PRODUCTION PROCESSES UNDER THE ICE IN LAKE ST. CLAIR: 1. IRRADIATION AND TEMPERATURE1

ABSTRACT: Data from three ice-covered stations in Lake St. Clair were collected to evaluate the effect of ice and related variables on phytoplankton production. Primary production, phytoplankton standing crop, irradiation and temperature were measured from January to April, 1973. Mean production values ranged from 0.74 mgC/m³/h at station 1 near Mitchell Bay to 3.4 mgC/m³/h in waters at stations 2 and 3 below the Thames River mouth. A similar pattern was observed in chlorophyll a concentration, the mean values ranged from 0.63 μg/1 at station 1 to 2.1 and 1.3 μg/1 at stations 2 and 3. Temperature stratification occurred at the three stations. However, the temperatures at station 1 were consistently more than a degree warmer than at the other two stations. Irradiation was low, having a mean value at the sampling depth of .075 ly/min. The data is interpreted to indicate that the ice-bound phytoplankton were adapted to the low irradiation. It is suggested that the variation observed between stations is related to the formation of a plume by the Thames River and differences in nutrient loads carried by the St. Clair and Thames Rivers.     

Covariates affecting spatial variability in bison travel behavior in Yellowstone National Park.

Understanding mechanisms influencing the movement paths of animals is essential for comprehending behavior and accurately predicting use of travel corridors. In Yellowstone National Park (USA), the effects of roads and winter road grooming on bison (Bison bison) travel routes and spatial dynamics have been debated for more than a decade. However, no rigorous studies have been conducted on bison spatial movement patterns. We collected 121 380 locations from 14 female bison with GPS collars in central Yellowstone to examine how topography, habitat type, roads, and elevation affected the probability of bison travel year-round. We also conducted daily winter bison road use surveys (2003-2005) to quantify how topography and habitat type influenced spatial variability in the amount of bison road travel. Using model comparison techniques, we found the probability of bison travel and spatial distribution of travel locations were affected by multiple topographic and habitat type attributes including slope, landscape roughness, habitat type, elevation, and distances to streams, foraging areas, forested habitats, and roads. Streams were the most influential natural landscape feature affecting bison travel, and results suggest the bison travel network throughout central Yellowstone is spatially defined largely by the presence of streams that connect foraging areas. Also, the probability of bison travel was higher in regions of variable topography that constrain movements, such as in canyons. Pronounced travel corridors existed both in close association with roads and distant from any roads, and results indicate that roads may facilitate bison travel in certain areas. However, our findings suggest that many road segments used as travel corridors are overlaid upon natural travel pathways because road segments receiving high amounts of bison travel had similar landscape features as natural travel corridors. We suggest that most spatial patterns in bison road travel are a manifestation of general spatial travel trends. Our research offers novel insights into bison spatial dynamics and provides conceptual and analytical frameworks for examining movement patterns of other species.     

PRODUCTION PROCESSES UNDER THE ICE IN LAKE ST. CLAIR II. NUTRIENTS (SILICATE) AS A LIMITING FACTOR1

ABSTRACT: During the winter of 1972 nutrient concentrations beneath the ice, and snow when present, were measured at three stations in Lake St. Clair. Nutrient patterns are compared and discussed in relation to primary production. Typically nutrient concentrations were high for a few weeks after ice formation and high again in the spring with mid-winter declines. At station 3 soluble reactive silica appeared to influence primary production and chlorophyll a. Nutrient limitation was not detected at the other two stations. The nutrient patterns, primary production and temperature provide evidence that a water mass or plume peculiar to the inflowing Thames River moves down the southeastern side of the lake beneath the ice.     

Safeguarding the Pantanal Wetlands: Threats and Conservation Initiatives

Abstract:  The Pantanal, one of the largest wetlands on the planet, comprises 140,000 km² of lowland floodplain of the upper Rio Paraguai basin that drains the Cerrado of central Brazil. The diverse mosaics of habitats resulting from the varied soil types and inundation regimes are responsible for an extraordinarily rich terrestrial and aquatic biota, exemplified by the bird richest wetland in the world—463 birds have been recorded there—and the largest known populations of several threatened mammals, such as Pampas deer ( Ozotoceros bezoarticus ), marsh deer ( Blastocerus dichotomus ), giant otter ( Pteronura brasiliensis ), and jaguar ( Panthera onca ). Until recently, deforestation of the adjoining Brazilian central plateau was considered the major threat to this area, but now deforestation is a critical problem within the floodplain itself. More than 40% of the forest and savanna habitats have been altered for cattle ranching through the introduction of exotic grasses. And there are other threats that lead to large-scale disruption of ecological processes, severely affecting biodiversity. Although the Pantanal wetland is a Biosphere Reserve and is considered a Wetland of International Importance, only 2.5% of the upper Paraguai River basin is formally protected. To date, protected areas have been created opportunistically and as such, although of undoubted value, protect only a fraction of the Pantanal's wildlife and habitats. Among the conservation initiatives in the area, the private sector is increasingly participating in the establishment of private reserves. The prospects are far from optimistic, however, and the major challenge is to find alternative socioeconomic models that allow for conservation and economic uses of the land in association with the development of specific environmental legislation that reflects the unique characteristics of the region.     

Light quality and concentration of proteins,RNA, DNA and photosynthetic pigments in two species of marine plankton algae

Chlorophyll, protein, DNA and RNA concentrations in cultures ofCyclotella nana (Hustedt) andDunaliella tertiolecta (Butcher) were higher in blue light and lower in green light than in white light of the same intensity. Total carotenoid concentrations were highest in green light. Total pigment concentrations were highest in cells grown in blue light, lowest in those from green light. The relative changes in pigment concentrations associated with differences in spectral composition of the radiation are comparable to those often observed in phytoplankton from various depths in stratified natural water. Light adaptation in algae as a response to light quality is suggested. The chemical composition of plankton algae can be expected to vary considerably with depth.     

The nature of the photosynthate in natural phytoplankton populations in relation to light quality

The relative concentrations of a variety of organic compounds in phytoplankton from different depths of the photic zone of Saanich Inlet and Indian Arm, British Columbia, Canada, were determined. In surface phytoplankton the greatest proportion of ¹⁴C in newly-formed organic compounds was in the ethanol-soluble fraction irrespective of the light intensity. The proportion of the label in the insoluble fraction increased with depth. Within the ethanol-soluble fraction the relative importance of carbohydrates decreased and amino acids increased with depth. Experiments in Indian Arm indicated that these observed changes were in response to light quality rather than intensity. The percentage release of dissolved organic carbon as a percentage of total fixation decreased with depth and was directly related to the size of the ethanol-soluble fraction.