The ecological value of constructed wetlands for treating urban runoff

2007 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 63-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Pankratz ◽  
T. Young ◽  
H. Cuevas-Arellano ◽  
R. Kumar ◽  
R.F. Ambrose ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Constructed Wetlands ◽  
Natural Habitat ◽  
Urban Runoff ◽  
Wildlife Habitat ◽  
Vegetative Cover ◽  
Ecological Value ◽  
Added Benefit ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Town ◽  
Uptake Of Nutrients

The Sweetwater Authority's urban runoff diversion system (URDS) comprises constructed wetlands on a hillside between the town of Spring Valley and the Sweetwater Reservoir, California, USA. The URDS were designed to divert dry-weather and first-flush urban runoff flows from the Sweetwater reservoir. However, these constructed wetlands have developed into ecologically valuable habitat. This paper evaluates the following ecological questions related to the URDS: (1) the natural development of the species present and their growth pattern; (2) the biodiversity and pollutant stress on the plants and invertebrates; and (3) the question of habitat provided for endangered species. The URDS wetlands are comprised primarily of rush (Scirpus spp.) and cattails (Typha spp.). This vegetative cover ranged from 39–78% of the area of the individual wetland ponds. Current analyses of plant tissues and wetland sediment indicates the importance of sediment sorption for metals and plant uptake of nutrients. Analyses of URDS water following runoff events show the URDS wetlands do reduce the amount of nutrients and metals in the water column. Invertebrate surveys of the wetland ponds revealed lower habitat quality and environmental stress compared to unpolluted natural habitat. The value of the wetlands as wildlife habitat is constrained by low plant biodiversity and pollution stress from the runoff. Since the primary Sweetwater Authority goal is to maintain good water quality for drinking, any secondary utilization of URDS habitat by species (endangered or otherwise) is deemed an added benefit.

Urban Greening and Human-Wildlife Relations in Philadelphia: From Animal Control to Multispecies Coexistence?

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Hunold
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Urban Runoff ◽  
Urban Wildlife ◽  
Wildlife Habitat ◽  
Wild Animals ◽  
Urban Greening ◽  
Human Needs ◽  
Animal Control

City-scale urban greening is expanding wildlife habitat in previously less hospitable urban areas. Does this transformation also prompt a reckoning with the longstanding idea that cities are places intended to satisfy primarily human needs? I pose this question in the context of one of North America's most ambitious green infrastructure programmes to manage urban runoff: Philadelphia's Green City, Clean Waters. Given that the city's green infrastructure plans have little to say about wildlife, I investigate how wild animals fit into urban greening professionals' conceptions of the urban. I argue that practitioners relate to urban wildlife via three distinctive frames: 1) animal control, 2) public health and 3) biodiversity, and explore the implications of each for peaceful human-wildlife coexistence in 'greened' cities.

scholarly journals Group size and aquatic vegetation modulates male preferences for female shoals in wild zebrafish, Danio rerio

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aditya Ghoshal ◽  
Anuradha Bhat
Keyword(s):  
Group Size ◽  
Aquatic Vegetation ◽  
Natural Habitat ◽  
Ecological Factors ◽  
Choice Test ◽  
Female Group ◽  
Aquatic Flora ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
The Individual

AbstractShoaling decisions in the wild are determined by a combination of innate preferences of the individual along with the interplay of multiple ecological factors. In their natural habitat as well as in the laboratory, zebrafish is a shoaling fish. Here, we investigate the role of group size and associated vegetation in shaping shoaling preferences of wild male zebrafish. We studied the association preference of males to groups of female shoals in a multi-choice test design. We found that males made greater proportion of visits to an 8-female group compared to 2 and 4-female groups. However, males spent similar proportions of time across the three female-containing groups. When artificial vegetation was incorporated along with female number as an additional factor, we found that males prefer high and moderately vegetated patches compared to low or no-vegetation groups, irrespective of the number of females in these patches. Based on experiments using a novel multi-choice design, our results show that preference for group size can change due to interaction of two separate factors. This work is a first attempt to understand the role of aquatic flora in determining shoaling preferences in zebrafish, using an experimental paradigm consisting of a gradation in female and vegetation densities.

Functions of Macrophytes in Constructed Wetlands

1994 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 71-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans Brix
Keyword(s):  
Constructed Wetlands ◽  
Microbial Growth ◽  
Surface Flow ◽  
Wetland Plant ◽  
Intrinsic Properties ◽  
Treatment Processes ◽  
Flow Systems ◽  
Physical Effects ◽  
Uptake Of Nutrients ◽  
Quantitative Importance

Macrophytes have several intrinsic properties that makes them an indispensable component of constructed wetlands. The most important functions of the macrophytes in relation to the treatment of wastewater are the physical effects brought about by the presence of the plants. The macrophytes stabilise the surface of the beds, provide good conditions for physical filtration, prevent vertical flow systems from clogging, insulate against frost during winter, and provide a huge surface area for attached microbial growth. Contrary to earlier belief, the growth of macrophytes does not increase the hydraulic conductivity of the substrate in soil-based subsurface flow constructed wetlands. The metabolism of the macrophytes affects the treatment processes to different extents depending on the design of the constructed wetland. Plant uptake of nutrients is only of quantitative importance in low-loaded systems (surface flow systems). Macrophyte-mediated transfer of oxygen to the rhizosphere by leakage from roots increases aerobic degradation of organic matter and nitrification. The macrophytes have additional site-specific values by providing habitat for wildlife and making wastewater treatment systems aesthetically pleasing.

“Choose yourself?”

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-68
Author(s):  
Jolynna Sinanan
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Visual Language ◽  
Social Value ◽  
Ethnographic Research ◽  
Caribbean Island ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Town

Abstract Social media is often assumed to espouse ego-centred networking. Yet by comparing posts to Facebook and Instagram, it becomes apparent that the experience and aspirations of the individual are often embedded in structures of family and other institutions that have been historically determined. This article locates images posted by women to two social media platforms, Facebook and Instagram, within the Caribbean island of Trinidad’s wider history of the significance of visibility and visuality. What individuals choose to make visible and its consequences form a visual language in which Trinidadians are entirely fluent. By extension, images are used to communicate forms of differentiated identity that are made visible through social media. The material gathered was based on 15 months of ethnographic research in a semi-urban town in Trinidad where, generally, uses of social media are expressive of a place-based sense of identity. The town is simultaneously a place that urban dwellers look down on and villagers look up to. Visual content posted to Facebook and Instagram reveal that while individuals seek to craft and shape images and aesthetics according to their own tastes, this must be done in a socially acceptable way; that is, placing emphasis on group conformity is far more of a social value than expressing individual distinction. Social media in this context communicates the imagination of oppositional futures and a divergence of lifestyles for young women: those who identify with being locally-oriented and those who identify with being globally-oriented.

Amphibian reproductive success as a gauge of functional equivalency of created wetlands in the Central Appalachians

2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 354 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriel F. Strain ◽  
Philip J. Turk ◽  
Jordan Helmick ◽  
James T. Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Growth Curves ◽  
Wildlife Habitat ◽  
Breeding Habitat ◽  
Wetland Mitigation ◽  
Sufficient Evidence ◽  
Created Wetlands ◽  
Green Frog ◽  
Vegetative Cover ◽  
Wetland Type ◽  
Natural Wetlands

Context Evaluating the adequacy of created wetlands to replace the functions of lost natural wetlands is important because wetland mitigation is a major tool used to offset wetland losses. However, measurements such as vegetative cover and presence of wildlife may not provide sufficient evidence that created wetlands are functioning properly. Thus, examining the ecology of wetland biota such as that of amphibians may be a more useful surrogate for function. Aims The objectives of this study were to compare the abundance of amphibian metamorphs and survival and growth of larval amphibians in created wetlands, relative to natural wetlands. Methods Amphibian metamorphs were trapped in created and natural wetlands during the spring (April–May) and summer (June–August) of 2009 and 2010, and 165 green frog (Lithobates clamitans) larvae were raised during the spring of 2010 in laboratory aquaria containing water from created or natural wetlands. Key results Abundance of spring peeper (Pseudacris crucifer) metamorphs decreased significantly from 2009 to 2010 and abundance of green frog metamorphs increased with habitat complexity, but both were unaffected by wetland type. Detection probability of metamorphs of both species was low, increased with water temperature and declined with month of observation. Survival, growth curves and mass were similar among green frog larvae raised in created and natural wetland aquaria. Conclusions Our results suggest that the created and natural wetlands we examined function similarly with respect to providing adequate breeding habitat for green frogs and spring peepers. Implications Wetlands created to offset the loss of natural wetlands, although generally not designed for the purpose of wildlife habitat, can function as adequate breeding habitat for generalist amphibians such as green frogs and spring peepers.

scholarly journals Base Catchment Modeling in Urban Runoff Simulation

1991 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 137-148
Author(s):  
Sven Lyngfelt
Keyword(s):  
Input Data ◽  
Wave Equations ◽  
Urban Runoff ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
General Point ◽  
Runoff Simulation ◽  
Numerical Solution Method ◽  
Catchment Modeling ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Selection Of

The selection of numerical model and the transformation of catchment data into ‘input data’ are two fundamental problems in urban runoff simulation. They are discussed from a general point of view. A numerical solution method for the kinematic wave equations is proposed for base catchment modeling. In connection to this solution a methodology for the generation of input data representing the individual base catchment is presented.

scholarly journals Anaesthetic, clinical, morphometric, haematological, and serum chemistry evaluations of an Andean Cat Leopardus jacobita (Cornalia, 1865) (Mammalia: Carnivora: Felidae) before release in Bolivia

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (16) ◽  
pp. 17235-17244
Author(s):  
L. Fabián Beltrán-Saavedra ◽  
Rolando Limachi Quiñajo ◽  
Grace Ledezma ◽  
Daniela Morales-Moreno ◽  
M. Lilian Villalba
Keyword(s):  
Natural Habitat ◽  
Wildlife Trade ◽  
Ideal Condition ◽  
Chemical Parameters ◽  
Chemical Immobilization ◽  
Subadult Male ◽  
Rare And Endangered ◽  
Physiological Values ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Physical And Chemical

The Andean Cat Leopardus jacobita, one of the most rare and endangered feline species in the world, is distributed from central Peru to central Argentina.  The aim of this study was to evaluate the health and morphometry of a subadult male Andean Cat that was rescued from wildlife trade in Bolivia and held captive for 165 days before being released back into its natural habitat.  Physical immobilizations followed by anaesthesia using ketamine hydrochloride (KH) and xylazine hydrochloride (XH) were performed to obtain clinical, morphometric, haematological and serum chemical parameters.  Physical immobilizations were efficient using capture nets.  The combination of KH + XH had an average initial sedation effect within 12min with a range of 10–16 min after intramuscular application.  Anaesthetic average plane lasted 41.7min with a range of 40–45 min and was extended to 64.5min (63–66 min range) with an addition of KH.  The individual was underweight on arrival and gradually reached an ideal condition and was overweight before its release.  Morphometry parameters showed that it grew during the captive period.  It was released back into the wild when it was considered healthy.  This is the first report of a protocol of physical and chemical immobilization, physiological values, and biometric variation of an Andean Cat under captive conditions.

scholarly journals First report of an olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) inside the Mediterranean Sea

2015 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 346 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. REVUELTA ◽  
C. CARRERAS ◽  
F. DOMÈNECH ◽  
P. GOZALBES ◽  
J. TOMÁS
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Accession Number ◽  
Olive Ridley ◽  
Genetic Analyses ◽  
First Report ◽  
Lepidochelys Olivacea ◽  
The World ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Town

We report the first confirmed occurrence of a Lepidochelys olivacea in the Mediterranean Sea based on the study of an individual stranded on a beach, located in the town of Oropesa del Mar (40º05ʹ32ʺN, 0º08ʹ02ʺE), Castellón province, East Spain, in May 2014. Morphological and genetic analyses were used to confirm the identification of the species. The individual had a sequence that matched the 470 bp Lepidochelys olivacea haplotype F (Genbank accession number: AF051773), found in several Atlantic populations. This becomes one of the northernmost known occurrences of olive ridleys in the world and is the first reports of this species in the Mediterranean Sea.

scholarly journals LOW-COST DEVELOPMENT OF AN INTERACTIVE, IMMERSIVE VIRTUAL REALITY EXPERIENCE OF THE HISTORIC CITY MODEL STADE 1620

2019 ◽  
Vol XLII-2/W17 ◽  
pp. 405-411 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Walmsley ◽  
T. P. Kersten
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Virtual Environments ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Simple Game ◽  
Texture Mapping ◽  
Immersive Virtual Reality ◽  
City Model ◽  
Virtual City ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Town

Abstract. As virtual reality and 3D documentation and modelling technologies become increasingly powerful and affordable tools for architecture, planning, and cultural heritage preservation and communication, it has become increasingly important to develop low-cost methodologies for the creation of 3D immersive virtual environments and interactive experiences. Doing so makes this technology more viable for institutions such as museums and other cultural institutions, who often work within strict budgets. In this paper, we describe a workflow used to build an interactive, immersive virtual reality experience around a virtual city model of the town of Stade (Germany) in the year 1620. This virtual city model is based on a physical 3D model of the town, exhibited in the Stade town hall. The workflow begins with the digitization of this model using digital photogrammetry, followed by the subsequent low- and high-polygon modelling of the individual architectural assets in Autodesk Maya, texture mapping in Substance Painter and finally visualisation within Unreal Engine 4. The results of this workflow are a detailed 3D historical environment with a high degree of realism and in which interactivity can easily be added. In addition, the workflow takes a highly iterative approach that allows the performance of the virtual environments in the game engine to be monitored at each stage of the process, and that allows adjustments to be made quickly. To increase the potential of the virtual environment as a tool for education and communication, interactive elements and simple game mechanics are currently being integrated.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document