Growth of submersed macrophyte communities in the St. Clair – Detroit river system between Lake Huron and Lake Erie

1985 ◽  
Vol 63 (6) ◽  
pp. 1061-1065 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald W. Schloesser ◽  
Thomas A. Edsall ◽  
Bruce A. Manny
Keyword(s):  
Lake Erie ◽  
Aquatic Macrophytes ◽  
Seasonal Succession ◽  
River System ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Lake Huron ◽  
Detroit River ◽  
Species Succession ◽  
Major River ◽  
Study Sites

Growth of submersed aquatic macrophytes was determined from observation and on the basis of biomass of samples collected from April to November 1978 at seven study sites in a major river system of the Great Lakes, the St. Clair – Detroit river system between Lake Huron and Lake Erie. Growth usually began between April and June, peaked between July and October, and decreased by late November. Maximum biomass at six of the seven sites (118–427 g dry weight m−2) was similar or greater than that reported in other rivers at similar latitudes. Seasonal growth of the abundant taxa followed one of three seasonal patterns at each study site: one dominant taxon grew alone; codominant taxa grew sympatrically without species succession; and codominant taxa grew sympatrically with species succession. Differences in growth and seasonal succession of some taxa were apparently caused by the presence or absence of overwintering plant material, competition, and life-cycle differences.

Modelling the Pathways of Toxic Contaminants in the St. Clair-Detroit River System Using the Toxfate Model: The Fate of Perchloroethylene

1986 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 411-421 ◽  
Author(s):  
Efraim Halfon
Keyword(s):  
Half Life ◽  
Lake Erie ◽  
River System ◽  
High Water ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Detroit River ◽  
Wind Speeds ◽  
High Volatility ◽  
Local Water

Abstract Perchloroethylene (PERC) is a heavier-than-water, soluble and volatile solvent used primarily in the dry cleaning business. Black puddles (popularly known the the “blob”), containing several contaminants inducing PERC, were reported in the St. Clair River bottom sediments downstream from Sarnia in 1984 and in 1985. The TOXFATE model is used to predict the fate of PERC and the relative importance of volatilization in relation to water transport. Simulations show that in the St. Clair-Detroit River system about 82% (78-87%). under a variety of temperature and wind conditions) of the PERC loading is volatilized, about 17% (12-21%) of loading enters Lake Erie (more in winter, less in summer) and only about 1% remains in the system. The residence half life of PERC being transported in the water from Sarnia to Lake Erie is 350-400 hours and the half life of PERC being volatilized is 80-85 hours. A sensitivity analysis shows the importance of knowing the daily loadings to compute, in real time, local water concentrations following a PERC spill. The high water levels in the St. Clair River system do not influence the fate of PERC. Given the high volatility of PERC low temperatures and wind speeds do not reduce significantly the rate of removal of PERC from the system through volatilize nation.

scholarly journals St. Clair-Detroit River system: Phosphorus mass balance and implications for Lake Erie load reduction, monitoring, and climate change

2019 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald Scavia ◽  
Serghei A. Bocaniov ◽  
Awoke Dagnew ◽  
Colleen Long ◽  
Yu-Chen Wang
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Lake Erie ◽  
River System ◽  
Load Reduction ◽  
Detroit River ◽  
Phosphorus Mass Balance

scholarly journals Larval dispersal underlies demographically important intersystem connectivity in a Great Lakes yellow perch (Perca flavescens) population

2016 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
pp. 416-426 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reed M. Brodnik ◽  
Michael E. Fraker ◽  
Eric J. Anderson ◽  
Lucia Carreon-Martinez ◽  
Kristen M. DeVanna ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Larval Dispersal ◽  
Yellow Perch ◽  
Lake Erie ◽  
Perca Flavescens ◽  
River System ◽  
Juvenile Stage ◽  
Detroit River ◽  
Relative Contribution ◽  
Western Lake ◽  
Western Lake Erie

Ability to quantify connectivity among spawning subpopulations and their relative contribution of recruits to the broader population is a critical fisheries management need. By combining microsatellite and age information from larval yellow perch (Perca flavescens) collected in the Lake St. Clair – Detroit River system (SC-DRS) and western Lake Erie with a hydrodynamic backtracking approach, we quantified subpopulation structure, connectivity, and contributions of recruits to the juvenile stage in western Lake Erie during 2006–2007. After finding weak (yet stable) genetic structure between the SC-DRS and two western Lake Erie subpopulations, microsatellites also revealed measurable recruitment of SC-DRS larvae to the juvenile stage in western Lake Erie (17%–21% during 2006–2007). Consideration of precollection larval dispersal trajectories, using hydrodynamic backtracking, increased estimated contributions to 65% in 2006 and 57% in 2007. Our findings highlight the value of complementing subpopulation discrimination methods with hydrodynamic predictions of larval dispersal by revealing the SC-DRS as a source of recruits to western Lake Erie and also showing that connectivity through larval dispersal can affect the structure and dynamics of large lake fish populations.

Seasonal Abundance of Crustacean Zooplankton and Net Plankton Biomass of Lakes Huron, Erie, and Ontario

1974 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 309-317 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. H. F. Watson ◽  
G. F. Carpenter
Keyword(s):  
Lake Erie ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Lake Huron ◽  
Seasonal Abundance ◽  
Crustacean Zooplankton ◽  
Average Weight ◽  
Calanoid Copepods ◽  
Western Basin ◽  
Saginaw Bay ◽  
Western Lake

Crustacean zooplankton concentrations (numbers per m3) in the upper 50 m found in lakewide cruises during all or most of the seasons on lakes Ontario and Erie in 1970 and on Lake Huron in 1971 showed that the species of zooplankton crustaceans present in the three lakes were generally identical, although the times of maxima and relative species compositions differed. Calanoid copepods were most abundant and diverse in Lake Huron and western Lake Erie. Cyclopoids and cladocerans were most abundant in lakes Erie and Ontario and in the Saginaw Bay region of Lake Huron. The most abundant cyclopoid throughout the year in all three lakes was Diacyclops bicuspidatus thomasi; Tropocyclops prasinus and Acanthocyclops vernalis were abundant especially in lakes Ontario and Erie, respectively. Cladocerans were most numerous in lakes Erie and Ontario. Numbers of individuals fluctuated markedly through the season with maxima in the spring or summer months in all three lakes.Biomass values (ash-free dry weight) were highest in Lake Erie, especially the Western Basin, and in Saginaw Bay of Lake Huron. Although numbers of crustaceans/m3 were much lower in Lake Huron than in Lake Ontario, net biomass values were similar. This was due to the greater size and average weight of crustaceans in Lake Huron samples. Inshore waters of lakes Ontario and Huron and all three basins of Lake Erie were subject to greater fluctuations in concentrations of crustacean zooplankton and net biomass values than in the pelagic waters of lakes Ontario and Huron.

Zebra Mussels as Biomonitors for Organic Contaminants in the Lower Great Lakes

1996 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 411-432 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael E. Comba ◽  
Janice L. Metcalfe-Smith ◽  
Klaus L.E. Kaiser
Keyword(s):  
Great Lakes ◽  
Organic Contaminants ◽  
Lake Erie ◽  
Soft Tissues ◽  
Lake Ontario ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Zebra Mussels ◽  
Organic Contamination ◽  
Contamination Levels ◽  
St Lawrence River

Abstract Zebra mussels were collected from 24 sites in Lake Erie, Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River between 1990 and 1992. Composite samples of whole mussels (15 sites) or soft tissues (9 sites) were analyzed for residues of organochlo-rine pesticides and PCBs to evaluate zebra mussels as biomonitors for organic contaminants. Mussels from most sites contained measurable quantities of most of the analytes. Mean concentrations were (in ng/g, whole mussel dry weight basis) 154 ΣPCB, 8.4 ΣDDT, 3.5 Σchlordane, 3.4 Σaldrin, 1.4 ΣBHC, 1.0 Σendosulfan, 0.80 mirex and 0.40 Σchlorobenzene. Concentrations varied greatly between sites, i.e., from 22 to 497 ng/g for ΣPCB and from 0.08 to 11.6 ng/g for ΣBHC, an indication that mussels are sensitive to different levels of contamination. Levels of ΣPCB and Σendosulfan were highest in mussels from the St. Lawrence River, whereas mirex was highest in those from Lake Ontario. Overall, mussels from Lake Erie were the least contaminated. These observations agree well with the spatial contaminant trends shown by other biomoni-toring programs. PCB congener class profiles in zebra mussels are also typical for nearby industrial sources, e.g., mussels below an aluminum casting plant contained 55% di-, tri- and tetrachlorobiphenyls versus 31% in those upstream. We propose the use of zebra mussels as biomonitors of organic contamination in the Great Lakes.

Autumnal nutrient transfers by retranslocation, leaching, and litter fall in a chestnut oak forest in southern Illinois

1982 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy L. Ostman ◽  
George T. Weaver
Keyword(s):  
Late Summer ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Litter Fall ◽  
Leaf Color ◽  
Southern Illinois ◽  
Foliar Concentrations ◽  
Important Means ◽  
Study Sites ◽  
Free Falling ◽  
Leaf Dry Weight

Retranslocation from leaves was investigated as a means of retaining nutrients in stands of Quercusprinus L. on two sites in southern Illinois, where wind rapidly moves litter downslope. Foliage samples were collected from late summer until leaf fall to describe the trends of leaf dry weight and nutrient concentration (N, K, P, Ca) changes. Free-falling rain and throughfall were collected to estimate foliar leaching. Foliar concentrations of N, K, and P decreased markedly during senescence while Ca concentrations increased. The pattern of concentration change was unique for each element, and the change in N concentration was closely correlated with change in leaf color. For the study sites as a whole, leaf dry weight decreased to 70% of the original value. Of 84.2 kg N/ha in green foliage, only 22.6% was returned to the site as litter. The canopy gained 0.3 kg N/ha (0.4%) from rainfall. The 78.5% N unaccounted for is attributed to retranslocation. Similarly, from 51.4 kg K/ha; 8.2, P; and 47.8, Ca in green foliage, 9.8, 1.3, and 3.3%, respectively, were removed by leaching; 27.4, 43.7, and 85.1% were returned to the site in litter. The remaining 63.0% K, 55.0% P, and 11.5% Ca unaccounted for is attributed to retranslocation. Retranslocation and leaching of nutrients was greater on the site of higher quality. But on both sites it appears that retranslocation is an important means of retaining and conserving N, K, and P countering the effect of annual litter removal.

Lake Erie, Not Lake Huron

Science ◽  
1983 ◽  
Vol 219 (4590) ◽  
pp. 1276-1276
Author(s):  
C. N. BARNUM
Keyword(s):  
Lake Erie ◽  
Lake Huron
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document