White River Research Articles

The impact of combined sewer outflows on urban water quality: Spatio-temporal patterns of fecal coliform in indianapolis

Many urban waterways with older stormwater drainage systems receive a significant amount of untreated or poorly treated waste from Combined Sewer Outflow (CSO) systems during precipitation events. The input of effluent waste from CSO to urban water streams during storm events often leads to elevated fecal coliform, specifically Escherichia Coli (E. Coli) in these waterways. The aim of the study is to examine fecal coliform concentration, water chemistry, and water quality parameters to better understand spatio-temporal patterns of fecal coliform associated with CSO events in three waterways from Indianapolis, Indiana (USA). The waterways are Pleasant Run Creek (PRW), Fall Creek (FC) and White River (WR). The sampling occurred biweekly over one year for PRW, nine months for FC, and an intense (∼every three days) sub-analysis of the presumed peak period of fecal coliform growth (July) for WR. All PRW and FC sampling sites significantly exceeded the EPA contact standard limit of 200 CFU/100 mL for fecal coliform concentrations during the sampling period. We found no relationship between fecal coliform levels and the number or density of CSO outfalls above a given site. The most significant predictors of increased fecal coliform concentrations were precipitation on the sampling day and cumulative degree days. The most significant predictors of decreased fecal coliform were maximum precipitation during the ten-day window prior to sampling and median discharge during a three-day window prior to sampling. These findings suggest a push-pull balance within the system where CSO activation and seasonal gradients replenish and promote fecal coliform growth. At the same time, large hydrologic events act to flush and dilute fecal coliform concentrations. The results from this study help us to better understand how different drivers influence fecal coliform growth and how this information can be potentially used to predict and remediate the conditions of urban water streams.

Large wood loads in channels and on floodplains after a 500-year flood using UAV imagery in Mark Twain National Forest, Ozark Highlands, Missouri

Anthropogenic climate change has increased the frequency of large floods in rivers draining the Ozark Highlands. This study assesses the effects of a > 500-yr flood in spring 2017 on riparian forests and large wood loads in the North Fork of the White River watershed, Missouri, for six stream reaches with drainage areas from 5 to 124 km2. Standing trees and large wood (LW) were assessed using unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) imagery and calibrated by field surveys. Scaled flood magnitude (flood stage/bankfull depth) correlated with percent urban and agricultural land above each reach suggesting that land use may have contributed to forest damage. Canopy loss on the valley floor ranged from 7 to 63 % by reach and correlated with mean and cross-sectional stream power (p < 0.01). Standing tree density after the flood ranged from 50 to 243 trees/ha. The density of LW pieces ranged from 25 to 147 trees/ha. Most LW was aligned with stream flow, not in jams, and located on floodplains below riffles or bar heads, along channel bends, or in chutes. Wood loads on the valley floor increased downstream from 12 to 45 m3/ha. Channel loads were < 30 m3/ha while floodplain, terrace, and chute loads were > 30 m3/ha at drainage areas >50 km2. Channel LW loads increased with flood magnitude and in narrow valleys (p < 0.02), but not drainage area. Increased wood storage occurred on floodplains and terraces, but it is not clear if the stored wood will be available for downstream transport by future floods.

Holocene evolution of parabolic dunes, White River Badlands, South Dakota, USA, revealed by high-resolution mapping

AbstractThe White River Badlands (WRB) of South Dakota record eolian activity spanning the late Pleistocene through the latest Holocene (21 ka to modern), reflecting the effects of the last glacial period and Holocene climate fluctuations (Holocene Thermal Maximum, Medieval Climate Anomaly, and Little Ice Age). The WRB dune fields are important paleoclimate indicators in an area of the Great Plains with few climate proxies. The goal of this study is to use 1 m/pixel-resolution digital elevation models from drone imagery to distinguish Early to Middle Holocene parabolic dunes from Late Holocene parabolic dunes. Results indicate that relative ages of dunes are distinguished by slope and roughness (terrain ruggedness index). Morphological differences are attributed to postdepositional wind erosion, soil formation, and mass wasting. Early to Middle Holocene and Late Holocene paleowind directions, 324°± 13.1° (N = 7) and 323° ± 3.0° (N = 19), respectively, are similar to the modern wind regime. Results suggest significant landscape resilience to wind erosion, which resulted in preservation of a mosaic of Early and Late Holocene parabolic dunes. Quantification of dune characteristics will help refine the chronology of eolian activity in the WRB, provide insight into drought-driven landscape evolution, and integrate WRB eolian activity in a regional paleoenvironmental context.

Biological Invasion Threat to Wetlands IN Urban Areas of White River, Mbombela in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa: A Case Study

Purpose: Wetlands are assets in the country, and they help make cities lockable and attractive. The study aims to assess the spread of alien invasive plants that affect the wetlands and construct a policy framework that could be used to preserve and conserve groundwater resources (Wetlands) in urban areas of Mpumalanga Province, specifically White River. This research will answer why alien invasives are a threat to wetlands.&#x0D; Methodology: The study was conducted in White River on Longtom Street. A single observer conducted fixed-width line transect surveys to investigate species richness and abundance for all the untreated species detected next to the wetland. Three transects per habitat type were visited twice through twice per week.&#x0D; Main Findings: During the survey, seven different alien invasive species were observed. The leading species was Solanum mauritianum, followed by Chromolaena odorata species; the third most dominant species was Lantana camara and Tecoma stans. Most species observed were illegally dumped by the residents that stay closer to the wetland, and no awareness, information, and training about the importance of wetlands were provided to the residents.&#x0D; Implications: The framework can do more to help local communities manage urban wetlands, identifying opportunities for mapping and functional assessment to improve restoration and protection efforts. It can facilitate research and peer-to-peer exchange on innovative funding and financing methods for nature-based projects.&#x0D; Novelty: Findings and recommendations resulting from this study will be summarized into a strategic guide by the end of 2023. It is recommended that all alien invasive plants in the wetland be eradicated. Wetlands must be protected to improve human health and well-being.

The Socio-economic Determinants contributing to the Resolution on Commercialising Vegetable Production: The case of White River, South Africa

The study looked at the socioeconomic connections and determining elements that affect choices on whether to commercialise vegetable farming. The study was carried out at White River, Mpumalanga, South Africa, using 660 participants who were specifically chosen. The level of commercialisation was analysed by applying the household commercialisation index calculated as the ratio of value of marketed output to the value of vegetables produced. The factors affecting the marketing of vegetables in the region were then determined using descriptive statistics and logistics regression. The extent of vegetable commercialisation result indicated that spinach and cabbage was ranked 1st and 2nd respectively. Although the commercialisation index is not high, latent evidence exists showing that lettuce, cucumber, beetroot, and carrot are in high demand for consumption and intention to commercialise was indecisive. Applying the logit model, the significant variables influencing the commercialisation of vegetable production in the area were gender, level of education, marital status, household size, extension services, agricultural inputs, and storage facilities. The paper concludes that commercialising vegetable cultivation is a key step toward a broader economic reform and poverty reduction. To enhance vegetable cultivation in the area, farmers must be encouraged to transition to output that is market oriented.

Fluvial responses to late Holocene hydroclimate variability in the midcontinental United States

Long-term relationships between mean-state climatic conditions and flood frequencies in the midcontinental United States (US) are not well established because instrumental records of fluvial processes are limited to the current warm period (CWP; the last ca. 150 years) and continuous paleo-flood records are exceedingly rare. Here, we investigate climate-flood relationships in the midcontinental US by reconstructing flood frequencies at Half Moon Pond, a 1600-year-old oxbow lake on the lower White River, Indiana (watershed = ca, 29,000 km2). We used sediment accumulation rates and clastic fluxes constrained by high-resolution radiocarbon (14C) dating. Frequent flooding, as indicated by high sedimentation rates and clastic fluxes to Half Moon Pond, occurred leading up to and during the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA; 950–1250 CE) when paleoclimate records suggest the predominance of ocean-atmosphere mean states resembling the negative phases of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (-PDO-like) and Pacific North American Mode (-PNA-like). Reductions in sedimentation rates and clastic fluxes, indicating reduced flooding, subsequently occurred during the transition out of the MCA and into the Little Ice Age (LIA; 1250–1830 CE) as ocean-atmosphere conditions shifted to + PDO-like and +PNA-like mean states. Sedimentation rates and clastic fluxes increased again after ca. 1800 CE, indicating increased flooding during the CWP as ocean-atmosphere conditions returned to -PDO-like and -PNA-like mean states. The White River trends were notably antiphased with sedimentation-rate-based flood frequencies for the lower Ohio River (500,000 km2 watershed) prior to 1830 CE. This antiphased relationship is consistent with flooding in moderate to small watersheds in the Midwest being sensitive to the occurrence of rainstorm events, which were more frequent leading up to and during the MCA, and flooding in large watersheds being more sensitive to large spring melts associated with extensive snowpacks, which characterized the LIA. That both the White and Ohio rivers experienced their most frequent flooding during the CWP suggests deforestation and changing land use practices increased flooding on Midwestern watersheds across scales despite a current climatic mean state that in the past only resulted in increased flooding on moderate to small watersheds. Continued increased in midcontinental rainfall are therefore likely to enhance the occurrence of floods in Midwestern watersheds across different geographic scales.

Postscript: Time Doesn't Heal All Wounds

Postscript: Time Doesn't Heal All Wounds

English

Abstract Freshwater crayfish rank among the most imperilled groups and play several critical roles in freshwater ecosystems, yet survey efforts remain limited throughout much of Canada and North America. Inadequate survey and monitoring efforts render our ecosystems vulnerable to the introduction and spread of harmful invasive species which can be difficult or impossible to control following establishment. During surveys targeting salamander larvae across Pelee Island, Ontario we incidentally captured crayfish and identified them to species. Three species were detected including two native species known only from collections in the 1960s (Creaserinus fodiens, Faxonius immunis) as well as the non-native White River Crayfish (Procambarus acutus) which has not been documented previously in Canada. Our oldest record of P. acutus is from 2015, and the species currently appears to be widespread and well established on Pelee Island and has also recently been recorded in Six Mile Lake on the Canadian Shield. We provide preliminary data on the aquatic habitats where each species was found on Pelee Island and strongly encourage additional monitoring efforts combined with targeted education efforts to prevent the spread of P. acutus to the Ontario mainland.

Riverscape community genomics: A comparative analytical approach to identify common drivers of spatial structure.

Genetic differentiation among local groups of individuals, that is, genetic β-diversity, is a key component of population persistence related to connectivity and isolation. However, most genetic investigations of natural populations focus on a single species, overlooking opportunities for multispecies conservation plans to benefit entire communities in an ecosystem. We present an approach to evaluate genetic β-diversity within and among many species and demonstrate how this riverscape community genomics approach can be applied to identify common drivers of genetic structure. Our study evaluated genetic β-diversity in 31 co-distributed native stream fishes sampled from 75 sites across the White River Basin (Ozarks, USA) using SNP genotyping (ddRAD). Despite variance among species in the degree of genetic divergence, general spatial patterns were identified corresponding to river network architecture. Most species (N=24) were partitioned into discrete subpopulations (K=2-7). We used partial redundancy analysis to compare species-specific genetic β-diversity across four models of genetic structure: Isolation by distance (IBD), isolation by barrier (IBB), isolation by stream hierarchy (IBH), and isolation by environment (IBE). A significant proportion of intraspecific genetic variation was explained by IBH (x̄ = 62%), with the remaining models generally redundant. We found evidence for consistent spatial modularity in that gene flow is higher within rather than between hierarchical units (i.e., catchments, watersheds, basins), supporting the generalization of the stream hierarchy model. We discuss our conclusions regarding conservation and management and identify the 8-digit hydrologic unit (HUC) as the most relevant spatial scale for managing genetic diversity across riverine networks.

More and diverse contributions from aquaculture

Aquaculture is literarily and traditionally recognised as a collection of “farming finfish, shellfish and aquatic plants,” or as “the raising of water animals such as fish for food, or the growing of plants in water for food” (https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/aquaculture). In some agencies, aquaculture has been defined as the “breeding, rearing, and harvesting of fish, shellfish, algae, and other organisms in all types of water environments” (https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/aquaculture.html/), although in some occasions, mariculture is used to indicate specifically aquaculture activities in marine and estuary environment. In general, aquaculture has been considered as a food production sector in our society, and over the last few decades, aquaculture has indeed been the fastest-growing sector of food production across the world.1 In addition to its significant contributions to the production of food, protein source, delicious food selection, and also to rural development, aquaculture activities have increasingly been used for conservation purposes including species and biodiversity conservation, habitat restoration and ecosystem service.1 In this issue, a group of scientists published an article, analysing the diversification of aquaculture activities through the investigation of literature, and then the definitions and roles of aquaculture were defined from an environmental and ecological point of view.1 Notably, “commercial aquaculture” should refer to the literal and traditional explanation of aquaculture, and is probably the main aspect of the aquaculture industry. The contribution of aquaculture in species conservation or habitat protection should be termed “conservation aquaculture,” and this kind of aquaculture has contributed significantly to the conservation of endangered species of fish, for example, the Kootenai white river sturgeon Acipenser transmontanus, and also two other species of sturgeons, the Chinese sturgeon A. sinensis, the Yangtze or Dabry's sturgeon A. dabryanus, in Changjiang (Yangtze) River, the latter two of which are now only relied on artificial reproduction to maintain the population or the species (Prof Jianbo Chang in Wuhan University, Personal Communication). Two other definitions of aquaculture in this article1 are restorative aquaculture and regenerative aquaculture, and it should be desirable and important to see more contributions of aquaculture in aquatic ecosystem service in future. It may not be believable if one says luxury products can be produced in aquaculture. In fact, pearls have an enduring attractiveness for jewellery, and freshwater pearl culture can be dated back to more than 2000 years ago in China, although its modern freshwater pearl culture has only a history of less than a century.2 Marine pearl culture is also a profitable and historical aquaculture activity with a global importance in countries or regions such as in China, Japan, some south-eastern Asian countries, some European countries, and Latin America. In this issue, Saucedo et al.3 summarised briefly the history of marine pearl culture along the Pacific and Caribbean coasts of many Latin American countries, outlined the current marine pearl aquaculture techniques and activities in these countries, and proposed an economically profitable and environmentally friendly pathway and strategies to reestablish Latin America as a major pearl producing region,3 which will provide a much more diversified selection of variously coloured and lustrous pearl ornaments. Also in this issue, a review article was devoted to the analysis of carotenoid production through the culture of microalgae, and the possible biotechnological approaches to improve the production of various carotenoids in different species of algae using either organic or inorganic nutrients were highlighted in this article.4 It is considered that a wide range of biomedically important bioactive compounds synthesised in algae can be produced through the culture of microalgae. It is apparent that aquaculture will continue to provide food and protein, but the roles and activities of aquaculture have become diversified with the production of a wide range of products, and simultaneously with significant value in nature conservation.

Pseudomurraytrema fergusoni n. sp. (Monogenea: Dactylogyridae) from gills of Pealip Redhorse, Moxostoma pisolabrum (Catostomidae) from Arkansas, USA, with a description of gill pathology.

Pseudomurraytrema fergusoni n. sp. is described from the Pealip Redhorse, Moxostoma pisolabrum from the Black River (White River drainage), Lawrence County, Arkansas, USA. This represents the second monogenean described from M. pisolabrum as well as the second species of Pseudomurraytrema reported from an Arkansas catostomid. The description includes partial 18S rRNA and 28S rRNA gene sequences (732 bp and 851 bp, respectively), helping fill a void in sequence data from North American monogeneans, particularly those in the genus Pseudomurraytrema. In addition, histopathologic changes associated with the infection resulted in severe localized pathologic lesions in gills of the host, suggesting compromise of respiratory surfaces within affected areas adjacent to the worms.

E&amp;P Notes (November 2022)

E&amp;P Notes (November 2022)

Sediment provenance and stratigraphic correlations of the Paleogene White River Group in the Bighorn Mountains, Wyoming

Detrital zircon ages for tuffaceous sandstones and conglomerates of the White River Group provide insights on Paleogene basin evolution, magmatic activity, and paleodrainage throughout the Laramide broken foreland basin system of the northern Rocky Mountains in the western United States. Nonmarine deposits of the upper Eocene-Oligocene White River Group are preserved irregularly across northern Wyoming and western South Dakota. Residual Laramide uplifts and active magmatic centers supplied clastic and volcaniclastic sediment to broad, low-relief valleys beginning around 40 Ma. Subhorizontal strata of the White River Group are exposed in the elevated Bighorn Mountains (∼2300 to 2800 m), where sections ∼10-50 m thick rest unconformably on Precambrian-Paleozoic rocks along a surface of moderate to low relief (up to 150 m). U-Pb ages were obtained for detrital and igneous (ash-fall) zircons from seven samples (3 tuffaceous sandstones, 2 conglomerates, 2 sandstones) spanning three localities in the Bighorn Mountains (Darton’s Bluff, Hazelton Road, Freeze Out Point). Each locality contains conglomeratic layers, with clasts of local crystalline basement, and interbedded tuffaceous sandstones. Detrital zircon age spectra for four samples reveal peak ages around 2.9 Ga, matching the age of Archean crystalline basement within Bighorn Mountains, and maximum depositional ages (MDAs) of 27 Ma (sample 20BH15; Oligocene) and 35 Ma (sample FO-2; late Eocene). During the Paleogene, the Bighorn Mountains region received sediment from local crystalline basement and long-distance river transport from igneous and sedimentary sources to the west. The Bighorn Mountains were exhumed and stripped of Phanerozoic cover strata by early Eocene time, suggesting that post-Laramide input from Paleozoic-Mesozoic strata was likely from relict highlands of the Cordilleran (Sevier) fold-thrust belt rather than local Laramide block uplifts. In addition, Cenozoic magmatic provinces in the San Juan Mountains and Great Basin are inferred to have contributed volcaniclastic sediment through both eruptive ash clouds and north- to northeast-flowing fluvial systems that reached northeastern Wyoming. The White River Group preserved in the Bighorn Mountains represents localized late Eocene-Oligocene sediment accumulation atop a Laramide basement high coeval with regional deposition across the adjacent Great Plains. Both regions were supplied sediment from alluvial fans and fluvial drainage networks that tapped Laramide basement uplifts, Cordilleran thrust-belt, and foreland sources, along with Cenozoic igneous centers of the western U.S. interior.

Assessment of the impact of reforestation on soil, riparian sediment and river water quality based on polyaromatic hydrocarbon pollutants

This study aimed to assess the impact of the eThekwini Municipality reforestation project on the quality of the soil within the reforestation sites, and water from the nearby rivers (White and Black Mhlasini Rivers) situated at the reforested Buffelsdraai area in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. This was the first evaluation of the effect of reforestation on the reduction of selected organic pollutants to be conducted in this area. The sixteen polyaromatic hydrocarbons analysed are on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) list of priority pollutants. The soil and sediment samples were extracted using ultrasonication, and liquid-liquid extraction was utilised for the water samples. Gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GCMS) was used to analyze the PAHs. PAH recoveries ranged between 60 and 110%. The PAH LOD values were between 0.30 and 0.69 μg g−1 and LOQ values ranged between 0.99 and 1.9 μg g−1. The total PAH concentrations determined were between 4.258 and 6.426 μg g−1 in the soil samples, 2.210–13.900 μg g−1 in sediment, and 6.360–85.468 ng L−1 in river water. A comparison between all samples and their respective control, showed that reforestation is potentially reducing the concentration of PAH pollutants. The concentration of pollutants was determined to be lower within the reforestation boundaries and higher outside the reforestation boundary. The total concentration for specific PAHs was above the threshold value for most sampling sites according to Canadian environmental guidelines.

Being and Becoming Ute: The Story of an American Indian People

Tribal histories often suffer from a tendency to focus on one people in conceptual isolation from closely related neighbors. Ute history has long been plagued by this balkanization, as the Numic-speaking people ranged across a wide swath of the western slope of the Rockies, the Wasatch, and the basin and range provinces in between. Over the centuries, numerous kin-based clans coalesced into historic bands, then further reduced into the three composite Ute tribes that exist today. Historians have treated them as discrete peoples, widely divided by worldview and geography. Sondra Jones's marvelous book is a welcome relief from that approach. At last, we have a history of the Núu-ci, or “The People,” as the Utes call themselves, that examines them holistically and collectively.Being and Becoming Ute is impressive on several levels, not the least of which is its comprehensiveness. Beginning with their emergence from the southwest corner of the Great Basin around AD 800, Jones narrates the many adaptations and transformations of the Ute people to the present day. Interestingly, the description becomes denser as it moves forward in time. Rather than becoming bogged down in the nineteenth century, as many such histories do, Jones's rich chapters engage the cultural, economic, and resource conflicts that have confronted the Uintah and Ouray Utes, Southern Utes, and Ute Mountain Utes in recent decades. The author does not shy away from complex issues, examining, to cite two examples, the jurisdictional issues in the Uintah Basin and the political and environmental battles that accompanied Anima-La Plata reclamation project. These and many other complicated events receive thorough, measured treatment.This is not to suggest that the critical events of the nineteenth century are shortchanged. The narrative becomes quite gripping as Jones relates the disastrous events following the so-called “Meeker Massacre,” the expulsion of the White River Utes, and the forced march of 1,400 Uncompahgres from their homelands to the desolation of the Uintah reserve. The author is similarly unsparing in describing the extermination campaign against the Timpanogos Utes in Utah Valley or the subsequent campaigns of the Utah Territorial Militia against Wakara's Utes and later against Black Hawk's band of cattle thieves. If there is one deficiency, it is Jones's uncritical acceptance of the trope that Mormon leaders and settlers treated the Indians better than did the colonizers in surrounding territories. From a doctrinal perspective, that is undoubtedly true, but as a matter of application, Jones admits that the result was no different. Atrocities committed by the Mormon militia or settlers are blamed on “moral disintegration among hard hit Mormons” (164) and “nervous and poorly trained militias” (166). Conversely, we learn that the non-Indian colonizers of the San Luis Valley and the white residents of Meeker, Colorado, were simply people motivated by racism.To be fair, the author is more concerned with the actions of the Utes than the motivations of those of who oppressed them. The later chapters focus on the pivotal events of the past century and the social and legal changes that impacted Utes on all three reservations. In this regard, Jones masterfully distills key federal policies, such as the 1934 Indian Reorganization Act, which “finally untied their hands” and allowed the Utes to represent and negotiate for their own people (418). She pays considerable attention to the termination policy and Senator Arthur V. Watkins's campaign to sever the trust relationship with the Utes at Uintah and Ouray, resulting in the disastrous disenrollment of 490 members of the Uintah Band. Jones treads carefully here, and rightfully so, as the event left deep and lasting wounds and produced many distortions of history. This treatment tries too hard to be objective, as Jones does not quite want to admit that the two Colorado Ute bands, the White Rivers and the Uncompahgres, seized the opportunity to evict a large percentage of the Utah Utes from their own reservation. All of this was done using the false dogma of blood quantum, employing a standard of measurement that, if applied to, say, the Southern Utes, might have terminated most of the members. In the end, the focus remains on those who stayed on the rolls and on the many problems of the survivors: not the least of which concern the retention of language, culture, and vitality, as the contemporary Ute tribes find themselves awash in judgment money, energy royalties, and in the case of the two Colorado tribes, gaming revenue. Jones concludes on a hopeful note, believing that the resilience and adaptability that the Utes demonstrated in the past will carry them forward.

The Hodges Site (12MG564) and the Emergence of the Oliver Phase in the White River Valley, Indiana

Abstract In 2019, Gray &amp; Pape, Inc., conducted data-recovery efforts at the Hodges site (12MG564), a predominately late precontact Oliver phase (AD 1200–1450) site found in the White River valley of Indiana. Investigations of the site have fostered new ideas regarding the emergence of the Oliver phase. Previous models have suggested that the emergence of the Oliver phase was largely due to the migration of Fort Ancient groups into the region. Other models suggested that the region served as a frontier. The concepts of frontier interaction zones and fluid boundaries are presented here as the reasons for the emergence of the Oliver phase from in situ Late Woodland populations.

Use of resources in lowland areas in the Amazon and Sustainable Development: Paradigm changes with the advent of modernity

The floodplain areas comprise the floodplains influenced by white water rivers, rich in sediments. The beginning of the process of occupation of floodplain areas in the Amazon is strongly debated by scholars and researchers. Some authors point out that the occupations occurred in a diffuse way in the Amazon, predominating in two large environments in the Amazon, the terra firme forests and the forests in floodplain areas. These characteristics boosted four main economic activities in the floodplain: fishing, forestry, agriculture and livestock. These activities were, for a long time, practiced by indigenous people and soon followed by caboclos-ribeirinhos, respecting the limits of nature and its carrying capacity. However, over the years and with the advent of modernity, it has not only projected the growth of man, and his reason, but has also increased the exploitation of natural resources used by man. Fishing resources such as arapaima, manatees and turtles, in addition to multispecific fishing, acquired another character with the arrival of the Portuguese, which persists to this day. In this way, it is clear how these resources are becoming scarce due to irrational use and above all marketing.

The Effect of Rainfall on Escherichia coli and Chemical Oxygen Demand in the Effluent Discharge from the Crocodile River Wastewater Treatment; South Africa

The declining state of municipal wastewater treatment is one of the major contributors to the many pollution challenges faced in most parts of South Africa. Escherichia coli and Chemical Oxygen Demand are used as indicators for the performance of wastewater treatment plants. Wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) efficiency challenges are associated with susceptibility to seasonal variations that alter microbial density in wastewater. This study sought to investigate the effect of rainfall on E. coli and COD in the effluent wastewater discharged from the Crocodile River, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. To cover the spatial distribution of the pollutant in the Crocodile River, water samples were collected from 2016 to 2021 at three strategic sites. The rainfall data was acquired from the South African Weather Services from 2016 to 2021, which contains daily rainfall measurements for each sampling site. Data analysis was carried out using Microsoft Excel 2019, Seaborn package, and Python Spyder (version 3.8). The White River, which is located on the upper stream, recorded the highest COD levels of 97.941 mg/L and 120.588 mg/L in autumn and spring, respectively. Matsulu WWTP was found to have the highest E. coli concentration per milliliter (72.47 cfu/100 mL) in the spring compared to any other location or time of year. The results also indicated that each of the sampling sites recorded above 60 (cfu)/100 mL of E. coli in Kanyamazane (spring), Matsulu (summer), and White River (winter). It was noted that the rainfall is a significant predictor (p &lt; 0.004) of E. coli. Additionally, it was discovered during the data analysis that the rainfall parameter did not significantly affect COD prediction (p &gt; 0.634), implying that rain was not a reliable predictor of COD.

Fenologia de Solidago canadensis L. e Delphinium elatum cultivados em casa de vegetação e associação com variáveis microclimáticas

Abstract Solidago canadensis L. cv. Tara and Delphinium elatum, the hybrid White River are summer flowers with great agronomic potential. The goal of this study was to establish the phenology of these species grown under greenhouse conditions, as well as to determine the correlation between climatic elements (relative humidity - RH, growing degree-days for development - GDD and soil moisture - SM) with growth variables (stem length and diameter, fresh weight FW - and dry weight - DW) in S. canadensis and D. elatum. The life cycle for S. canadensis and D. elatum ended when reaching 30% of the flower opening, the stem length reached 118.05 and 123.74 cm, at 94 and 77 days, respectively. The growth of both species showed a logistic curve pattern throughout the crop cycle; S. canadensis showed maximum values for absolute growth rate (AGR) and relative growth rate (RGR) at 77 and 42 days after transplanting (DAT), respectively; in contrast to D. elatum which occurred at 77 and 28 DAT. On the other hand, for the correlation between climatic elements and growth variables in S. canadensis, the GDD and RH were directly correlated with both FW and DW, stem diameter and length, while an inverse correlation occurred for SM. D. elatum showed a direct correlation between climatic conditions and growth variables.

Morphological traits related to potential invasiveness of two subspecies of the crayfish Faxonius neglectus

AbstractBiological invasions have major environmental and economic impacts, and pose a serious threat to global biodiversity. Invasive crayfish species are one of the greatest threats to native crayfish biodiversity. Additionally, almost 50% of US and Canadian species are considered at risk, making crayfish one of the most imperiled taxonomic groups in the world. Small‐scale (extralimital) invasions are often overlooked and may be more common than large‐scale (extraregional) invasions. One example of an extraregional and extralimital invader is the Ringed Crayfish (Faxonius neglectus), which has been independently introduced multiple times to drainages throughout the United States, including those adjacent to its native range. Traits related to invasiveness, such as chelae size, are suggested to differ between invasive crayfish from extralimital and extraregional source populations with larger size related to increased invasiveness. We examined morphological traits related to invasion potential for both subspecies of F. neglectus, F. neglectus neglectus and F. neglectus chaenodactylus. We sampled 28 stream sites within the known native range of F. neglectus, including the Neosho and Upper White River drainages in Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri. Total carapace length, chelae length and chelae width of 30 adult male F. neglectus were measured from each site. We found significant differences in crayfish morphological characteristics among stream sites. We found significantly greater chelae length:carapace length (ChL:CarL) and chelae width:chelae length (ChW:ChL) in F. neglectus chaenodactylus than F. neglectus neglectus. Even among F. neglectus neglectus populations, there were significant differences in ChL:CarL and ChW:ChL. Morphological characteristics suggest that F. neglectus chaenodactylus and some populations of F. neglectus neglectus may be pre‐adapted to the role of invader.