Statistical analyses of regional surface water quality in southeastern Ontario

Historical records from Ontario's Provincial Water Quality Monitoring Network (PWQMN) for rivers and streams were analyzed to assess the feasibility of mapping regional water quality patterns in southeastern Ontario which spans two major geologic zones, the Precambrian Shield and the St. Lawrence Lowlands, thus serving as a paradigm for much of Ontario. Despite biases toward the populated Lowlands and associated pollution problems, general spatial trends are evident via the analysis of intervariable relations, individual parameter maps and multivariate analysis. Using a robust algorithm designed to identify outliers and abstract underlying bivariate relations, a linear regional hardness-alkalinity relation was derived, where most anomalies proved to be mine drainage impacted sites. Regionally, multivariate ordination reveals that central tendencies of common indicators of ionic strength and nutrient richness correlate positively and that site clusters broadly reflect the transition from oligotrophic Shield waters to eutrophic conditions of heavily agricultural Lowland streams. Results suggest that on the Shield more precisely delineated aquatic regions may be realized by applying GIS to integrate river and synoptic lake survey data. Further synthesis with bedrock and surficial geology, physiography, pedology and other temporally invariant spatial attributes should yield regional patterns of background quality from which locally attainable water objectives might be defined. Additional synoptic surveys of sedimentary Lowland streams may be required as most available sites relflect anthropogenic pollution.     

Relation between mortality of young walleye (Stizostedion vitreum) and recruitment with different forms of compensation

The relation between mortality of young fish and recruitment is important for assessment of the environmental effects of facilities that kill large numbers of young fish, such as electric power stations and hydropower plants. A simulation model with a bioenergetic growth component was applied to examine the relation between mortality of young and recruitment for walleye (Stizostedion vitreum) with different forms of population regulation, including: food limited growth, food limited growth with size-dependent mortality, and food limited growth with age at maturity dependent on size. With food limited growth small increases in mortality of young reduced recruitment considerably, but the population slowly approached a new equilibrium. If mortality of young increased when growth was food limited, the population approached a new equilibrium of natality and mortality because with fewer individuals there was more food per individual, and individuals were larger in size and produced more eggs; this feedback adjusted natality to equal mortality. With either mortality or age at maturity dependent on size, large increases in mortality of young resulted in only small decreases in recruitment.     

Evaluation and selection strategy for green supply chain using interval-valued q-rung orthopair fuzzy combinative distance-based assessment

Environment, Development and Sustainability - Environmental deterioration and global warming has created a substantial impact on international companies to incorporate eco-friendly, green supply...     

SWOT analysis of renewable energy sector in Mazowieckie Voivodeship (Poland): current progress,prospects and policy implications

Environment, Development and Sustainability - Renewable energy (RE) plays an increasingly important role in the economy of almost every country in the world. In order to examine the state of...     

GIS-based mapping of water-level fluctuations (WLF) and its impact on groundwater in an Agrarian District in Tamil Nadu,India

Environment, Development and Sustainability - This study describes the results of groundwater table variation in Thanjavur District before and after the monsoon seasons. Groundwater-level data...     

Reproductive Success of Marginal Populations of Dactylorhiza maculata (L.) Soó (Orchidaceae)

Russian Journal of Ecology - Populations at the border of ranges are considered more vulnerable than those in the center. However, some recent reviews contradict this hypothesis. We have studied...     

The Arbuscules Formation Intensity Decreased in Mycorrhizal Alien Plants of Belarusian Polesia

Russian Journal of Ecology - Abstract—We tested a hypothesis about the different abilities of alien and native plants to form arbuscular mycorrhizae. The studies were carried out in the...     

Rate-temperature responses in scyphozoan medusae and polyps

The effects of temperature on oxygen consumption and spontaneous rhythmic activity have been investigated in various stages of the life histories of 3 species of jellyfish from the Chesapeake Bay, USA. All 3 species clearly show the ability to acclimate positively to temperature change. Thermal sensitivity of metabolism in the winter medusa Cyanea capillata fulva is fairly low at temperature intervals which are experienced in nature. Polyps of the two summer medusae, Chrysaora quinquecirrha and Aurelia aurita, show reduced metabolic sensitivity at temperatures normally accompanying high developmental activity and the onset of strobilation.