Nitrous oxide accumulation in soils from riparian buffers of a coastal plain watershed carbon/nitrogen ratio control

Riparian buffers are used throughout the world for the protection of water bodies from nonpoint-source nitrogen pollution. Few studies of riparian or treatment wetland denitrification consider the production of nitrous oxide (N2O). The objectives of this research were to ascertain the level of potential N2O production in riparian buffers and identify controlling factors for N2O accumulations within riparian soils of an agricultural watershed in the southeastern Coastal Plain of the USA. Soil samples were obtained from ten sites (site types) with different agronomic management and landscape position. Denitrification enzyme activity (DEA) was measured by the acetylene inhibition method. Nitrous oxide accumulations were measured after incubation with and without acetylene (baseline N2O production). The mean DEA (with acetylene) was 59 microg N2O-N kg(-1) soil h(-1) for all soil samples from the watershed. If no acetylene was added to block conversion of N2O to N2, only 15 microg N2O-N kg(-1) soil h(-1) were accumulated. Half of the samples accumulated no N2O. The highest level of denitrification was found in the soil surface layers and in buffers impacted by either livestock waste or nitrogen from legume production. Nitrous oxide accumulations (with acetylene inhibition) were correlated to soil nitrogen (r2=0.59). Without acetylene inhibition, correlations with soil and site characteristics were lower. Nitrous oxide accumulations were found to be essentially zero, if the soil C/N ratios>25. Soil C/N ratios may be an easily measured and widely applicable parameter for identification of potential hot spots of N2O productions from riparian buffers.     

Scale and sustainability of marine bioprospecting for pharmaceuticals

Collecting marine organisms for the discovery and development of pharmaceuticals has been perceived variously as sustaining and threatening conservation. Our initial expectations that marine bioprospecting might pose conservation challenges were largely not confirmed. Thousands of marine species have been collected for initial assessment, but usually only in very small amounts. Very few compounds are sufficiently promising to provoke re-collections, where volumes can be much larger. This is where conservation concerns may arise, particularly if the organism is rare, has a restricted distribution, or is targeted in one narrow area. However, industry generally seeks to avoid dependency on small populations, for economic as well as ecological reasons. Alternative supply strategies to wild capture include synthesis and culture. Mandatory collection protocols and environmental impact (stock) assessments are useful routes for management to achieve sustainable use where extraction is desirable. In general, the scanty information available suggests that marine bioprospecting for pharmaceuticals may have minimal impacts on the environment, particularly compared with those created by other pressures.     

Evaluating peats for their capacities to remove odorous compounds from liquid swine manure using headspace “solid‐phase microextraction”

Abstract

This paper reports on research designed to investigate the capacities of different highly characterized peats to remove odorous compounds from liquid swine manure (LSM). Peat types representing a wide range of properties were tested in order to establish which chemical and physical properties might be most indicative of their capacities to remediate odors produced by LSM. Eight percent slurries (of peat/LSM) were measured for odor changes after 24 hours using odor panel and GC/MS‐Solid‐phase microextraction (GC/MS‐SPME) analysis.

The GC/MS‐SPME and odor panel results indicated that, although all peats tested in this study were found to be effective at removing odor‐causing compounds found in LSM, some peats tended to work better than others. Overall, the peats that were the most effective at removing odor‐causing compounds tended to have lower bulk densities, ash contents, fulvic acids contents, and guaiacyl lignins contents,and higher water holding capacities, hydraulic conductivities, “total other lignins”; contents, hydrogen contents, carbon contents, and total cellulose contents.

GC/MS‐SPME analysis was found to be a reasonably inexpensive and efficient way of conducting this type of research. It allows one to identify a large number of the odor‐causing compounds found in LSM, and more importantly, to detect with some precision specific differences in the amounts of these compounds between peat types.     

TOXIC EFFECTS OF PETROLEUM AND SHALE JP-4 AND JP-8 AVIATION FUELS ON FATHEAD MINNOWS1

ABSTRACT: Static 96-hour median lethal concentrations were determined for the water-soluble fraction (WSF) of both petroleum-derived and shale-derived avaiation fuels (JP-4 and JP-8) using fathead minnows. JP-8 was more toxic than JP-4 except for one shale JP-4 sample that was as toxic as the JP-8. Petroleum and shale JP-8 were similar in toxicity. The toxicity of shale JP-4 was less clear. Shale JP-4 from three vendor sources revealed differing toxicity values. One shale JP-4 sample was more toxic and one less toxic than its petroleum analogue, with the third being equally toxic. Toxicity of the fuels may be enhanced by compounds in the WSF that correspond to chemicals containing 10 or more carbon atoms.     

Causes of ambient toxicity in the Calleguas Creek watershed of southern California

A combination of toxicity tests, chemical analyses, andToxicity Identification Evaluations (TIEs) were used toinvestigate receiving water toxicity in the Calleguas Creekwatershed of southern California. Studies were conductedfrom 1995 through 1999 at various sites to investigatecauses of temporal variability of toxicity throughout thissystem. Causes of receiving water toxicity varied by siteand species tested. Investigations in the lower watershed(Revolon Slough, Santa Clara Drain, Beardsley Wash)indicated that toxicity of samples to the cladoceran Ceriodaphnia dubia due to elevated concentrations ofthe organophosphate pesticide chlorpyrifos, while causes ofintermittent toxicity to fathead minnows (Pimephalespromelas) and the alga Selanastrum capricornutum wereless clear. Investigations at sites in the middle and upperreaches of the watershed (Arroyo Simi and Conejo Creek)indicated that the pesticide diazinon was the probable causeof receiving water toxicity to Ceriodaphnia. Elevatedammonia was the cause of toxicity to fathead minnows in theupper watershed sites. Results of these and previousstudies suggest that biota are impacted by degraded streamquality from a variety of point and non-point pollutionsources in the Calleguas Creek watershed. Water qualityresource manager's efforts to identify contaminant inputsand implement source control will be improved with thefindings of this study.     

Spatial Relationships Between Water Quality and Pesticide Application Rates in Agricultural Watersheds

Pesticide applications to agricultural lands in California, USA, are reported to a central data base, while data on water and sediment quality are collected by a number of monitoring programs. Data from both sources are geo-referenced, allowing spatial analysis of relationships between pesticide application rates and the chemical and biological condition of water bodies. This study collected data from 12 watersheds, selected to represent a range of pesticide usage. Water quality parameters were measured during six surveys of stream sites receiving runoff from the selected watershed areas. This study had three objectives: to evaluate the usefulness of pesticide application data in selecting regional monitoring sites, to provide information for generating and testing hypotheses about pesticide fate and effects, and to determine whether in-stream nitrate concentration was a useful surrogate indicator for regional monitoring of toxic substances. Significant correlations were observed between pesticide application rates and in-stream pesticide concentrations (p < 0.05) and toxicity (p < 0.10). In-stream nitrate concentrations were not significantly correlated with either the amount of pesticides applied, in-stream pesticide concentrations, or in-stream toxicity (all p > 0.30). Neither total watershed area nor the area in which pesticide usage was reported correlated significantly with the amount of pesticides applied, in-stream pesticide concentrations, or in-stream toxicity (all p > 0.14). In-stream pesticide concentrations and effects were more closely related to the intensity of pesticide use than to the area under cultivation.     

Roles of interplant movement,acoustic communication,and phototaxis in mate-location behavior of the leafhopper Graminella nigrifrons

Summary Male Graminella nigrifrons leafhoppers (Cicadellidae: Homoptera) employ a call-fly strategy to find virgin females on oat host plants. Males observed in isolation during daylight hours exhibit a high rate of interplant movement, calling from the lower canopy on each plant visited. Virgin and mated females exhibit little interplant movement. They differ from one another in that virgin females perch on the upper half of plants, whereas mated females perch on the lower half of plants. The positioning of females in the plant canopy is influenced by light. Unlike mated females, virgin females respond to male calls by emitting their own acoustic signals. When virgin females are present on plants visited by males, interplant movement of males ceases, and a localized-upward search of the female bearing plant ensues. Male search is influenced by light. Regardless of whether virgin females were confined to the upper or lower portion of plants, direction of male search was towards a light source used to illuminate above or below the plant canopy. These findings suggest that interplant movement by males and sedentary behavior by females prior to mate recognition and their use of acoustic and phototactic sensory modalities after mate recognition represent previously unrecognized adaptations to problems associated with the use of vibrational signals on plants. Offprint requests to: R.E. Hunt at the current address     

Blood mercury levels among fish consumers residing in areas with high environmental burden

Mercury is a ubiquitous, persistent toxicant found in the environment. In water, mercury bioaccumulates up the food chain and leads to high concentrations in fish. Consumption of contaminated fish is the major source of exposure to mercury in the US. The objective of this study was to enroll persons living in areas selected by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to have high mercury concentrations and who consume at least 6 oz of locally caught fish per week to determine the feasibility of monitoring future trends among a population identified as highly exposed. Blood samples were collected at time of interview and analyzed for mercury. Participants (n = 287) were enrolled from North Carolina, Maryland, and South Dakota. Participants reported eating an average of five servings of fish per week. The overall geometric mean for total mercury was 0.75 μg L⁻¹, with North Carolina having the highest mean level (2.02 μg L⁻¹). Overall, 42% of the study population had levels greater than the US geometric mean 0.83 μg L⁻¹. The number of servings of fish consumed was not found to be associated with blood mercury levels. We were able to identify some persons with elevated mercury concentrations living in areas identified by EPA; however, identifying and monitoring a highly exposed population over time would be challenging.