A method for characterising natural and waste waters using plant seeds

Studies were conducted to describe a method for the characterisation of natural and waste waters using plant seed germination as a technique for toxicity testing. Maize seeds were found to be more sensitive to differences in water quality than cowpea seeds and also showed more consistency in results. Trials conducted using natural waters and effluents from gold mining and textile manufacturing operations are also reported.     

Horizontal and vertical trends in the distributions of larval fishes in coastal waters off central New South Wales,Australia

Larval fishes were sampled across six transects perpendicular to a 50 km section of the coast off Sydney, Australia, in April/May and August/September 1990. Samples were collected at the surface and at depth (20 to 30 m) at three locations across each transect; over the 30, 70 and 100 m depth contours. There was a large level of heterogeneity in the horizontal and vertical distributions of most taxa examined, and no general pattern of distribution was evident for the whole assemblage. Classification analyses revealed that the major differences between assemblages were related to depth. Horizontal trends in the distributions of the abundant taxa were evident in the inshore-offshore direction, but not longshore. Seven taxa belonging to the families Gobiidae, Labridae, Sillaginidae, Sparidae, Ambassidae, Clupeidae and Clinidae/Tripterygiidae were most abundant inshore, whereas 4 taxa of the families Cepolidae, Percichthyidae, Cheilodactylidae and Gonorynchidae were generally more abundant offshore and 24 taxa showed no discrete horizontal trends across transects. More taxa and individuals were generally caught at depth than at the surface and this was evident across all transects. Twenty taxa were more numerous at depth, whereas 4 taxa, the Cheilodactylidae, Gonorynchidae, Mullidae and Scorpididae, were most abundant at the surface and 11 taxa showed no difference in densities between depths. Ontogenetic differences in the distributions of some larvae were evident. The mean size of larval Liza argentea (Mulgilidae) caught was greater offshore than inshore, and greater at the surface than at depth. In contrast, larger Pseudocaranx dentex (Carangidae) occurred in greater numbers at depth than at the surface. The data emphasise that the assemblages of larval fishes in coastal waters off central New South Wales cannot be modelled as a single unit, which concurs with the findings in other temperate and tropical vaters. Furthermore, the data denote the need to spatially stratify sampling in these waters in order to assess seasonal changes in these assemblages.     

Filtration of the enteric bacteria Escherichia coli by two filter-feeding bivalves,Venus verrucosa and Mytilus galloprovincialis

We investigated the filtration and utilization of the enteric bacteria Escherichia coli by two suspensionfeeding bivalves, Venus verrucosa (Linné), collected, during April 1990, in Port-Vendres harbour (France), and Mytilus galloprovincialis (Lamarck) collected from rearing units in the bay of Banyuls-sur-mer during June 1990. Because of a significant decrease in the concentration of culturable E. coli in filtered seawater, we used ¹⁴C glutamic acid to label the bacteria. Labelling efficiency was low (20%) compared to the 30% reported for the marine bacteria Lactobacillus sp. by Amouroux (1982). However, the labelling by this radioisotope was very stable, enabling its use to monitor filtration. Concentrations of culturable E. coli decreased more rapidly in the presence of M. galloprovincialis than in the presence of V. verrucosa. In both bivalve species, changes of radioactivity within the bivalve, particulate organic matter (POM), dissolved organic matter (DOM) and CO₂ compartments were similar and resulted from the interaction of several processes: filtration, biodeposition, and recycling. This interaction complicates the determination of the actual ingestion and assimilation rates, and necessitates the use of mathematical modelling.