Factors controlling the bioaccumulation of mercury and methylmercury by the estuarine amphipod Leptocheirus plumulosus

The bioaccumulation of inorganic mercury (HgI) and monomethylmercury (MMHg) by benthic organisms and subsequent trophic transfer couples the benthic and pelagic realms of aquatic systems and provides a mechanism for transfer of sedimentary contaminants to aquatic food chains. Experiments were performed to investigate the bioavailability and bioaccumulation of particle-associated HgI and MMHg by the estuarine amphipod Leptocheirus plumulosus to further understand the controls on bioaccumulation by benthic organisms. HgI and MMHg are particle reactive and have a strong affinity for organic matter, a potential food source for amphipods. Microcosm laboratory experiments were performed to determine the effects of organic matter on Hg bioaccumulation and to determine the major route of Hg uptake (i.e. sediment ingestion, uptake from water/porewater, or uptake from 'food'). Amphipods living in organic-rich sediment spiked with Hg accumulated less Hg than those living in sediments with a lower organic matter content. Feeding had a significant impact on the amount of HgI and MMHg accumulated. Similarly, amphipods living in water with little organic matter accumulated more Hg than those living in water with a greater percentage of organic matter. MMHg was more readily available for uptake than HgI. Experimental results, coupled with results from a bioaccumulation model, suggest that accumulation of HgI and MMHg from sediment cannot be accurately predicted based solely on the total Hg, or even the MMHg, concentration of the sediment, and sediment-based bioaccumulation factors. All routes of exposure need to be considered in determining the accumulation of HgI and MMHg from sediment to benthic invertebrates.     

The use of sediment analogues to study the uptake of pollutants by chironomid larvae

A technique is described that uses artificial resin beads with known surface properties to investigate the factors influencing the bioaccumulation of pollutants from sediments. One advantage of this technique is that it provides a standard procedure against which it is possible to calibrate natural sediments with their diverse properties. The method has been used on third instar larvae of the midge Chironomus riparius and the results are compared with previous studies on the worm Lumbriculus variegatus. The use of a standard test using resin beads as a substitute for natural sediment allows comparisons to be made between species and substrates. Thus, the bioaccumulation factors for the midge larvae are much smaller than those of the worm and this correlates with the ability of the insect larva to detoxify many pollutants. It is also possible to use the test to identify if ingestion of the sediment increases the bioaccumulation of contaminants and whether this involves the release of pollutants by digestive processes or not.     

Evaluation of reverse phase liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry for estimation of n-octanol/water partition coefficients for organic chemicals

A reverse-phase high pressure liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (HPLC/MS method was developed for estimating n-octanol/water partition coefficients (K_ow) of anthropogenic molecules in complex chemical mixtures (e.g., complex effluents and solid waste leachates). The average error for an estimated log K_ow was ca. 0.5 and this error was similar for both aliphatic and aromatic compounds. The minimum level of detection using the total ion current profile generally decreased with increasing molecular weight between 100 and 600 daltons. Results obtained demonstrate that the HPLC/MS method is a viable technique for estimating log K_ow's of anthropogenic chemicals in complex environmental samples.     

COMPARISON OF MODELS FOR ESTIMATING FLOOD QUANTILES IN NEW HAMPSHIRE AND VERMONT1

We develop and compare three regression models for estimating flood quantiles at ungaged stream reaches in New Hampshire and Vermont. These models emerge from systematic analysis and validation of relations between flood magnitude and six candidate predictors reflecting basin size, topography, and climate and channel size at 36 gaging stations with record lengths exceeding 20 years. Of the candidate predictors, bank full width is most highly correlated with flood magnitude and the best prediction equation is based on width. Thus channel geometry is closely related to the current hydrologic regime in spite of geologically recent glaciation and apparently non-alluvial bank materials. We also develop models that use information obtainable from maps or GIS. The best of these uses drainage area and drainage-basin elevation as predictors, but it is substantially less precise than the width-based relation. A third relation using only drainage area as a predictor is even less precise but may be useful for some purposes. No other single predictors or combinations yielded useful predictions, although some had been included in previously-established models for the region. Model comparison included examination of residuals generated by regression using one-at-a-time suppression of data points and comparison with precision obtainable with gaging records of varying lengths.     

Developing an empirical model of phytoplankton primary production: a neural network case study

We describe the development of a neural network model for estimating primary production of phytoplankton. Data from an enriched estuary in the eastern United States, Chesapeake Bay, were used to train, validate and test the model. Two error backpropagation multilayer perceptrons were trained: a simpler one (3-5-1) and a more complex one (12-5-1). Both neural networks outperformed conventional empirical models, even though only the latter, which exploits a larger suite of predictive variables, provided truly accurate outputs. The application of this neural network model is thoroughly discussed and the results of a sensitivity analysis are also presented.     

The evolution of large and small-scale structures in Kelvin–Helmholtz instabilities

To better understand the dynamics of Kelvin–Helmholtz instabilities in environmental flows, their evolution is investigated using direct numerical simulations (DNS). Two-dimensional DNS is used to examine the large-scale and small-scale structures of the instability at high Reynolds and Prandtl numbers that represent real environmental flows. The semi-analytical model of Corcos and Sherman (J Fluid Mech 73:241–264, 1976) is used to explain the physics of these simulations prior to saturation of the KH billow, and also provide a computationally efficient prediction of the vortex dynamics of the instability. The DNS results show that the large-scale structure of the billow does not depend on the Reynolds number for sufficiently high Reynolds numbers. The billow structure reveals a less straightforward dependence on the Prandtl number. Predictions of the model of Corcos and Sherman (J Fluid Mech 73:241–264, 1976) improve as Reynolds number and Prandtl number increase. The small-scale structure of the vorticity and density fields vary with both Reynolds and Prandtl numbers. Three-dimensional DNS of KH flows and their transition to turbulence are used to study small length scales. Based on the thickness of the braid, a simple method is introduced to estimate the Batchelor scale, which can be used as a guide for the resolution required for the direct numerical simulation of two and three-dimensional Kelvin–Helmholtz flow fields.     

Blends of (R)-3-hydroxyhexan-2-one and alkan-2-ones identified as potential pheromones produced by three species of cerambycid beetles

We present data indicating that three species of cerambycid beetles (subfamily Cerambycinae) produce the common cerambycine pheromone component (R)-3-hydroxyhexan-2-one as well as an alkan-2-one component, a possible new motif for cerambycid pheromone components. GC/MS analyses of headspace volatiles produced by male beetles indicated that Cyrtophorus verrucosus (Olivier) produced (R)-3-hydroxyhexan-2-one but also nonan-2-one at ~18 % of the hydroxyketone component, whereas Orwellion gibbulum arizonense (Casey) and Parelaphidion aspersum (Haldeman) produced decan-2-one at ~40 and 7 % of the amount of the hydroxyketone, respectively. In field bioassays, adult C. verrucosus were attracted by (R)-3-hydroxyhexan-2-one alone, but attraction was significantly enhanced by nonan-2-one. This effect was lost if the quantity of nonan-2-one exceeded 100 % of the hydroxyketone, suggesting that beetles could discern ratios of the two chemicals and were most strongly attracted to those approximating the blend produced by males. We suggest that nonan-2-one plays a role in the species specificity of the pheromone signal of C. verrucosus, and that decan-2-one plays a similar role in the semiochemical communication of O. g. arizonense and P. aspersum.     

Experimental evidence that workers recognize reproductives through cuticular hydrocarbons in the ant Odontomachus brunneus

Eusociality is characterized by a reproductive division of labor, wherein workers respond to the presence of reproductive individuals by refraining from reproduction themselves and restricting the reproductive efforts of others. Our understanding of how eusociality is maintained therefore depends on characterizing the mechanism by which workers detect the presence of a reproductive. Variations in cuticular hydrocarbons correspond to changes in reproductive ability in ants, and experimental studies are beginning to reveal the function of hydrocarbons as signals. In this study, we compare the cuticular hydrocarbon profiles of dominant and reproductive workers and queens of the ant Odontomachus brunneus with profiles of non-reproductive workers. Using split/reunification tests we document the existence of worker policing in both queenless and queenright colonies; supernumerary reproductives were treated aggressively by nestmates. Finally, we induce aggression and replicate queen-like submissive nestmate responses by supplementing the hydrocarbon profile of workers with (Z)-9-nonacosene, a compound that was significantly more abundant on the cuticles of reproductives. In three bioassays, we compare this manipulation to various control manipulations of the hydrocarbon profile and demonstrate that workers gauge the reproductive activity of nestmates through changes in their cuticular hydrocarbon profiles.     

Dissipation of 17β-estradiol in composted poultry litter

The excreted estrogen rate of all livestock in the United States is estimated at 134 kg d. The influence of manure treatment on the fate of estrogens is critical in deciding the recycling of over 300 million dry tons of livestock produced annually. The effects of two common manure management practices, heated composting and ambient temperature decomposition, on the fate of 17β-estradiol in poultry litter were determined. A mixture of poultry litter, wood chips, and straw was amended with [C]17β-estradiol and allowed to undergo decomposition with a laboratory-scale heated composter (HC) or room temperature incubation (RTI) for 24 d. Radiolabel in the finished products was fractionated into water-extractable, acetone-extractable, nonextractable, and mineralized fractions. Total 17β-estradiol radioactive residues in the HC and RTI ( = 2) treatments were not different ( > 0.05), except that statistically less 17β-estradiol was mineralized to CO during HC than RTI (1.1 vs. 10.0% for HC and RTI, respectively). Estrone was the major degradation product in extracts of HC and RTI treatments as determined by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry analyses. The nonextractable residues indicated no quantitative differences among the humins between the treatments. An estimated 3% of the fortified estrogenicity remained after HC treatment, and 15% of the fortified estrogenicity remained after RTI treatment. If reduction of water-removable, biologically active 17β-estradiol is the treatment goal, then HC treatment would be slightly preferred over ambient temperature degradation. However, unmanaged, ambient temperature litter piles are less costly and time consuming for food animal producers and result in greater mineralization and similar immobilization of estradiol.