Peer-reviewed scientific publications

Factors influencing internal P loading in a western Michigan, drowned river-mouth lake

Alan D. Steinman et al. — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:00:23 PST

Originally published in: J. N. Am. Benthol. Soc., 2006, 25(2):304–312

Release of P from lake sediments may account for a significant portion of a lake’s total P (TP) load. Previous studies using sediment cores showed that ;65% of the total P load entering Spring Lake, Michigan, came from the sediments, and that an alum concentration of 24 mg Al/L effectively inactivated P release in experimental sediment-core tubes. In 2004, we studied the influence of alum concentration and sediment resuspension on P release rates from the sediments. Based on laboratory incubations using alum concentrations of 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 mg/L, we determined that P release rates at alum concentrations 15 mg/L were no different than at release rates at concentrations of 25 mg/L. Resuspension of sediments substantially increased TP concentrations, even at high alum concentrations, but total soluble P concentrations remained low in the water when alum was present. Alum application may be an effective tool to reduce P flux from sediments in shallow lakes, but external P load reduction must accompany alum application to address the long-term impacts associated with cultural eutrophication.

Decoupling Between Bacteria and the Surf-zone Diatom Asterionellopsis glacialis at Cassino Beach, Brazil

Paulo C. Abreu et al. — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 09:19:17 PDT

The surf-zone diatom Asterionellopsis glacialis (Castracane) Round attains extremely high abundances (up to 109 cells l–1) and chl a concentrations (up to 1.5 mg chl a l–1), forming darkbrown patches in Cassino Beach, southern Brazil. Several lines of evidence from this study indicate a decoupling between A. glacialis and heterotrophic bacteria. For instance, despite the high abundance of diatoms, associated high levels of chl a and rates of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) production by A. glacialis, bacterial abundance at Cassino Beach was extremely low (0.03 to 0.7 × 106 cells ml–1) compared to the nearby estuarine waters, adjacent coastal waters and those from the literature. No statistical differences were found between bacterial abundance in- and outside the diatom patches, suggesting that direct association with A. glacialis did not stimulate bacterial growth. Moreover, field and laboratory experiments demonstrated that bacteria take 1 to 4 d to begin growing following the input of A. glacialis cell-free filtrate. Five possible reasons for this decoupling, i.e. (1) viral infection, (2) bacterial grazing, (3) DOC quality, (4) nutrient competition and (5) antibiotic production, are discussed. Because of the decoupling between the surf-zone diatom and heterotrophic bacteria in this high-energy surf-zone ecosystem, a large fraction of A. glacialis primary production is not contemporaneously channeled through the microbial food web. Consequently, much of the surf-zone diatom production may fuel metazoan secondary production in the adjacent nearshore and coastal environment.

Sampling a Littoral Fish Assemblage: Comparison of Small-Mesh Fyke Netting and Boat Electrofishing

Carl R. Ruetz III et al. — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 09:18:07 PDT

We compared small-mesh (4-mm) fyke netting and boat electrofishing for sampling a littoral fish assemblage in Muskegon Lake, Michigan. We hypothesized that fyke netting selects for small-bodied fishes and electrofishing selects for large-bodied fishes. Three sites were sampled during May (2004 and 2005), July (2005 only), and September (2004 and 2005). We found that the species composition of captured fish differed considerably between fyke netting and electrofishing based on nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS). Species strongly associated with fyke netting (based on NMDS and relative abundance) included the brook silverside Labidesthes sicculus, banded killifish Fundulus diaphanus, round goby Neogobius melanostomus, mimic shiner Notropis volucellus, and bluntnose minnow Pimephales notatus, whereas species associated with electrofishing included the Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, catostomids (Moxostoma spp. and Catostomus spp.), freshwater drum Aplodinotus grunniens, walleye Sander vitreus, gizzard shad Dorosoma cepedianum, and common carp Cyprinus carpio. The total length of fish captured by electrofishing was 12.8 cm (95% confidence interval ¼ 5.5– 17.2 cm) greater than that of fish captured by fyke netting. Size selectivity of the gears contributed to differences in species composition of the fish captured, supporting our initial hypothesis. Thus, small-mesh fyke nets and boat electrofishers provided complementary information on a littoral fish assemblage. Our results support use of multiple gear types in monitoring and research surveys of fish assemblages.

Copyright by the American Fisheries Society 2007, Originally published in the North American Journal of Fisheries Management 27: 825-831, 2007.