Changes In Aquatic Environment Research Articles

Monitoring microbiological changes in drinking water systems using a fast and reproducible flow cytometric method

Flow cytometry (FCM) is a rapid, cultivation-independent tool to assess and evaluate bacteriological quality and biological stability of water. Here we demonstrate that a stringent, reproducible staining protocol combined with fixed FCM operational and gating settings is essential for reliable quantification of bacteria and detection of changes in aquatic bacterial communities. Triplicate measurements of diverse water samples with this protocol typically showed relative standard deviation values and 95% confidence interval values below 2.5% on all the main FCM parameters. We propose a straightforward and instrument-independent method for the characterization of water samples based on the combination of bacterial cell concentration and fluorescence distribution. Analysis of the fluorescence distribution (or so-called fluorescence fingerprint) was accomplished firstly through a direct comparison of the raw FCM data and subsequently simplified by quantifying the percentage of large and brightly fluorescent high nucleic acid (HNA) content bacteria in each sample. Our approach enables fast differentiation of dissimilar bacterial communities (less than 15 min from sampling to final result), and allows accurate detection of even small changes in aquatic environments (detection above 3% change). Demonstrative studies on (a) indigenous bacterial growth in water, (b) contamination of drinking water with wastewater, (c) household drinking water stagnation and (d) mixing of two drinking water types, univocally showed that this FCM approach enables detection and quantification of relevant bacterial water quality changes with high sensitivity. This approach has the potential to be used as a new tool for application in the drinking water field, e.g. for rapid screening of the microbial water quality and stability during water treatment and distribution in networks and premise plumbing.

达里诺尔湖沉积物中无机碳的形态组成

Sediments play an important role in carbon cycle as the important sources and sinks of carbon.The role of sediments in the carbon cycle is closely related to the forms and distribution of inorganic carbon in the sediments.The forms of inorganic carbon have different capacity in the carbon cycle and recycle.Forms and changes of inorganic carbon in the sediments were essential for the fluxes and processes of carbon across the water-sediment interface.The study of inorganic carbon forms is the basis and premise for discussing their contribution to carbon cycling.In this wok,the sequential extraction method was employed to extract inorganic carbon forms in sediments from Dali Lake.The form distribution characters of inorganic carbon in surface sediments and sediment cores were studied.The correlations between inorganic carbon and physical-chemistry characteristics such as total organic carbon(TOC),total nitrogen(TN),total phosphorus(TP) and biogenic silicate(BSi) were discussed in sediment cores.The results showed that the dominant form of inorganic carbon was NH2OH·HCl form both in surface sediment and sediment cores;The content of NH2OH·HCl form in sediments ranges from 6.26 to 17.51 mg/g,with mean content of 14.02 mg/g,accounted for 82.77% of the total inorganic carbon in the sediments.The contents of inorganic carbon forms in surface sediment are rank as: NH2OH·HCl form HCl form NaCl form NH3·H2O form NaOH form.In terms of the horizontal characteristics,the central area was the high value area of inorganic carbon form,the east and north area were the low value area in the lake.Water depth and inorganic carbon present a good positive correlation(R2=0.86,P0.01).The correlationship and the horizontal characteristics of inorganic carbon implied that the terrigenous material which were carried by inflowing rivers have dilute effect on sediments.The supersaturation coefficients of Calcium carbonate in different year in Dali Lake are far greater than 1(31.59IAP/Ksp166.92).The calculation results showed that calcium carbonate was supersaturation in the lake and implied that the aquatic environmental conditions were beneficial to authigenic carbonate precipitation in Dali Lake.In sediment cores,the content of NH2OH·HCl form ranges from 5.29 to 21.72 mg/g,with mean content of 12.90 mg/g,accounted for 82.21% of the total inorganic carbon in the sediments.The contents of NH2OH·HCl form in sediment cores of DLNE-3 and DLNE-5 are obviously higher than DLNE-8 and DLNE-10.The former lied in deep water area are weakly affected by the dilution effect of terrigenous input,which is beneficial to authigenic carbonate precipitation.The latter lied in shallow water area are strongly affected by the dilution effect of terrigenous input,which is not helpful for authigenic carbonate precipitation.The correlations between inorganic carbon and nitrogen,phosphorus,biogenic silicate in the sediments implied that nutrients rising can promote the formation of calcium carbonate supersaturation.In addition,the physical and chemical properties changes in aquatic environment caused by photosynthesis was one of the important factors leading to precipitation of carbonate.

Induction to oxidative stress by saxitoxin investigated through lipid peroxidation in Neuro 2A cells and Chlamydomonas reinhardtii alga

Saxitoxin (STX) is a cyanotoxin, which can cause neurotoxic effects and induce ecological changes in aquatic environments, a potential risk to public and environmental health. Many studies of cytotoxicity on animal cells and algae have been performed, although few compare the toxic effects between the two models. In this sense, we investigated the oxidative stress induced by STX (0.4–3.0nM) in two different cellular models: Neuro-2A (N2A) cells and Chlamydomonas reinhardtii alga by quantification of malondialdehyde (MDA) levels as indicative of lipid peroxidation (LPO). Also was evaluated the antioxidant defense of these cells systems after exposure to STX by the addition of antioxidants in N2A cells culture, and by the measure of antioxidants enzymes activity in C. reinhardtii cells. The MDA levels of N2A cells increased from 15% to 113% for 0.4 and 3.0nM of STX, respectively, as compared to control. Superoxide-dismutase and catalase did not appear to protect the cell from STX effect while, in cells treated with vitamin E, the rates of MDA production decreased significantly, except for higher concentrations of STX. No MDA productions were observed in algal cells however some effects on antioxidant enzymes activity were observed when algae were exposed to 3.0nM STX. Our results indicate that the concentrations of STX that may induce oxidative stress through LPO are different in animal and phytoplankton communities. A combination of algal and animal bioassays should be conducted for reliable assessment of oxidative stress induced by STX.

Fish species diversity and conservation in Beijing and adjacent areas

Based on field surveys between 2002 and 2010, and fish collections in the National Zoological Museum, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, a total of 93 wild fish species including 12 introduced species had been recorded in Beijing and adjacent areas. Eighty five of these species, including some migratory and estuarine fishes, are native to the region. Only 43 native wild species were collected in our field work from 2002 to 2010. Compared with the historical records, nearly 50% of native fish species may have extirpated during the last over 30 years. Major reasons for these losses may include continuous natural drought, anthropogenic water use, aquatic environmental changes associated with rapid city expansion and overpopulation, and overexploitation of wild fish. In order to recover and ensure sustainable use of regional wild fish resources, measures such as systematic and thorough investigation of fish resources, enhanced management of aquatic protected areas, construction of a fish germplasm bank, and legislation on local protection of species are urgently needed.

Evaluation of the quad-polarimetric Radarsat-2 observations for the wetland InSAR application

Wetland interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) has been successfully applied to observe phase variations related to water level changes in aquatic environments with emergent vegetation. In this study, we evaluate the quadrant polarimetric Radarsat-2 (C-band) observations for the wetland InSAR applications by testing two datasets acquired over south Florida's Everglades wetlands. The first set was acquired over our northern study area, consisting of mostly managed wetlands and agricultural environments. The second set was acquired over our southern study area, consisting of naturally flowing fresh- and salt-water wetlands in the southern Everglades. In both sets, observations were acquired every repeat orbit (24 days) to generate interferograms with short temporal baselines that can maintain high coherence levels. Our results showed high coherence values in all polarization modes (from 0.26 to 0.42), with highest values in HH, then VV, and lowest in HV or VH. Surprisingly, all the quadrant polarimetric interferograms showed very similar fringe patterns regardless of the polarization type, suggesting that water level changes can be detected in all polarizations. Furthermore, the observations implied that double bounce is the dominant scattering mechanism, even in cross polarization (HV and VH), and not volume scattering as commonly assumed.

Alien invasive fish species in Polish waters: an overview

For the last 800 years, 35 alien fish species have been introduced, mainly intentionally, in Polish inland waters. The paper reviews the present state of alien fish fauna in Poland, with special attention paid to those considered to be invasive. Till now 26 species have been reported as naturalized, acclimatized or casual and it means that 34% of fish fauna are non-indigenous species. The majority came from North America, Eastern Asia and Siberia or different regions of Europe. More than 65 % of all introductions took place in the last 60 years. After the World War II the rapid expansion was noted specially for brown bullhead, Ameiurus nebulosus and gibel, Carassius gibelio. In the recent decade similar explosive spread has been observed for three Neogobius species (round goby, N. melanostomus, racer goby, N. gymnotrachelus, monkey goby, N. fluviatilis), Amur sleeper, Perccottus glenii and topmouth gudgeon, Pseudorasbora parva. The occurrence of introduced fish species resulted in several negative changes in aquatic environments. Some of them are as follows: hybridisation with native species, destruction of spawning grounds and habitats for many freshwater organisms, decrease of native fish reproduction success due to predation on eggs and offspring and finally the aliens might be vectors for parasites and diseases.

Population dynamics: seasonal variation of phytoplankton functional groups in brazilian reservoirs (Billings and Guarapiranga, São Paulo)

Phytoplankton may function as a 'sensor' of changes in aquatic environment and responds rapidly to such changes. In freshwaters, coexistence of species that have similar ecological requirements and show the same environmental requirements frequently occurs; such species groups are named functional groups. The use of phytoplankton functional groups to evaluate these changes has proven to be very useful and effective. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of functional groups of phytoplankton in two reservoirs (Billings and Guarapiranga) that supply water to millions of people in São Paulo city Metropolitan Area, southeastern Brazil. Surface water samples were collected monthly and physical, chemical and biological (quantitative and qualitative analyses of the phytoplankton) were performed. The highest biovolume (mm(3).L-1) of the descriptor species and functional groups were represented respectively by Anabaena circinalis Rabenh. (H1), Microcystis aeruginosa (Kützing) Kützing (L M/M) and Mougeotia sp. (T) in the Guarapiranga reservoir and Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii (Wolosz.) Seen. and Subba Raju (S N), Microcystis aeruginosa and M. panniformis Komárek et al. (L M/M), Planktothrix agardhii (Gom.) Anagn. and Komárek and P. cf. clathrata (Skuja) Anagn. and Komárek (S1) in the Billings reservoir. The environmental factors that most influenced the phytoplankton dynamics were water temperature, euphotic zone, turbidity, conductivity, pH, dissolved oxygen, nitrate and total phosphorous.

Identification of a calcium‐controlled negative regulatory system affecting Vibrio cholerae biofilm formation

Vibrio cholerae's capacity to cause outbreaks of cholera is linked to its survival and adaptability to changes in aquatic environments. One of the environmental conditions that can vary in V. cholerae's natural aquatic habitats is calcium (Ca(+2)). In this study, we investigated the response of V. cholerae to changes in extracellular Ca(2+) levels. Whole-genome expression profiling revealed that Ca(2+) decreased the expression of genes required for biofilm matrix production. Luria-Bertani (LB) medium supplemented with Ca(2+) (LBCa(2+)) caused V. cholerae to form biofilms with decreased thickness and increased roughness, as compared with biofilms formed in LB. Furthermore, addition of Ca(2+) led to dissolution in biofilms. Transcription of two genes encoding a two-component regulatory system pair, now termed calcium-regulated sensor (carS) and regulator (carR), was decreased in cells grown in LBCa(2+). Analysis of null and overexpression alleles of carS and carR revealed that expression of vps (Vibriopolysaccharide) genes and biofilm formation are negatively regulated by the CarRS two-component regulatory system. Through epistasis analysis we determined that CarR acts in parallel with HapR, the negative regulator of vps gene expression.

Changes in mid-summer water temperature and clarity across the Great Lakes between 1968 and 2002

In recent decades, three important events have likely played a role in changing the water temperature and clarity of the Laurentian Great Lakes: 1) warmer climate, 2) reduced phosphorus loading, and 3) invasion by European Dreissenid mussels. This paper compiled environmental data from government agencies monitoring the middle and lower portions of the Great Lakes basin (lakes Huron, Erie and Ontario) to document changes in aquatic environments between 1968 and 2002. Over this 34-year period, mean annual air temperature increased at an average rate of 0.037 °C/y, resulting in a 1.3 °C increase. Surface water temperature during August has been rising at annual rates of 0.084 °C (Lake Huron) and 0.048 °C (Lake Ontario) resulting in increases of 2.9 °C and 1.6 °C, respectively. In Lake Erie, the trend was also positive, but it was smaller and not significant. Water clarity, measured here by August Secchi depth, increased in all lakes. Secchi depth increased 1.7 m in Lake Huron, 3.1 m in Lake Ontario and 2.4 m in Lake Erie. Prior to the invasion of Dreissenid mussels, increases in Secchi depth were significant ( p < 0.05) in lakes Erie and Ontario, suggesting that phosphorus abatement aided water clarity. After Dreissenid mussel invasion, significant increases in Secchi depth were detected in lakes Ontario and Huron.

An approach to the recent environmental history of Pilica Piaski spring (southern Poland) using diatoms

Diatom floras from springs have received little attention until recently, despite the fact that springs provide specific conditions that cannot be found in any other aquatic system, and remain of great importance in terms of general environmental changes. Due to pollution of the Krakow-Czestochowska upland aquifers, the chemical composition of spring waters in the area is anthropogenically modified, and far from the natural state. In order to generate a baseline diatom flora for springs, a paleolimnological study was applied as one of the best recognized and applied methods used to track long-term environmental changes worldwide. Little is known, however, about the direction and nature of such changes in aquatic environments fed by springs. The present article focuses on shifts in diatom assemblages preserved in sediments collected from a small pond, situated close to several spring outlets. They were interpreted as a record of environmental changes that had taken place during the last century. For most of the history of the pond—as recorded in this 84 cm long core—the diatom assemblage was dominated by small Fragilaria spp. The major shifts in species composition began in a core depth of 65 cm with a decline in Fragilaria construens var. venter (Ehrenberg) Grunow and Fragilaria pinnata Ehrenberg complexes, and a concurrent increase in Achnanthidium minutissimum (Kutzing) Czarnecki. The second change was recorded at the depth of 45 cm with a sharp decline of A. minutissimum, which again was replaced by the small Fragilaria spp. In recent years, further changes in the diatom assemblage occurred, with a notable increase in Cyclotella delicatula Hustedt. The assemblage shifts recorded at this site appear to be consistent with environmental changes triggered by land use (e.g. agriculture intensity) and/or possible changes in spring water discharge.

Natural and anthropogenic aquatic environmental changes reconstructed by paleolimnological analyses in Lake Kitaura, central Japan

In order to assess the recent anthropogenic environmental changes in Lake Kitaura, central Japan, changes during the past few centuries were reconstructed from results of radiometric and tephrochlonological age determination, magnetic susceptibility measurements, total organic carbon analyses, total nitrogen analyses and fossil diatom analyses on a sediment core from the lake. A total of six major and sub-zones are recognized according to the diatom fossil assemblages, and we discuss aquatic environmental change in Lake Kitaura mainly based on these diatom assemblage change. Zone Ia and Zone Ib (older than AD 1707) are marine to brackish. In Zone IIa (AD␣1707–AD 1836), most of the brackish diatoms disappeared, and were replaced by freshwater species indicating a decrease in salinity. We interpret the salinity decrease in Zone I–IIa as a sea-level fall during the Little Ice Age. The salinity of the lake decreased to near freshwater conditions in Zone IIb (AD 1836–AD 1970), which could arise from alteration in River Tone or development of a sandspit in the mouth of River Tone in addition to sea-level change. In Zone IIIa (AD 1970–AD 1987), the diatom assemblage indicates a freshwater environment, and sedimentation rates increase rapidly. These changes reflect sedimentary environment change and an ecosystem transition due to the construction of the tide gate. In Zone IIIb (AD 1987–AD 2002), the diatom flux (valves cm−2 y−1) increased and species composition changed. The changes in Zone IIIb show a good agreement with limnological monitoring data gathered from the lake. These paleolimnological data suggest that the recent human-induced changes of the aquatic environment of the lake after the 1970s exceed rates during the period concerned in this study.

HABITAT IMPROVEMENT OF AUSTRIAN RIVERS WITH REGARD TO DIFFERENT SCALES

Various anthropogenic influences on flowing waters have led to changes in aquatic environments and their biotic communities. This paper deals with habitat improvement measures on different scales. Based on examples from rhithral and hyporhithral to epipotamal river reaches, approaches to developing abiotic characteristics typical for these sites (features of river morphology as well as current and substrate patterns) are given. These range from small-scale measures, involving restructuring the low-flow water channel, to comprehensive, system-wide restoration concepts. A spectrum of restoration measures is discussed with emphasis on their effectiveness in promoting the native fish fauna.

Assessment of historical changes in aquatic environments under climatic impacts

Climate change has been a very common phenomenon in the history of the Earth. Indeed, climatic stability should be considered the exception. In an analytical approach concerned with climate‐water relations it is essential to distinguish climatic impacts of a more or less periodic character, random impacts and impacts resulting from various human activities. North Africa and the Sahel comprise a natural laboratory where the impact of climatic changes can be studied by analysing significant changes in water resources redistribution alongside cultural and economic developments. Examples tracing the relations between variations in water resources indices and climatic changes are discussed.

Fluctuating asymmetry in fishes inhabiting acidified and unacidified lakes

Fluctuating asymmetry, the random deviation from perfect bilateral symmetry owing to developmental perturbation, has been used in a number of studies to quantify stress during early life. Decreasing pH and related changes in aquatic environments owing to input of anthropogenic acids have been demonstrated to be physiologically stressful to many fish species. Therefore, a link between environmental acidification and fluctuating asymmetry was postulated. Brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis), white sucker (Catostomus commersoni), and lake chub (Couesis plumbeus) were collected from lakes over a wide range of pH values. Use of several species allowed separate consideration of environmental and genetic effects. Depending on species, 15 to 20 paired meristic and morphometric characters were scored for the left and right sides of each individual. Differences between sides were calculated and analyzed by a variety of statistical methods. Most characters examined were not significantly more asymmetric in acidified lakes. However, one or two characters in each species were more asymmetric in lakes of lower pH. Relative overall asymmetry in brook trout was related to parameters that changed with acidification. The small number of locations sampled precluded such an analysis in the other two species. The results are consistent with the hypothetical link between environmental stress by acidification and increased fluctuating asymmetry, but the connection is much weaker than expected. This finding, the need for large sample sizes, and the lack of a definite causal link, severely limits the utility of this type of analysis in assessing the level of stress in fish populations.