Linking Excess Nutrients,Light, and Fine Bedded Sediments to Impacts on Faunal Assemblages in Headwater Agricultural Streams1

Griffith, Michael B., F. Bernard Daniel, Matthew A. Morrison, Michael E. Troyer, James M. Lazorchak, and Joseph P. Schubauer‐Berigan, 2009. Linking Excess Nutrients, Light, and Fine Bedded Sediments to Impacts on Faunal Assemblages in Headwater Agricultural Streams. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 45(6):1475‐1492. Abstract: Biological impairments in streams are typically defined by regulatory agencies in terms of altered invertebrate or fish assemblages. While nutrients, canopy cover, and sediment fines contribute to these impairments, these stressors are often defined, at least in part, by their impacts on periphyton. Path analysis can extend these assessments to impacts on invertebrates and fish by characterizing the direct and indirect relationships among variables along defined model pathways. With data from headwater tributaries in the Little Miami River, Ohio, we tested models of the impacts of nutrients [total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), and the nitrogen to phosphorus (N/P) ratio], the percentage of (%) open canopy, and the % sand and fines on three periphyton metrics [periphytic ash‐free dry mass (AFDM), the percent abundance of cyanobacteria (% cyanobacteria), and the percent abundance of Chlorophyta (% Chlorophyta)] and, in turn, on selected invertebrate or fish metrics. Our objective was to develop and evaluate a statistical model that assesses the direct and indirect impacts of excess nutrients on macroinvertebrate and fish in these streams and demonstrate how this approach might be applicable elsewhere. The results suggest indirect pathways for the influences of nutrients, canopy cover, and fine bedded sediments on invertebrates or fish that are mediated by their influences on periphyton. This is in addition to any direct impacts of these stressors on the invertebrate and fish metrics. In most models, all three periphyton metrics increased with % open canopy. Periphytic AFDM increased with TN, while % cyanobacteria decreased. The % cyanobacteria also decreased with % sand and fines, but % Chlorophyta increased. The metrics, percent abundance of (%) three most dominant (macroinvertebrate) taxa, % Trichoptera, and % herbivorous fish all increased with periphytic AFDM, while % climbers, % swimmers, and %Lepomis cyanellus Rafinesque decreased. Lepomis cyanellus is an indicator species, because it is generally common in these streams and relatively tolerant to various common environmental stressors. The % three most dominant macroinvertebrate taxa increased while % Hydropsychidae (Trichoptera) and %L. cyanellus decreased with % cyanobacteria. The % Trichoptera and %L. cyanellus increased with % Chlorophyta. Some macroinvertebrate metrics, such as the % burrowers and number of burrower taxa, did not have any statistically significant relationships with the periphyton metrics but did exhibit a direct pathway with % sand and fines. These analyses illustrate how path analysis can be used to estimate the relationships among the variables in a conceptual model, modify the model, assess the relative importance of different paths, and explore responses resulting from stressors with interacting and indirect impacts.     

Bringing the outside in: Can “external” workers experience insider status?

The current study examines the possibility that agency workers can experience perceived insider status despite their assumed “outsider” category. One hundred ninety‐one agency workers from Canadian financial firms completed surveys assessing agency worker perceptions regarding the level of support from both their supervisors and the client firms' permanent workers, as well as the agency workers' level of perceived insider status and affective commitment toward the client firm. Agency worker supervisors (within the client firm) assessed the agency workers' level of interpersonal facilitation. Results indicate that: (1) Agency workers can experience perceived insider status, regardless of their objective classification as outsiders; (2) perceived support from supervisors and the client firms' permanent workers contribute to agency worker perceptions of insider status; and (3) perceptions of insider status are associated with higher levels of both affective commitment and interpersonal facilitation, even in workers that are considered marginally tied to the organization. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Emotional competence and work performance: The mediating effect of proactivity and the moderating effect of job autonomy

This paper proposes and tests a model where emotional competence influences work performance through employees' proactive behaviors toward their supervisors. Results from 196 supervisor‐employee pairs supported that emotional competence was positively associated with proactive behaviors, and proactive behaviors were positively associated with both task effectiveness and social integration. In addition, proactive behaviors significantly mediated the relationships between emotional competence and work performance, although this was mostly true of followers who had a higher degree of autonomy in their work. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Situational Waste in Landscape Watering: Residential and Business Water Use in an Urban Utah Community1

Abstract: Landscape water conservation is an important issue for municipalities throughout the Western United States, and especially in Utah as rapid growth strains existing water supplies. We conducted interdisciplinary research in Layton, Utah, that aimed at understanding patterns of landscape water use among households and businesses. The research project involved three basic tasks. First, a landscape “water budget” was developed by producing a calibrated and classified mosaic of landscape type and area from airborne multispectral digital imagery, integrating this information with Layton City parcel boundary data to determine landscape vegetated areas per lot, and estimating irrigation needs derived from reference evapotranspiration (ETo) obtained using weather data for the Salt Lake City metropolitan region. Second, utilizing Layton water billing data, water use for each household and business was identified and categorized as “conserving,”“acceptable” or “wasteful” by determining how much the water applied varied from actual landscape plant need. Third, surveys were administered to a random stratified sample of households and businesses in the study area to investigate various factors that were hypothesized to be predictive of wasteful watering practices. This paper primarily focuses on analysis of the household and business survey data, which explores factors affecting urban landscape water use from a human behavioral perspective. We found that the most significant factors predicting actual water use were the type of irrigation system and whether the location was a household or business. Attitudinal and motivational characteristics were not consistently associated with water use. We found that wasteful watering is the result of many factors embedded in the complex context of urban landscapes. This implies that water conservation programs should identify potential wasteful users through analyses of water billing data and direct water conservation measures at these users by focusing on site‐specific evaluations and recommendations. Water audits or water checks are one such tool that some communities have employed to help people understand and assess the quantity of water needed by and applied to their landscapes. This approach provides an opportunity to evaluate situational constraints at particular locations and design appropriate strategies for reducing water waste.     

A Statistical Sediment Yield Prediction Model Incorporating the Effect of Fires and Subsequent Storm Events1

Abstract: Alluvial fans are continuously being developed for residential, industrial, commercial, and agricultural uses in southern California. Development and alteration of alluvial fans need to consider the possibility of mud and debris flows from upstream mountain watersheds affected by fires. Accurate prediction of sediment yield (or hyper‐concentrated sediment yield) is essential for the design, operation, and maintenance of debris basins to safeguard properly the general populace. This paper presents a model for the prediction of sediment yields that result from a combination of fire and subsequent storm events. The watersheds used in this analysis are located in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains in southern California. A multiple regression analysis is first utilized to establish a fundamental statistical relationship for sediment yield as a function of relief ratio, drainage area, maximum 1‐h rainfall intensity and fire factor using 45 years of data (1938‐1983). In addition, a method for multi‐sequence sediment yield prediction under fire conditions was developed and calibrated using 17 years of sediment yield, fire, and precipitation data for the period 1984‐2000. After calibration, this model was verified by applying it to provide a prediction of the sediment yields for the 2001‐2002 fire events in southern California. The findings indicate a strong correlation between the estimated and measured sediment yields. The proposed method for sequence sediment yield prediction following fire events can be a useful tool to schedule cleanout operations for debris basins and to develop an emergency response strategy for the southern California region where plentiful sediment supplies exist and frequent fires occur.     

Industrial pollution transport. Part 2. Control of industrial emissions

Solutions of the pollution transport problem and its adjoint are used to monitor mean pollution concentration in an ecologically important zone. Four strategies of control over pollutants released into the atmosphere by industrial plants are suggested. They differ by the restrictions imposed on the emission rate of each plant. All the strategies use solutions of the adjoint transport problem and assure the fulfillment of the sanitary norm in the zone. A linear interpolation of these strategies also brings pollution level in the zone down to the sanitary norm. A method of detecting the plants violating the prescribed emission rates is also given. A simple example is given to illustrate the strategies suggested.     

Application of a DPSIR Modeling Framework to Assess Spatial–Temporal Differences of Water Poverty in China

Water shortage is a common problem around the world, especially in developing countries. Water shortage is closely linked to natural and social conditions, but the linkages between these natural and social conditions and their underlying temporal and spatial variation are less well explored. This paper details an application of the Driving‐Force‐Pressure‐State‐Impact‐Response (DPSIR) model, a holistic and sustainable tool for resources planning and management, and uses comprehensive weights to evaluate the water poverty (wp) in China from 1997 to 2014. This study applies the Kernel density estimation model to analyze the temporal variation trend and uses the least square error model to analyze the spatial pattern of wp. The results show the level of wp is gradually declining over time and the improvements in the coastal and inland wp situation are not spatially harmonious, and there are four primary types of wp in China based on drivers and causal mechanisms: D‐P‐I, D‐P‐I‐R, D‐P‐S‐I, and D‐P‐S‐I‐R. Furthermore, we analyze the main causes of spatial difference of wp and put forward corresponding countermeasures. The research findings are intended to provide a new insight for the evaluation of wp in the context of sustainable development, breaking past limitations that arise in simplified analyses using a single method, and to provide a strategy for regional water resources management to relieve wp.     

Subcellular distribution op neurotoxic esterase activity in lamb and mouse brain

Abstract

Brain tissue samples of nice (7.5 g from 25 mouse brains and lamb (25 g) were homogenized and subcellular fractions prepared in order to assay the distribution of neurotoxic esterase (NTE) activity. The specific inhibitor, N,N‐diisopropylphosphorodiamidic fluoride (mipafox) was synthesized and purified. Maximum specific activity of NTE was reached in the microsomal fraction (110,000 g) while the enzyme activity in the soluble fraction (110,000 g) was extremely low. This subcellular distribution of NTE activity in mammal brains is an original contribution. Brain microsomal fraction is suggested to be a more reliable source for the highest activity of NTE. The specific activity of NTE of lamb brain was much higher than that of mouse brain. This night help interpretation of the characteristic species variation in susceptibility to NTE inhibitors which are known to be potent delayed neurotoxic agents.     

Bacteria additives to the changes in gaseous mass transfer from stored swine manure

Abstract

A bacteria additives treatment experiment in assessing the changes in gaseous mass transfer from stored swine manure is presented. The experiment is tested for ammonia, methane, hydrogen sulfide, and carbon dioxide emission data sampled from pilot swine manure columns and analyzed by GC/MS. The result shows that bacteria additives slightly reduce the methane and carbon dioxide releases, while the same additives do not show any effect on the reduction of ammonia. The hydrogen sulfide contents of stored swine manure continued to be low. Gas concentrations emitted from treated and untreated stored swine manure were: 3.76 and 2.2 ppm for methane, 0.35 and 0.11 ppm for ammonia, and 1000 and 470 ppm for carbon dioxide, respectively. A simple model to estimate gas emission rates is also developed from the viewpoint of two‐film resistance theory. The average emission rates calculated from the model for methane, ammonia, and carbon dioxide are respectively: 0.01, 0.0005, and 13.98 g/min from untreated stored manure; while 0.07, 0.096, and 0.55 g/min from treated manure. The emission model also indicates that for most gaseous pollutants of environmental concern, liquid phase transfer coefficient controls the rate of volatile compounds emitted from stored swine manure and gas phase transfer coefficient has insignificant effect in the calculation of overall mass transfer coefficient.     

Evaluation of the mobility of c14‐labelled pesticides in soils by thin layer chromatography using a linear analyser

Abstract

The mobility of seven pesticides in a chromic cambisol soil was studied by soil thin layer chromatography. Pesticide mobilities were determined by means of conventional autoradiographs of the chromatograms, as well as from sequential series of curves and images of the pesticide spots provided by a linear analyser. The R _f values obtained from the autoradiographs and those provided by the linear analyser were quite consistent. Based on such values, pesticide mobility decreased in the following order: acephate > fluometuron > atrazine > ethofumesate > metolachlor > diazinon > glyphosate. According to the mobility scale proposed by Helling and Turner (1968), acephate is highly mobile; atrazine, fluometuron, ethofumesate and metolachlor are moderately mobile; diazinon is slightly mobile; and glyphosate is immobile. The images provided by the linear analyser allow to determine the R _f values for the zones of maximum activity in the pesticide spots (R _f ^max), as well as the activities of different spot zones and those corresponding to R _f and R _f ^max. The results obtained show the image analyser to provide more expeditious R _f measurements from the chromatograms and open up new prospects for using soil TLC to investigate pesticide mobility.