Periphyton Nutrient Limitation and Maximum Potential Productivity in the Beaver Lake Basin,United States1

Ludwig, Andrea, Marty Matlock, Brian Haggard, and Indrajeet Chaubey, 2012. Periphyton Nutrient Limitation and Maximum Potential Productivity in the Beaver Lake Basin, United States. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 48(5): 896‐908. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752‐1688.2012.00657.x Abstract: The objectives of this study were to measure periphytic growth responses to enrichment with nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and simultaneous N and P using in situ bioassays in streams draining Beaver Reservoir Basin, Northwest Arkansas; compare periphytic growth responses measured with in situ bioassays with a range of land use and point sources; and test the lotic ecosystem trophic status index (LETSI) as a simplifying metric to compare effects of nonpoint‐source pollutant‐limiting variables of N, P, and sediment across the basin. P limitation was observed at sites across a transect of stream orders throughout the basin; however, at the two sites with highest ambient nitrogen concentrations, limitation was often coupled with nitrogen limitation. Nutrients were at nonlimiting levels at both of two sites below wastewater treatment plants in all seasonal deployments. A Michaelis‐Menten growth equation described LETSI as a function of ambient PO₄‐P concentrations (p < 0.05); the midpoint (LETSI of 0.50) corresponded with a PO₄‐P concentration of approximately 3 μg/l. Change‐point analysis indicated a threshold point at LETSI of 0.80 and 15 μg/l PO₄‐P. These low values show that the periphytic community has a high affinity for available P, and that the watershed as a whole is sensitive to available nutrient inputs.     

Detecting pigments from colourful eggshells of extinct birds

The known chemical basis of diverse avian eggshell coloration is generated by the same two classes of tetrapyrrole pigments in most living birds. We aimed to extend the evolutionary scope of these patterns by detecting pigments from extinct birds’ eggs. In our samples biliverdin was successfully extracted from subfossil shell fragments of the blue-green egg-laying upland moa Megalapteryx didinus, while protoporphyrin was extracted from the beige eggs of two other extinct moa species. Our data on pigment detection from eggshells of other extant paleognath birds, together with published information on other modern lineages, confirm tetrapyrroles as ubiquitous and conserved pigments contributing to diverse eggshell colours throughout avian evolution.     

Channel Evolution Model of Semiarid Stream Response to Urban‐Induced Hydromodification1

Hawley, Robert J., Brian P. Bledsoe, Eric D. Stein, and Brian E. Haines, 2012. Channel Evolution Model of Semiarid Stream Response to Urban‐Induced Hydromodification. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 48(4): 722‐744. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752‐1688.2012.00645.x Abstract: We present a novel channel evolution model (CEM) that qualitatively describes morphologic responses of semiarid channels to altered hydrologic and sediment regimes associated with urbanization (hydromodification). The CEM is based on southern California data from 83 detailed channel surveys, hundreds of synoptic surveys, and historical analyses of aerial photographs along 14 reaches. Channel evolution sometimes follows the well‐known sequence described by Schumm et al. (Incised Channels: Morphology, Dynamics, and Control, Water Resources Publications, Littleton, Colorado, 1984) for incising, single‐thread channels; however, departures from this sequence are common and include transitions of single thread to braided evolutionary endpoints, as opposed to a return to quasi‐equilibrium single‐thread planform. Thresholds and risk factors associated with observed channel response are also presented. In particular, distance to grade control and network position emerged as key controls on channel response trajectory. The CEM and quantitative extensions provide managers with a framework for understanding channel responses and rehabilitation alternatives, and may be transferable to other semiarid settings. It also offers insights regarding channel susceptibility to hydromodification, highlights key boundary conditions for high‐risk channels, and underscores critical knowledge gaps in predicting the complex, discontinuous response trajectories that are highly prevalent in urbanized watersheds.     

Identifying Biotic Integrity and Water Chemistry Relations in Nonwadeable Rivers of Wisconsin: Toward the Development of Nutrient Criteria

We sampled 41 sites on 34 nonwadeable rivers that represent the types of rivers in Wisconsin, and the kinds and intensities of nutrient and other anthropogenic stressors upon each river type. Sites covered much of United States Environmental Protection Agency national nutrient ecoregions VII—Mostly Glaciated Dairy Region, and VIII—Nutrient Poor, Largely Glaciated upper Midwest. Fish, macroinvertebrates, and three categories of environmental variables including nutrients, other water chemistry, and watershed features were collected using standard protocols. We summarized fish assemblages by index of biotic integrity (IBI) and its 10 component measures, and macroinvertebrates by 2 organic pollution tolerance and 12 proportional richness measures. All biotic and environmental variables represented a wide range of conditions, with biotic measures ranging from poor to excellent status, despite nutrient concentrations being consistently higher than reference concentrations reported for the regions. Regression tree analyses of nutrients on a suite of biotic measures identified breakpoints in total phosphorus (~0.06 mg/l) and total nitrogen (~0.64 mg/l) concentrations at which biotic assemblages were consistently impaired. Redundancy analyses (RDA) were used to identify the most important variables within each of the three environmental variable categories, which were then used to determine the relative influence of each variable category on the biota. Nutrient measures, suspended chlorophyll a, water clarity, and watershed land cover type (forest or row-crop agriculture) were the most important variables and they explained significant amounts of variation within the macroinvertebrate (R ² = 60.6%) and fish (R ² = 43.6%) assemblages. The environmental variables selected in the macroinvertebrate model were correlated to such an extent that partial RDA analyses could not attribute variation explained to individual environmental categories, assigning 89% of the explained variation to interactions among the categories. In contrast, partial RDA attributed much of the explained variation to the nutrient (25%) and other water chemistry (38%) categories for the fish model. Our analyses suggest that it would be beneficial to develop criteria based upon a suite of biotic and nutrient variables simultaneously to deem waters as not meeting their designated uses.     

Testing isosource: stable isotope analysis of a tropical fishery with diverse organic matter sources

We sampled consumers and organic matter sources (mangrove litter, freshwater swamp-forest litter, seagrasses, seagrass epiphytes, and marine particulate organic matter [MPOM]) from four estuaries on Kosrae, Federated States of Micronesia for stable isotope (sigma13C and sigma34S) analysis. Unique mixing solutions cannot be calculated in a dual-isotope, five-endmember scenario, so we tested IsoSource, a recently developed statistical procedure that calculates ranges in source contributions (i.e., minimum and maximum possible). Relatively high minimum contributions indicate significant sources, while low maxima indicate otherwise. Litter from the two forest types was isotopically distinguishable but had low average minimum contributions (0-8% for mangrove litter and 0% for swamp-forest litter among estuaries). Minimum contribution of MPOM was also low, averaging 0-13% among estuaries. Instead, local marine sources dominated contributions to consumers. Minimum contributions of seagrasses averaged 8-47% among estuaries (range 0-88% among species). Minimum contributions of seagrass epiphytes averaged 5-27% among estuaries (range 0-69% among species). IsoSource enabled inclusion of five organic matter sources in our dual-isotope analysis, ranking trophic importance as follows: seagrasses > seagrass epiphytes > MPOM > mangrove forest > freshwater swamp-forest. IsoSource is thus a useful step toward understanding which of multiple organic matter sources support food webs; more detailed work is necessary to identify unique solutions.     

The problem and promise of scale dependency in community phylogenetics

The problem of scale dependency is widespread in investigations of ecological communities. Null model investigations of community assembly exemplify the challenges involved because they typically include subjectively defined "regional species pools." The burgeoning field of community phylogenetics appears poised to face similar challenges. Our objective is to quantify the scope of the problem of scale dependency by comparing the phylogenetic structure of assemblages across contrasting geographic and taxonomic scales. We conduct phylogenetic analyses on communities within three tropical forests, and perform a sensitivity analysis with respect to two scaleable inputs: taxonomy and species pool size. We show that (1) estimates of phylogenetic overdispersion within local assemblages depend strongly on the taxonomic makeup of the local assemblage and (2) comparing the phylogenetic structure of a local assemblage to a species pool drawn from increasingly larger geographic scales results in an increased signal of phylogenetic clustering. We argue that, rather than posing a problem, "scale sensitivities" are likely to reveal general patterns of diversity that could help identify critical scales at which local or regional influences gain primacy for the structuring of communities. In this way, community phylogenetics promises to fill an important gap in community ecology and biogeography research.     

Dispersal limitation and environmental heterogeneity shape scale-dependent diversity patterns in plant communities

Understanding the large-scale distribution of species diversity requires distinguishing two of the primary factors that cause compositional differences: dispersal limitation and environmental variation. In a community with a naturally discontinuous spatial structure, we asked (1) at what scale(s) nonrandom variation in species composition occurs and (2) at what scale(s) such variation is associated with spatial separation, indicative of dispersal limitation, and at what scale(s) variation is associated with environmental heterogeneity? We sampled 50 seeps (small wetlands) on five serpentine outcrops. Using a randomization model, we showed that additive beta diversity (a measure of community dissimilarity) was lower than random within seeps and higher than random among both seeps and outcrops. Using Mantel tests, we showed that plant community dissimilarity, in both the full seep assemblage as well as in a subset of seep endemics, at the two larger scales was associated with different forms of environmental heterogeneity and, at the largest scale, was also associated with geographic distance. We conclude that diversity in this system is shaped by multiple scales of heterogeneity and by dispersal limitation at the largest scale.     

Water-based condensation particle counters for environmental monitoring of ultrafine particles

TSI Inc. (Shoreview, MN) has introduced three new water-based condensation particle counters (WCPCS) that were designed to detect airborne particles larger than 2.5 nm (model 3786), 5 nm (model 3785), and either 10 or 20 nm (model 3782). These WCPCs are well suited for real-time, environmental monitoring of number concentration of airborne ultrafine particles. Their unique design incorporates the use of water as the working fluid instead of alcohol. Water is odor free, readily available, and eliminates the problem of water condensation and absorption into alcohol working fluids during operation in humid environments. In this study, the performance of three TSI WCPCs was characterized for several aerosol compositions, including sucrose, salt (NaCl), dioctyl sebacate (DOS), dioctyl phthalate (DOP), emery oil (poly-alpha-olefin), silver, impurity residue particles, and ambient aerosol particles. All particles were size selected using a nano differential mobility analyzer (nano-DMA; model 3085, TSI Inc.) to create monodisperse challenge aerosols. The challenge aerosol was mixed uniformly with clean makeup flow and split into a WCPC and a reference instrument to determine the counting efficiency of the WCPC. For the model 3785 WCPC, the D50 (i.e., the particle diameter with 50% counting efficiency) was determined to be 3.1 nm for salt particles, 4.7 nm for sucrose and ambient particles, 5.6 nm for silver particles, and >50 nm for ultrapure oil particles. The sensitivity to oil droplets increased dramatically (D50 < 10 nm) when the oil was slightly contaminated. The D50 of model 3786 ultrafine water-based CPC (UWCPC) was 2.4 nm for impurity residue particles. The D50 of the model 3782 WCPC was 10.8 (with a nominal setting of 10 nm) or 19.8 nm (with a nominal setting of 20 nm) for sucrose particles. All three WCPCs have response times of less than 2 or 3 sec and are therefore able to detect fast-changing events.     

Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons in diesel emission particulates

A preliminary characterization of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in dichloromethane extracts of diesel exhaust particulates is described. Acid-base liquid-liquid partitioning followed by adsorption chromatography was used to isolate the PAH fraction. Compounds were identified primarily by the mass spectra of high-resolution gas chromatographic effluents. Three four-ring PAHs and their alkyl-substituted homologues were the predominant constituents. In addition, ultraviolet spectra of four high performance liquid chromatography-separated PAHs were superimposable with those of reference compounds leading to their unambiguous identification. These results show the advantage of using several complementary techniques for characterization rather than gas chromatrographapy-mass spectrometry alone.     

Duplex auditory distance assessment in a small passerine bird (Pipilo erythrophthalmus)

Eastern towhees, Pipilo erythrophthalmus, (Emberizidae, Passeriformes) in Florida estimate source sound-pressure level (SPL; i.e., sound amplitude) and often misjudge speaker distance in the field when vocalization source SPL is varied experimentally. Sound frequencies below ~3.5 kHz attenuate reliably with distance in comparison with higher sound frequencies in Florida scrub habitat. As a result, I predicted that towhees should use SPL as an auditory distance cue when they hear stimuli produced with sound frequencies below ~3.5 kHz but use another cue when they hear stimuli produced with sound frequencies above ~3.5 kHz. Subjects often misjudged speaker distance when approaching playbacks of SPL-altered stimuli produced with sound frequencies below ~3.5 kHz but rarely misjudged speaker distance when played SPL-altered stimuli produced with sound frequencies above ~3.5 kHz. I discuss the possibility that towhees employ a duplex sound localization strategy.