Sinkhole Ponds Research Articles

Vascular flora of two wetlands in the Red River Gorge Geological Area and Clifty Wilderness in Menifee and Powell Counties of Kentucky

The Red River Gorge Geological Area (RRGGA) and Clifty Wilderness (CW) are two gems of biodiversity in eastern Kentucky which draw over 40,000 visitors annually. Vascular floras of two wetlands (Booth Pond and Fish Trap) within the RRGGA and CW were conducted during the 2018 growing season. This project utilized 106 vouchers from 2016–2018, and documented 35 families, 49 genera, and 61 species. The most taxon-rich families include Cyperaceae (10 spp.), Fagaceae (four spp.), and Rubiaceae (four spp.). Rosa multiflora Thunb. ex Murr., an invasive species classified as a severe threat by the Kentucky Invasive Plant Council, was found at both sites. This study investigated two different ecological systems – Central Interior Highlands and Appalachian Sinkhole and Depression Pond with the upland sweetgum-red maple pond association (Booth Pond), and a Cumberland Seepage Forest with a forested swamp bog association (Fish Trap). Both associations are listed as imperiled (G2) by NatureServe. A Floristic Quality Assessment was also conducted for each site. Booth Pond had a Floristic Quality Index (FQI) score of 23.88 and a mean Coefficient of Conservatism (C) of 4.88 and Fish Trap had an FQI score of 23.57 and a mean C of 5.14.

Evaluation of the suitability of sinkhole ponds and springs from two Portuguese karst massifs for amphibian early life stage development

Amphibians in Portugal are commonly found in karst ecosystems. Nonetheless, these ecosystems are threatened by activities such as agricultural and industrial activities and mining, which contaminate both surface water and groundwater. Due to the high permeability of the karst systems, the existence of water on the surface is scarce, with sinkhole ponds and springs representing essential water sources for amphibians, especially for their reproduction. Furthermore, water from springs may reflect the effects of surface contamination on groundwater. Considering the relevance of these water sources, specially to amphibians, which are considered highly sensitive to a widerange of contaminants, our study aimed at assessing the suitability of water from springs and sinkholes from two Portuguese karst massifs, for the development of the early lifestages of Hyla arborea. To achieve this, eggs from H. arborea were exposed to water from seven springs and four sinkholes, from the Estremenho and Sicó karst massifs, anda control (FETAX). The exposure was carried out with five replicates per condition, each with 20 tadpoles, and ended once the 25th Gosner stage was reached. The parameters evaluated were growth, antioxidant enzyme activity (Glutathione STransferases, Glutathione Peroxidase Se-dependent, total-Glutathione Peroxidase and Glutathione Reductase) and lipid peroxidation (LPO). Also, water samples were screened for the presence of six commonly used pesticides (Terbuthylazine, Tebuconazole, Deltamethrin, Dimethomorph, Chlorpyrifos and Glyphosate). The results revealed the presence of glyphosate in three of the sampled water bodies. Concurrently, in one of the sites presenting detectable glyphosate concentrations, tadpoles presented smaller body lengths, and mortality was also observed. In the remaining sites, despite the absence of the screened pesticides, there were some alterations of the biochemical parameters assessed, namely LPO. These results raised some concerns regarding the impact of human activities in surface and groundwater in the Sicó and Estremenho karst massifs.

The impact of environmental factors on benthos communities and freshwater gastropod diversity in urban sinkhole ponds in roadside and forest contexts

Sinkhole ponds originated as a result of human activity leading to ground subsidence and create important habitats for the diversity of benthos fauna in urban areas. The objectives of this study were to determine whether the context (roadside/forest) is important in relation to the composition and diversity of macroinvertebrates, and to evaluate the influence of environmental factors (e.g. water quality) on snail communities. The study showed that the context of ponds had an impact on the properties of the water. Ponds located along roads were characterised by higher conductivity and a higher concentration of calcium and phosphates. The fauna was composed of 47 taxa, including 26 taxa found in both pond contexts. The density of macroinvertebrates was higher in forest ponds. CCA analysis showed that conductivity and concentration of nitrates were most strongly associated with the distribution of gastropods. Alien snail species more often inhabited the roadside ponds.

Paleoflood records from sinkholes using an example from the Ebro River floodplain, northeastern Spain

AbstractThis work introduces for the first time the concept of using sinkholes in fluvial valleys as recorders of past floods. The notion is illustrated through the investigation of a complex sinkhole located in a broad floodplain underlain by salt-bearing Cenozoic evaporites. This active sinkhole comprises a large subsidence depression affecting the floodplain and the edge of a terrace, and a nested collapse sinkhole that used to host a sinkhole pond. A borehole drilled in the buried sinkhole pond revealed an ~7.8-m-thick fill that records around 2700 yr of clayey lacustrine deposition interrupted by three types of detrital facies. Two thick pebble gravel beds have been attributed to major high-competence floods: a paleoflood that occurred in Visigothic times (1537–1311 cal yr BP) and the 1961 Great Ebro River Flood, which is the largest event of the instrumental record. A trench dug in the portion of the terrace affected by subsidence exposed a mid-Holocene slack-water paleoflood deposit. The disadvantages and advantages of sinkholes as archives of past flood histories are discussed.

Evaluation of geochemical and hydrogeological processes by geochemical modeling in an area affected by evaporite karstification

The Ebro Valley in the outskirts of Zaragoza (NE Spain) is severely affected by evaporite karstification, leading to multiple problems related to subsidence and sinkhole formation. In this work, a combination of inverse (mixing + mass-balance) and forward (reaction-path) geochemical calculations is applied for the quantification of the main karstification processes and seasonal variations in this area. The obtained results prove the suitability of the applied methodology for the characterization of similar problems in other areas with scarce geological and hydrogeological information. The hydrogeology and hydrochemistry of the system can be mainly attributed to the mixing of variable proportions of concentrated groundwater from the evaporitic aquifer and more dilute water from the overlying alluvial aquifer. The existence of a good connection between these aquifers is supported by: (1) the fast changes in the hydrochemistry of the karst aquifer related to recharge by irrigation, and (2) the deduced input of evaporitic groundwater in the alluvial materials. The evolution in some parts of the alluvial/evaporitic aquifer system is clearly dominated by the seasonal variations in the recharge by dilute irrigation waters (up to 95% of water volume in some sinkhole ponds), whereas other points seem to be clearly determined by the hydrochemistry of the concentrated evaporitic aquifer groundwater (up to 50% of the water volume in some springs). The following reactions, previous or superimposed to mixing processes, explain the observed hydrochemistry in the studied area: dissolution of halite (NaCI), gypsum (CaSO4.2H(2)O)/anhydrite (CaSO4) and dolomite (CaMg(CO3)(2)), CO2(B) input and degassing and calcite (CaCO3) dissolution/precipitation. The modeling results suggest the existence of a large spatial variability in the composition of the evaporitic groundwater, mainly caused by large differences in the availability of halite in contact with the groundwater. Active subsidence associated with halite dissolution is expected to continue in the study area, together with the episodic increase of gypsum dissolution associated with the input of dilute irrigation waters. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The impact of environmental factors on the diversity of gastropod communities in sinkhole ponds in a coal mining region (Silesian Upland, Southern Poland)

AbstractStudies on the diversity of gastropod fauna were carried out in ten sinkhole ponds with varied sediments types, which were located in a coal mining area (Silesian Upland, Southern Poland). The water bodies with different bottom types were distinguished by their dissimilar water properties and the total organic matter in the sediment. A total of 11 gastropod species from four families were identified. Eleven species occurred in sinkhole ponds with a coal shale bottom, while in water bodies with sandy sediments nine species were found. The gastropod diversity and abundance were lower in water bodies with sandy sediments compared to the ponds with a coal shale bottom. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) showed the important factors that influence the gastropod distribution in the subsidence ponds that were studied.

Hydrogeochemical characterization of an evaporite karst area affected by sinkholes (Ebro Valley, NE

The main processes controlling the hydrochemistry of an alluvium-covered evaporite karst area with high sinkhole risk (Ebro Valley, NE Spain) are examined by means of multivariate analyses (Principal Component Analysis and Hierarchical Cluster Analysis), ion correlations and geochemical speciation-solubility calculations. The hydrogeochemistry of the studied system seems to be governed by the interaction between the groundwater from the salt-bearing evaporitic karst aquifer and from the overlying Ebro River alluvial aquifer. The observed hydrochemical features in the alluvial-karst aquifer system are mainly determined by the relative contribution of gypsum/anhydrite and halite dissolution, showing a wide spectrum from relatively fresh recharge waters (mainly irrigation waters) to highly evolved groundwater from the evaporitic aquifer. The variability of these contributions is especially evident at sinkhole ponds which, in some cases, seem to be associated with discharge areas of the karst aquifer in the valley bottom alluvium. Calculated saturation indexes suggest that, in contrast to gypsum, the amounts of halite in the sampled portions of evaporitic aquifer are not large enough to attain equilibrium, which is consistent with the predominance of gypsum/anhydrite reported for these materials. Furthermore, the observed Na:Cl and Ca:SO4 correlations and stoichiometries suggest that other possible processes, such as glauberite dissolution or Na/Ca-exchange, generally play a minor role (compared to halite and gypsum dissolution) in this system. Another important process in the system is the dissolution of carbonate minerals (dolomite and, possibly, calcite) fostered by the input of CO2(g), which is probably produced by pedogenic processes. Dolomite dissolution seems to be particularly relevant in the evaporitic materials probably due to dedolomitisation triggered by gypsum/anhydrite dissolution.

Dietary habits of juveniles of the Mayan cichlid, Cichlasoma urophthalmus, in mangrove ponds of an offshore islet in Belize, Central America

Foraging habitats of juveniles of the Mayan cichlid, Cichlasoma urophthalmus (Günther, 1862), were investigated in two mangrove ponds located in Twin Cays offshore islet in Belize: Sink Hole pond (SH) and Hidden Lake pond (HL). Sink Hole pond is a semiclosed body of water, whereas Hidden Lake pond is connected by a channel to adjacent seagrass beds that surround the islet. Gut contents of 21 juvenile C. urophthalmus (9.8-13.2 cm total length) were analyzed, and five prey taxa were identified. In both mangrove ponds, C. urophthalmus were opportunistic carnivores and consumed primarily crustaceans. Plant material and detritus present in gut contents were most likely ingested incidentally when the fish foraged on small invertebrates. Carbon isotopic values of fish specimens from the two ponds were similar (mean ± SD of -19.2 ± 0.4‰ in SH and -19.4 ± 0.4‰ in HL), and were close to those of mangrove prey (mean ± SD = -20.2 ± 1.5‰), suggesting that this fish species forages in this habitat. Mixing models showed a higher contribution of mangrove food sources to the fish diet than seagrass food sources. This study reveals that young Mayan cichlids, inhabiting two Belize mangrove ponds, are generalists and opportunistic carnivores that forage on mangrove food sources and do not appear to move to adjacent seagrass beds to complement their diets. Understanding trophic linkages between aquatic consumers and food resources may contribute to better management of threatened coastal ecosystems.

Role of Current Versus Historical Hydrology in Amphibian Species Turnover within Local Pond Communities

This study explored how historical and current hydrological conditions covaried with colonization and occupancy probabilities for 14 pond-breeding amphibians at 32 natural sinkhole ponds over a five-year period. Occupancy and colonization were estimated independently for breeding adults and juvenile recruits (metamorphs) of each species using proportion of area occupied (PAO) models that incorporated species detection probabilities. Model selection revealed whether historical or current hydrological conditions are more important in determining occupancy and colonization probabilities for each species. Adults and metamorphs of ranids and most salamanders had occupancy and colonization rates that were best estimated by models that incorporated each pond's historical hydrology. A comparison of colonization and occupancy dynamics for history dependent species indicates that these species contribute little to species turnover within local pond communities. Adult occupancy and colonization of hylid, bufonid, and a pelobatid species were more dependent on the immediate hydrology of a pond within a year. Recruitment dynamics of these same anuran species were best fit by models that incorporated both current and historical pond hydrology. In some years, these species had high probabilities of producing metamorphs in ponds where they had not produced metamorphs in the previous year. Increases or stability in colonization probabilities between years sometimes coincided with stable occupancy probabilities, indicating that these opportunistic species are responsible for species turnover in local communities. Short-term species turnover within local amphibian communities appears to be driven by these opportunistic species and linked to major changes in weather between consecutive years.

Phylogeography of the Narrow Endemic, Helenium virginicum (Asteraceae), Based upon ITS Sequence Comparisons

Abstract The federally listed threatened species, Helenium virginicum, is endemic to 30 sinkhole ponds in two counties in Virginia, but a Helenium population in Pomona, Missouri, differs scarcely from H. virginicum from Virginia in morphology, ecology, and non-coding nrDNA ITS sequences. In response to continuing taxonomic uncertainty regarding the Missouri population, we enlarged our ITS comparisons from our previous work to include 48 populations, more than doubling the number of H. virginicum populations, and including populations of H. autumnale and H. flexuosum from 12 states in the United States and two Canadian provinces. Phylogenetic analyses were conducted using Bayesian, maximum-likelihood, and maximum-parsimony methods, and showed strong support for a monophyletic species of all H. virginicum from Virginia, the Pomona population and 29 other recently discovered populations in Missouri. We conclude that H. virginicum is narrowly endemic and disjunct between Virginia and Missouri. Additionally, o...

A Nine Year Demographic Study of Helenium virginicum (Asteraceae), a Narrow Endemic Seasonal Wetland Plant

KNox, J. S. (Department of Biology, Washington and Lee University, Lexington, VA 24450). A nine year demographic study of Helenium virginicum (Asteraceae), a narrow endemic seasonal wetland plant. J. Torrey Bot. Soc. 124:236-245. 1997-I carried out a nine year demographic study of Helenium virginicum Blake using permanent quadrats at one sinkhole pond in the eastern United States to gain insight into factors controlling the distribution and abundance of this plant. I monitored recruitment and mortality of genets, their stage classes, and their distribution in relation to water depth and overstory cover. The occurrence and distribution of a seed bank was studied as well as the survival and demography of transplants. Comparisons of soil chemistry and general patterns of distribution and abundance within sites were made between the study site and other populations. The annual hydroperiod at the sinkhole pond varied from 4-16 months of continuous inundation during winter and summer with plants growing at sites with low overstory cover and at maximum water depths of from 49-59 cm. After 16 months of continuous inundation and heavy accumulation of floating aquatic vegetation, all H. virginicum plants had died at the study site. At the same time, other neighboring populations with inundation as long and deep did not accumulate a cover of floating vegetation and their populations did not decline noticeably. These data suggest that H. virginicum is intolerant of shade. Following death of all H. virginicum plants at the study site, soil sampling and a large pulse of recruitment gave evidence of a seed bank which was at least two years old. Annual recruitment and the proportion of plants in stage classes was highly variable; survival of the early stage plants was low. A highly variable population size suggests a high probability of local extinction of the population at the study site if future investment in the seed bank should fail to occur. Chemical analyses of soils from 19 of the 21 sites in which H. virginicum grows, revealed a low pH, high levels of Al and As, and low levels of B, Ca, K, Mg, and P. Endemism of this plant may result from it being limited to refugia where competition is reduced by a stressful soil and a variable hydroperiod, and where the variable hydroperiod leads to high rates of local extinction.

The Growth Rate and Age Distribution of Sternotherus minor at Rainbow Run, Florida

Between 5 January 1990 and 27 August 1992, a total of 482 Sternotherus minor were marked at Rainbow Run, Marion Co., Florida. Sex-specific and size-specific growth rates (plastron and carapace length) of S. minor were determined using data from a mark-release-recapture study. Growth rates de- creased with increasing carapace and plastron lengths, with no significant differences in specific growth rates between males and females. Ages of all marked turtles were estimated using a von Bertalanffy growth equation calculated from the recapture data on carapace lengths. Age estimates for S. minor were then used to determine the age distribution of the population at Rainbow Run. Young S. minor of five years or less comprised over 65% of the population while it also appears that some of these turtles reach ages of 21 or more years. The loggerhead musk turtle, Sternotherus mi- nor, is a highly aquatic member of the family Kinosternidae. It inhabits spring runs, creeks, rivers, oxbows, swamps, and sinkhole ponds from central Florida to extreme eastern Loui-

Ecological Aspects of Syntopic Larvae of Ambystoma maculatum and the A. laterale-jeffersonianum Complex in Two New Jersey Ponds

The syntopic occurrence of two or more species of salamander larvae may be characterized by interspecific differences in size and ontogeny (Worthington, 1968; Hassinger et al., 1970; Keen, 1975; Taylor et al., 1988). The relative timing of breeding seasons and rates of embryo development, larval development, and growth can play important roles in determining whether the period of coexistence of syntopic larvae is dominated by minimal interaction, potential competition, or interspecific predation (e.g., Worthington, 1968; Wilbur, 1972; Stenhouse, 1985). Throughout much of their overlapping ranges, spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) are often preceded in the onset of breeding by one week or less by blue-spotted salamanders of the A. lateralejeffersonianum complex (e.g., Mohr, 1930; Bishop, 1941; Cook, 1967; Wilson, 1976). Despite a widespread association, published information on larval ecology where these species co-occur is limited. Previous studies have discussed nocturnal spatial relationships (Anderson and Graham, 1967), thermal preferentia (Stauffer et al., 1983), and aspects of larval development (Mohr, 1930; Bishop, 1941). Experimental studies using pond-based enclosures have explored competitive (Wilbur, 1972; Cortwright, 1988) and predatory relationships (Cortwright, 1988). In this report I compare body growth, ontogenetic development, and diet of syntopic larvae of A. maculatum and the A. lateralejeffersonianum complex (A. jeffersonianum and A. laterale-2 jeffersonianum; Nyman et al., 1988) at two New Jersey ponds in 1977. The study ponds, both in Sussex County, New Jersey, USA, were a vernal-autumnal, limestone sinkhole pond (at maximum ca. 0.75 ha and 2 m deep) near (Anderson and Martino 1966; their Springdale A), and a vernal-autumnal, woodland pond (at maximum ca. 0.05 ha and 1.5 m deep) in Culvers Gap (Nyman, 1987). The pond is only partly shaded by trees along its shoreline and develops extensive, submergent aquatic vegetation (macrophytes and algal mats) in some years, whereas the Culvers Gap pond is shaded much of the day by the surrounding woods and neither macrophytes nor algal mats develop. I determined the onset of breeding by A. maculatum and A. laterale-jeffersonianum complex salamanders at pond by monitoring salamander movements on a nearby road and capturing salamanders with pitfalls along a 9 m fence placed across a natural migrational corridor (J. D. Anderson, pers. comm.). In the pond I captured salamanders with minnow traps on the pond bottom in an area where salamanders were known to enter the pond (Nyman et al., 1988). By these methods I confirmed that the breeding periods of these salamanders were sequential, but overlapping. Ambystoma laterale-jeffersonianum complex salamanders began to arrive at the pond first and males preceded females of each species; however, even the first large migration (13 March 1977), comprised mostly of A. laterale-jeffersonianum complex females (Nyman et al., 1988) and male A. maculatum, contained a small number of female A. maculatum.

Quaternary interglacial and associated deposits in southwest Newfoundland

A coastal cliff section near Codroy, Newfoundland exposes five distinctive lithologic units, which are defined lithologically and structurally as colluvial, lacustrine, or glacial in origin. They have been preserved in a gypsum karst depression, but continuing karst evolution has disturbed their original attitudes.The two oldest units, 5 and 4, were formed by sidewall slumping of local bedrock and earlier glacial material from the failing rim of a newly formed sinkhole. Unit 3 represents tranquil sedimentation of thin sand and silt–clay laminae, first in a freshwater sinkhole pond, then in brackish marine waters that entered after breaching of its seaward wall, and finally again in fresh water as sea level fell below the sill of the small embayment. Units 2 and 1 are glacial deposits laid down over older units after a second major sinkhole collapse. Collapse has continued to the present day.Pollen and spores from unit 3 indicate that during its deposition regional vegetation changed from tundra (Zone A) to boreal forest (Zone B), and back to tundra (Zone C), through an interglacial cycle of vegetation change. Balsam fir wood from Zone B is radiocarbon-dated to > 40 000 BP (I-10203).Foraminifera from unit 3 indicate that brackish marine conditions prevailed before Zone B times, and that nearshore fully marine conditions briefly prevailed in Zone B times. Zone B is thus assigned full interglacial status, based on pollen and foraminiferal evidence, and is tentatively assigned to the Sangamonian for want of indications to the contrary and for economy of interpretation. The overlying glaciogenic units 1 and 2 are thus probably of early Wisconsinan age.Calcite crystals, possibly pseudomorphous, found within Zone B of unit 3, were radiocarbon-dated at 30 000 ± 1450 BP (UQ-115). δ18O values of −6.8 to −7.5‰ (versus PDB) indicate replacement by calcite under conditions similar to present. δ13C values of −24.00 to −26.24‰ (versus PDB) indicate that carbonate carbon was supplied by decay of local organic matter. The date is thus a minimum and supports the contention that the sediments are of at least last interglacial age.Gypsum karst has thus been evolving in this area since before the last interglacial and has preserved a record of environmental change for that period that is unique in the Atlantic Provinces of Canada. Unit 3 is proposed as the stratotype for the "Codroy Interglacial Beds" (new name).

Paleoenvironment of a late Quaternary mammoth-bearing sinkhole deposit, Hot Springs, South Dakota

Mammoth-bearing laminated sediments fill a steep-walled sinkhole which formed ∼26,000 yr ago in the southern Black Hills of South Dakota. The depression formed as a collapse feature over a solution breccia pipe. Artesian water issuing principally from one marginal spring quickly established a lake in the sink and thereafter maintained an energy gradient which affected sediment dispersal. Sediments were supplied to the pond by storm runoff from proximal uplands and by spring erosion of sinkhole walls. Three successive and gradational phases of sedimentation are recognized in the sinkhole: (1) relatively rapid deposition of poorly sorted gravels and sands as predominantly subaqueous talus accumulations adjacent to near-vertical sinkhole walls, and concomitant sedimentation of micrograded sands and silts in the central pond area; (2) slowing of sedimentation rates and widespread deposition of finer grained, rhythmically laminated, but not varved, sands and clayey silts; and (3) progressive and fairly rapid reduction in spring discharge and water depth, ending pond sedimentation. Renewed downcutting of major streams in the area and synchronous decline of regional ground-water tables terminated spring discharge to the sinkhole. Paleontological and other indirect evidence strongly suggest that the sinkhole pond was fed by heated springs which maintained a year-round temperature of at least 35 °C (95 °F). Although warm water may have attracted a variety of megafauna to the sinkhole, only mammoths were trapped there. When in the water, mammoths deformed pond strata and generated several types of sedimentation events. Pond depths probably did not exceed 4 to 5 m except in the spring conduit area.

The vegetation record of a mid-Wisconsin interstadial in northwest Georgia

At Green Pond, a small permanent sinkhole pond in Bartow County, northwest Georgia, organic silty clays are buried by up to 2 m of colluvium. Pollen from the clays shows that a Pinus-Quercus-herb (pine-oak-herb) flora was present before 29,630 radiocarbon yr ago. It is interpreted as the product of a xeric woodland with prairie-like openings. Between 29,630 and approximately 25,000 BP, pollen of Pinus and herbs was sparse; Quercus and Carya (hickory) predominated in the pollen rain. There were few other deciduous trees. Oak-hickory forest is thought to have been present. From 25,000 to 23,000 BP, more diverse forest with pines and some Picea (spruce) became established. At the same time Taxodium (swamp cypress) was locally abundant, as were shrubs characteristic of Coastal Plain swamps. Some time after 23,000 BP, the pond basin filled with colluvium and no further sedimentation took place, other than thin muck sedimented on the bottom of the present Green Pond. The sediments were first thought to be of Sangamon age because the pollen sequence has many of the characteristics of an interglacial cycle, but the radiocarbon dates correlate them firmly with the Farmdalian Interstadial. A comparison with known Farmdalian sites is made, but the important sites are in the northern United States and adjacent Canada, too far away to make a useful comparison of the details of pollen diagrams from the two areas. At another Bartow County pond site, Bob Black Pond ( Watts, 1970), a flora predominantly of pine with spruce and oak was present immediately before 22,900 BP and a strikingly cold flora with jack-pine, spruce and northern herbs followed immediately after. The radiocarbon dates indicate that the sedimentary sequence at Bob Black Pond immediately follows that at Green Pond.