2 km upstream also had more interactions with water quality. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) indicated that the elements or nutrient of magnesium (Mn), selenium (Se), strontium (Sr), silicon (Si), dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DN), sulfur (S), total organic carbon (TOC), and total nitrogen (TN) in water exhibited a strong relationship with macroinvertebrate assemblages. However, the variance in water quality explained by land use was lower than that explained by water quality in rivers using redundancy analysis. Our study suggested that proximate factors (i.e., water quality) were more important to interpret the macroinvertebrate community compared to ultimate factors (i.e., land use) for macroinvertebrate assemblages in river system.     

Carbon source/sink function of a subtropical, eutrophic lake determined from an overall mass balance and a gas exchange and carbon burial balance

Although studies on carbon burial in lake sediments have shown that lakes are disproportionately important carbon sinks, many studies on gaseous carbon exchange across the water-air interface have demonstrated that lakes are supersaturated with CO(2) and CH(4) causing a net release of CO(2) and CH(4) to the atmosphere. In order to more accurately estimate the net carbon source/sink function of lake ecosystems, a more comprehensive carbon budget is needed, especially for gaseous carbon exchange across the water-air interface. Using two methods, overall mass balance and gas exchange and carbon burial balance, we assessed the carbon source/sink function of Lake Donghu, a subtropical, eutrophic lake, from April 2003 to March 2004. With the overall mass balance calculations, total carbon input was 14 905 t, total carbon output was 4950 t, and net carbon budget was +9955 t, suggesting that Lake Donghu was a great carbon sink. For the gas exchange and carbon burial balance, gaseous carbon (CO(2) and CH(4)) emission across the water-air interface totaled 752 t while carbon burial in the lake sediment was 9477 t. The ratio of carbon emission into the atmosphere to carbon burial into the sediment was only 0.08. This low ratio indicates that Lake Donghu is a great carbon sink. Results showed good agreement between the two methods with both showing Lake Donghu to be a great carbon sink. This results from the high primary production of Lake Donghu, substantive allochthonous carbon inputs and intensive anthropogenic activity. Gaseous carbon emission accounted for about 15% of the total carbon output, indicating that the total output would be underestimated without including gaseous carbon exchange.     

西湖引水治理后的底栖动物群落

１９９５年１月－１９９６年１２月对西湖底栖大型无脊椎动物群落进行了连续监测与研究,共发现大型底栖无脊椎动物２６种,其中寡毛类６种,多毛类１种,水生昆虫９种,蛭类,线虫和无节蠕虫各１种。     

Stream biodiversity and monitoring in North Central,Nigeria: the use of macroinvertebrate indicator species as surrogates

Indicator species (IS) have been employed in modern aquatic research for monitoring of environmental changes and evaluating the efficiency of environmental management procedures. In this study, we evaluated the possibility of developing surrogate indicator groups as tools for the conservation and management of the biodiversity of Northern Nigeria streams by surveying 15 streams in Niger state for benthic macroinvertebrates and environmental variables as data sets, over a period of 24 months (2016 and 2017). Samples were collected in two locations of reference and impacted sites for each of the streams surveyed. The statistically significant (P < 0.05; based on 1000 permutations) indicator species for each of the status classes (reference versus impacted) was identified using the indicator species analysis/indicator value (Indval) method. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) was used to evaluate the IS-environment relationships. Indicator value found fifteen species for the reference streams including Ephemeropteran (Bugilliesia sp., Tricorythus sp., Thraulus sp., Crassabwa sp.) and the Tricopteran (Leptonema sp.). Opposite, the Indval found seven (7) indicator species for the impacted streams, which included the Dipteran (Pentaneura sp., Tabanus sp.). Multivariate analysis revealed that species assemblage had wide dispersal patterns in relation to the sites for both status classes. CCA revealed that the reference and impacted indicator species responded to entirely different environmental factors, indicating their preference to particular environmental variables along the ecological gradients. While the indicator species of reference sites were associated with environmental predictors of good water quality such as high DO, increased flow, low conductivity, and low BOD, the indicator species of impacted sites were strongly related to environmental predictors of anthropogenic pollution, including low DO, high BOD, and increased nutrients concentrations. This study has provided a reference point and effective tool to monitor environmental changes, community, and ecosystem dynamics across the Northern Nigeria streams.

     

Lead pollution in a large, prairie-pothole lake (Rush Lake, WI, USA): effects on abundance and community structure of indigenous sediment bacteria

Rush Lake (WI, USA), the largest prairie-pothole lake east of the Mississippi River, has been contaminated with lead pollution as a result of over 140 years of waterfowl hunting. We examined: (1) the extent of lead pollution in Rush Lake sediments and (2) whether lead pollution in Rush Lake is affecting the abundance and community structure of indigenous sediment bacteria. Sediment lead concentrations did not exceed 59 mg Pb kg(-1) dry sediment. No relationship was observed between sediment lead concentration and the abundance of aerobic (P=0.498) or anaerobic (P=0.416) heterotrophic bacteria. Similarly, lead did not appear to affect bacterial community structure when considering both culturable and nonculturable community members. In contrast, the culturable fraction of sediment bacteria in samples containing 59 mg Pb kg(-1) exhibited a unique community structure. While factors other than lead content likely play roles in determining bacterial community structure in the sediments of Rush Lake, these data suggest that the culturable fraction of sediment bacterial communities is affected by elevated lead levels.