Relationships between total mercury in sediments and methyl mercury in the freshwater gastropod prosobranch Bithynia tentaculata in the St. Lawrence River, Quebec

2000 ◽  
Vol 57 (S1) ◽  
pp. 164-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
JC Désy ◽  
J -F Archambault ◽  
B Pinel-Alloul ◽  
J Hubert ◽  
P GC Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Methyl Mercury ◽  
Linear Models ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Gut Contents ◽  
Freshwater Gastropod ◽  
Bithynia Tentaculata ◽  
Total Hg ◽  
Highly Correlated ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
St Lawrence River

Total Hg concentrations in sediment and methyl mercury (MeHg) levels in the gastropod species Bithynia tentaculata were evaluated at 21 stations in the fluvial corridor of the St. Lawrence River (Quebec, Canada). In the sediments (n = 21), total Hg concentrations ranged from 34 to 2790 ng·g dry weight-1. In the gastropods, MeHg concentrations varied from 15 to 290 ng·g dry weight-1 in undepurated gastropods (n = 20) and from 41 to 420 ng·g dry weight-1 in depurated gastropods (n = 13; without gut contents). The southern sector of Lake St. Louis, located near the Îles-de-la-Paix, had significantly higher Hg concentrations than any other sectors under study, both for total Hg in the sediments and MeHg in the gastropods. We established linear models to describe the relationships between Hg contamination in sediments and molluscs for the fluvial corridor of the St. Lawrence River and for the Lake St. Louis sector. Total Hg in sediments and MeHg in gastropods were highly correlated for all pooled stations (r = 0.83), and the relationship was even stronger for the Lake St. Louis stations (r = 0.92). Our study suggests that the gastropod B. tentaculata is a promising biomonitor species for assessing Hg contamination in the fluvial corridor and lakes of the St. Lawrence River.

Relationships between total mercury in sediments and methyl mercury in the freshwater gastropod prosobranch Bithynia tentaculata in the St. Lawrence River, Quebec

2000 ◽  
Vol 57 (S1) ◽  
pp. 164-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.C. Désy ◽  
J.-F. Archambault ◽  
B. Pinel-Alloul ◽  
J. Hubert ◽  
P.G.C. Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Methyl Mercury ◽  
Total Mercury ◽  
Freshwater Gastropod ◽  
Bithynia Tentaculata ◽  
St Lawrence River

Cycle de développement, croissance et production de Pisidium amnicum (Mollusca: Bivalvia) dans le Saint-Laurent (Québec)

1981 ◽  
Vol 59 (12) ◽  
pp. 2350-2359 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Vincent ◽  
G. Vaillancourt ◽  
N. Lafontaine
Keyword(s):  
Population Dynamics ◽  
Sexual Maturity ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
The Other ◽  
Annual Production ◽  
Bithynia Tentaculata ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Total Dry Weight ◽  
St Lawrence River

The population dynamics of Pisidium amnicum have been studied in one population of the St. Lawrence River over a 2-year period during which 19 samples were taken. The species can live up to 3 years and it is iteroparous; individuals generally attain sexual maturity after 1 year and they reproduce twice, once at 2 and once at 3 years of age. In adults, mortality is lower in winter than during the rest of the year and mortality rates are twice as high during the 1st year than during the 2nd year. Total dry weight (PT, in milligrams) is related to maximum length (L, in millimetres) according to the equation PT = 0.0283∙L3,80 and flesh dry weight (PC, in milligrams) is related to length as follows: PC = 0.007∙L3,18. The annual production to mean biomass (P/B) ratio is 1.4, the mean annual production being 1.298 mg/m2 of total dry weight and 107 mg/m2 of flesh weight. Comparing these results with those obtained for the gastropod Bithynia tentaculata in the same environment and at the same period of the year has shown that the growth of Pisidium amnicum is far less influenced by the temperature regime than that of the other species and that its production is at least 10 times lower.

scholarly journals Rapid Determination of Nitrogen Status in Pansy

HortScience ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 537-541 ◽  
Author(s):  
James E. Altland ◽  
Charles H. Gilliam ◽  
Gary J. Keever ◽  
James H. Edwards ◽  
Jeff L. Sibley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nitrate Concentration ◽  
Rapid Determination ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Foliar Nitrogen ◽  
N Deficiency ◽  
Highly Correlated ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Spad Readings ◽  
N Status

Two experiments were conducted with pansy (Viola ×wittrockiana Gams `Bingo Yello') to determine the relationship between foliar nitrogen (% of dry weight) (FN) and either sap nitrate concentration (SN) in petioles or SPAD readings of foliage. FN was highly correlated to SN throughout both experiments (r = 0.80 to 0.91). FN was poorly correlated to SPAD readings early in both experiments (r = 0.54 to 0.65), but more highly correlated later when visual symptoms of N deficiency were apparent (r = 0.84 to 0.90). SN determined with the Cardy sap nitrate meter was a reliable predictor of FN in pansy, while SPAD readings were only reliable after symptoms of N deficiency were visually evident. FN can be predicted with SN using the following equation: log(SN) = 0.47*FN + 1.6 [r2 = 0.80, n = 132]. Growers and landscape professionals can use SN readings to predict FN levels in pansy, and thus rapidly and accurately diagnose the N status of their crop.

The Relation Between Leaf Production and Wood Weight in First-Year Root Sprouts of Two Populus Clones

1972 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 98-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip R. Larson ◽  
J. G. Isebrands
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Area ◽  
Leaf Surface ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
First Year ◽  
Leaf Production ◽  
Leaf Surface Area ◽  
Highly Correlated ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Non Destructive ◽  
Leaf Dry Weight

The relationship between leaf production and wood production in two clones of Populus grown for 1 year under intensive culture was investigated. Wood weight at any one stem position was highly correlated with the cumulative leaf area above that position. About one-half the total stem weight was bark, but the bark/wood ratio decreased with increasing leaf area. Wood specific gravity in creased from stem top to stem base, with mid-stem values of about 0.35. Leaf surface area and leaf dry weight were highly correlated with leaf lamina length; the latter therefore provides an easily measured, non-destructive estimate of photosynthesizing leaf surface. Marked clonal differences existed in all parameters measured.

Changes in methyl mercury concentrations in zooplankton from four experimental reservoirs with differing amounts of carbon in the flooded catchmentsThis paper is part of the series “Forty Years of Aquatic Research at the Experimental Lakes Area”.

2009 ◽  
Vol 66 (11) ◽  
pp. 1910-1919 ◽  
Author(s):  
Britt D. Hall ◽  
Katharine A. Cherewyk ◽  
Michael J. Paterson ◽  
R. (Drew) A. Bodaly
Keyword(s):  
Food Web ◽  
Methyl Mercury ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Experimental Lakes Area ◽  
Organic C ◽  
Dissolved Organic C ◽  
Northwestern Ontario ◽  
Highly Correlated ◽  
Source Waters

Methyl mercury (MeHg) concentrations in zooplankton were compared from four experimental reservoirs at the Experimental Lakes Area in northwestern Ontario, Canada, to test the hypothesis that increases in concentrations of MeHg in zooplankton would be proportional to C availability. The experimental reservoirs included three upland reservoirs flooded between 1999 and 2003 that differed in amounts of flooded organic terrestrial C (high, medium, and low C) and an experimental reservoir created over a wetland–peatland complex in 1993. After flooding, MeHg in zooplankton increased from <100 ng·g dry weight–1 in inflow source waters to >500 ng·g dry weight–1 in all reservoirs. In the first two years of flooding, MeHg in zooplankton was not correlated with amounts of flooded C, but the rates of decline in mean annual concentrations were negatively correlated with the amount of C stored in flooded catchments. Concentrations of MeHg in zooplankton were highly correlated with MeHg concentrations in unfiltered water, with reductions in bioaccumulation associated with increases in dissolved organic C and decreases in pH. Overall, our results suggest that reservoir designs that minimize the amount of flooded terrestrial C should result in shorter periods of elevated MeHg in the food web.

Accumulation of total mercury and methyl mercury in insect larvae of hydroelectric reservoirs

1997 ◽  
Vol 54 (4) ◽  
pp. 832-841 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Tremblay ◽  
M Lucotte
Keyword(s):  
Methyl Mercury ◽  
Total Mercury ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Insect Larvae ◽  
Flooded Soils ◽  
Hydroelectric Reservoirs ◽  
Natural Lakes ◽  
Suspended Particulate ◽  
Total Variability ◽  
Total Hg

Mean total mercury (Hg) and methyl mercury (MeHg) concentrations in insect larvae from hydrolelectric reservoirs were 3-5 times (up to 10 times) higher than in their counterparts from natural lakes. Taxonomic differences, which may be related to feeding behavior, and substrate type (lake sediment or flooded soils) together explained a large part of the total variability of total Hg (r2 = 0.64) and MeHg (r2 = 0.79) concentrations in insects. MeHg concentrations in flooded soils increased from 0.3-2 ng Hg cdot g dry weight-1 after 1-2 years of flooding to 15-2 ng Hg cdot g dry weight-1 after 16 years of impoundment. Total Hg and MeHg concentrations in insect larvae followed a similar pattern, but only weak correlations of both total Hg and MeHg concentrations were found between flooded soils and insect larvae, suggesting that factors other than MeHg content of flooded soils also affect the accumulation of these compounds in insects. Our results indicate that suspended particulate matter eroded from flooded soils by wave and ice action and bacterial activity enhanced by the release of labile carbon and nutrients from the flooded soils may indirectly transfer MeHg from flooded soils to insect larvae.

Trace Metal Levels in Benthic Biota from Four Tributaries to the St. Lawrence River, Quebec

1998 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 595-610 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claude B. Renaud ◽  
Henry K.T. Wong ◽  
Janice L. Metcalfe-Smith
Keyword(s):  
Body Burden ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Sea Lamprey ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Gut Contents ◽  
Substantial Portion ◽  
Gut Content ◽  
Elliptio Complanata ◽  
Metal Levels ◽  
St Lawrence River

Abstract Lamprey ammocoetes (Agnatha: Petromyzontidae) and freshwater mussels (Bivalvia: Unionidae), two groups of organisms that are closely associated with sediments, were collected from the Châteauguay, Bécancour, Sainte-Anne and Saint-Maurice rivers in July 1992 and analyzed for residues of 13 metals in their tissues. The hypothesis that lamprey larvae and mussels would bioaccumulate comparable levels of metals due to similarities in their ecology was rejected. Lampreys (Ichthyomyzon fossor and Lampetra appendix) from the Châteauguay River (the only site where both lampreys and mussels were collected) accumulated significantly lower concentrations of Ag, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Tl, V and Zn than mussels (Elliptio complanata), suggesting that lampreys may be capable of regulating these metals. Conversely, lampreys accumulated much higher concentrations of Hg than mussels (1748 to 6793 versus 579 to 982 ng/g dry weight, respectively), indicating that they may be suitable biomonitors for Hg. Organisms that are capable of regulating metals are not normally recommended for biomonitoring purposes. Nevertheless, significant differences among rivers were observed for many metals based on the lamprey data. As metals in the gut contents of three specimens of Sea lamprey (Petromyzon mar-inus) from the Saint-Maurice River accounted for a substantial portion of the whole body burden of metals, a gut content correction factor is recommended for these organisms. Further studies are required to properly evaluate lamprey ammocoetes as biomonitors for trace metals in freshwater systems.

Do Extra-Platelet Sources Contribute to the Plasma Level of Thrombospondin?

1988 ◽  
Vol 59 (02) ◽  
pp. 273-276 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Dawes ◽  
D A Pratt ◽  
M S Dewar ◽  
F E Preston
Keyword(s):  
Platelet Count ◽  
Background Concentration ◽  
Serum Concentrations ◽  
Bone Marrow Depression ◽  
Serial Sampling ◽  
Control Serum ◽  
Platelet Release ◽  
Highly Correlated ◽  
The Relationship

SummaryThrombospondin, a trimeric glycoprotein contained in the platelet α-granules, has been proposed as a marker of in vivo platelet activation. However, it is also synthesised by a range of other cells. The extraplatelet contribution to plasma levels of thrombospondin was therefore estimated by investigating the relationship between plasma thrombospondin levels and platelet count in samples from profoundly thrombocytopenic patients with marrow hypoplasia, using the platelet-specific α-granule protein β-thromboglobulin as control. Serum concentrations of both proteins were highly correlated with platelet count, but while plasma β-thromboglobulin levels and platelet count also correlated, there was no relationship between the number of platelets and thrombospondin concentrations in plasma. Serial sampling of patients recovering from bone marrow depression indicated that the plasma thrombospondin contributed by platelets is superimposed on a background concentration of at least 50 ng/ml probably derived from a non-platelet source, and plasma thrombospondin levels do not simply reflect platelet release.

Response of Poinsettia Growth and Development to Ratio of Radiant to Thermal Energy

HortScience ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 508e-508
Author(s):  
Bin Liu ◽  
Royal D. Heins
Keyword(s):  
Plant Growth ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Growth And Development ◽  
Model Simulation ◽  
Interactive Effect ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Plant Spacing ◽  
Plant Growth And Development ◽  
Daily Light Integral ◽  
Highly Correlated

A concept of ratio of radiant to thermal energy (RRT) has been developed to deal with the interactive effect of light and temperature on plant growth and development. This study further confirms that RRT is a useful parameter for plant growth, development, and quality control. Based on greenhouse experiments conducted with 27 treatment combinations of temperature, light, and plant spacing, a model for poinsettia plant growth and development was constructed using the computer program STELLA II. Results from the model simulation with different levels of daily light integral, temperature, and plant spacing showed that the RRT significantly affects leaf unfolding rate when RRT is lower than 0.025 mol/degree-day per plant. Plant dry weight is highly correlated with RRT; it increases linearly as RRT increases.

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.

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