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Farrow CR, Lim LT, Ackerman JD. Environmentally friendly microbeads to model the dispersal of particulates in aquatic systems. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 842:156680. [PMID: 35710004 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.156680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Revised: 05/26/2022] [Accepted: 06/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The transport of particulate matter including the gametes, larvae and propagules of reproducing organisms and other organic matter involved in nutrient/contaminant transport are important processes, yet there are few environmentally friendly methods available to examine dispersal empirically. Herein we report on the development and application of a biodegradable and non-toxic physical model, based on alginate microbeads with modifiable size, density (ρ), and colour for use in dispersal studies. Specifically, the microbeads were designed to model the size and ρ of parasitic juvenile freshwater mussels (Unionidae; ρ = 1200 kg m-3), which undergo dispersal upon excystment from fish hosts. We released the juvenile-mussel and neutrally buoyant microbeads (ρ = 1000 kg m-3) in a local river and captured them in drift nets downstream. The concentration of microbeads declined with downstream distance, but neutrally buoyant microbeads were transported farther. Analysis of microbead capture rates could be described using the patterns of several mathematical models (negative exponential, power, and turbulent transport), which were consistent with the reported dispersal of mussel larvae and other benthic macroinvertebrates. These results support the use of alginate microbeads in dispersal studies, because their environmentally friendly and customizable properties offer improvements over non-biodegradable alternatives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher R Farrow
- Physical Ecology Laboratory, Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Rd E, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada.
| | - Loong-Tak Lim
- Packaging and Biomaterials Laboratory, Department of Food Science, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Rd E, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada.
| | - Josef D Ackerman
- Physical Ecology Laboratory, Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Rd E, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada.
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Ross AJ, Arnott SE. Similar zooplankton responses to low pH and calcium may impair long-term recovery from acidification. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2022; 32:e2512. [PMID: 34877727 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2021] [Revised: 08/06/2021] [Accepted: 09/01/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Throughout much of the 20th century, unprecedented industrial emissions have led to widespread acidification of regions in North America and Europe and, as lake water pH dropped, aquatic ecosystems have experienced dramatic declines in biodiversity. International emission-control agreements have led to sweeping increases in lake pH, however acid-structured zooplankton communities still persist in many lakes. Concomitantly, calcium concentrations have been declining as a legacy of acidification and are approaching or have reached concentrations that could represent a barrier to the re-establishment of zooplankton communities similar to those in non-acidified or circumneutral reference lakes. To understand how declining calcium may influence the re-establishment of zooplankton in acid-damaged lakes we manipulated calcium and pH using a factorial in-lake mesocosm experiment and assessed their individual and combined effects on a regionally diverse zooplankton assemblage. We found that the impacts of low calcium on zooplankton species were similar to those of acidification and, consequently, may prevent the recovery of acid-structured communities. Abundance of the larger bodied and acid-sensitive Daphnia pulex/pulicaria increased in high pH treatments, albeit nonsignificantly yet, by the end of our experiment, only two individuals were sampled among our 10 low calcium enclosures. In contrast, small acid-tolerant cladocerans, such as Daphnia catawba, Daphnia ambigua, and eubosminids maintained significantly higher abundances in low calcium treatments relative to all other treatment combinations. Although we did not detect an effect of calcium on mean body size, the disproportionately high abundance of small cladocerans in low calcium treatments resulted in low calcium communities with higher overall abundance and lower cladoceran evenness. Our results, along with a landscape comparison demonstrating parallel changes in zooplankton relative abundance from 34 historically acidified lakes, suggests that declining calcium will be an important, on-going factor that may limit the recovery of zooplankton, despite regional improvements in lake pH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander J Ross
- Lakehead University, Natural Resources Management, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
| | - Shelley E Arnott
- Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
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Lopes PM, Bini LM, Declerck SAJ, Farjalla VF, Vieira LCG, Bonecker CC, Lansac-Toha FA, Esteves FA, Bozelli RL. Correlates of zooplankton beta diversity in tropical lake systems. PLoS One 2014; 9:e109581. [PMID: 25330034 PMCID: PMC4199600 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0109581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2014] [Accepted: 09/08/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The changes in species composition between habitat patches (beta diversity) are likely related to a number of factors, including environmental heterogeneity, connectivity, disturbance and productivity. Here, we used data from aquatic environments in five Brazilian regions over two years and two seasons (rainy and dry seasons or high and low water level periods in floodplain lakes) in each year to test hypotheses underlying zooplankton beta diversity variation. The regions present different levels of hydrological connectivity, where three regions present lakes that are permanent and connected with the main river, while the water bodies of the other two regions consist of permanent lakes and temporary ponds, with no hydrological connections between them. We tested for relationships between zooplankton beta diversity and environmental heterogeneity, spatial extent, hydrological connectivity, seasonality, disturbance and productivity. Negative relationships were detected between zooplankton beta diversity and both hydrological connectivity and disturbance (periodic dry-outs). Hydrological connectivity is likely to affect beta diversity by facilitating dispersal between habitats. In addition, the harsh environmental filter imposed by disturbance selected for only a small portion of the species from the regional pool that were able to cope with periodic dry-outs (e.g., those with a high production of resting eggs). In summary, this study suggests that faunal exchange and disturbance play important roles in structuring local zooplankton communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paloma M. Lopes
- Laboratório de Limnologia, Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, CCS, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
- * E-mail:
| | - Luis M. Bini
- Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, GO, Brazil
| | - Steven A. J. Declerck
- Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Department of Aquatic Ecology, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Vinicius F. Farjalla
- Laboratório de Limnologia, Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, CCS, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Ludgero C. G. Vieira
- Faculdade UnB Planaltina, Universidade de Brasília, Área Universitária n. 1 - Vila Nossa Senhora de Fátima, Planaltina, Distrito Federal, Brazil
| | - Claudia C. Bonecker
- Núcleo de Pesquisas em Limnologia, Ictiologia e Aqüicultura (NUPELIA), Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Jd. Universitário, Maringá, Paraná, Brazil
| | - Fabio A. Lansac-Toha
- Núcleo de Pesquisas em Limnologia, Ictiologia e Aqüicultura (NUPELIA), Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Jd. Universitário, Maringá, Paraná, Brazil
| | - Francisco A. Esteves
- Laboratório de Limnologia, Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, CCS, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
- Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ecologia e Desenvolvimento Sócio Ambiental de Macaé, Rodovia Amaral Peixoto, Macaé, RJ, Brazil
| | - Reinaldo L. Bozelli
- Laboratório de Limnologia, Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, CCS, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
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