This document describes an experiment assessing the use of green crabs (Carcinus maenas) as indicator species in the Multispecies Freshwater Biomonitor (MFB), an online water quality biomonitor. The experiment tested whether: 1) the electrical field of the MFB affects crab behavior; 2) ammonia presence alters crab behavior; 3) the electrical field further impacts behavior in ammonia's presence. Results showed the electrical field did not significantly impact crabs on its own. Ammonia did alter crab behavior in a dose-dependent manner. Five distinct crab behaviors were detected by the MFB. Overall, green crabs appear suitable for use in the MFB as marine biomonitors.
2017 - Environmental ordination of nitrifying bacterial community dynamics in...WALEBUBLÉ
Biological nitrification-denitrification is commonly used for nitrogen removal in Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs). Nitrification, is the sequential oxidation of ammonia via nitrite to nitrate. This process is catalysed by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and archaea (AOB and AOA) and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB), whose cooperation is needed to achieve complete nitrification. They are a phylogenetically diverse guild with pronounced ecological niche specialization and they differ from each other in fundamental physiological and molecular traits. Although the nitrification process in WWTPs has been investigated in depth, the response of microbial
communities are still a focus of considerable interest due to their high sensitivity to inhibitory compounds and environmental factors, that results in repeated breakdowns of nitrification performance. Most of studies have been mainly descriptive and/or exploratory and environmental interpretation has not been addressed. In this study, we focus on the environmental ordination of the relationships between biological variables (nitrifying bacterial community) and physicochemical variables (nitrogen compounds and environmental conditions), to propose new strategies to improve the performance of the nitrogen removal process in WWTPs.
2017 - Environmental Ordination of Filamentous Bacteria in Activated SludgeWALEBUBLÉ
Reference:
Zornoza, A., Serrano, S. and Alonso, J.L. (2017) Environmental Ordination of Filamentous Bacteria in Activated Sludge. In: Abstracts of the 7th congress of European microbiologists FEMS 2017, Valencia, Spain, 9-13 July 2017.
2017 - Comparison of nitrifying microbial communities of two full-scale membr...WALEBUBLÉ
Barbarroja, P., Moreno-Mesonero, L., Zornoza, A., Fernández-Navarro, J., Alonso, J.L., Muñagorri, F., García, C., Álvarez, C. (2017) Comparison of nitrifying microbial communities of two full-scale membrane bioreactors treating wastewaters from municipal solid wastes using 16S rDNA gene amplicon sequencing. 7th congress of European microbiologists FEMS 2017, Valencia, Spain, 9-13 July 2017.
2019 - Profiling of filamentous bacteria in activated sludge by 16s RNA ampli...WALEBUBLÉ
Abstract: In this study, filamentous bacteria in the activated sludge of a WWTP were investigated throughout a one-year period using high-throughput short-read (Illumina) and full-length (PacBio) 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. The results showed that a total of 28 filamentous bacteria genera
were identified using Illumina sequencing. Also, we found 25 species using PacBio sequencing, belonging to Curvibacter, Mycobacterium, Haliscomenobacter, Defluvicoccus, Sphaerotilus, Thiothrix, Leptothrix, Gordonia and Tetrasphaera genera. Active Volatile Suspended Solids (AVSS) were
calculated from ATP data contained in living microorganisms, this parameter represents the living biomass concentration, and the food/microorganisms ratio (F/M ratio) was calculated using AVSS instead of MLVSS. To assess the contribution of the F/M ratio to the variability observed in the filamentous bacteria structure we carried out distance-based linear models (DISTLM) and distancebased redundancy analysis (dbRDA).
Chemical communications among plant and animal components are fundamental elements for the functioning and the connectivity of ecosystems. In particular, wound-activated infochemicals trigger specific reactions of invertebrates according to evolutionary constraints, permitting them to identify prey cues, escape predators and optimize their behaviors according to specific life strategies.
2017 - Effect of ozone addition to control Gordonia foaming on the nitrifying...WALEBUBLÉ
The ozonation of activated sludge has been used as a technical measure for bulking control in a high number of full-scale wastewater treatment plants (WWTP), despite a lack of precise
predictions on the level of reduction in filament growth or the lack of knowledge of impact on microbial community from this technique. Ozone is a strong oxidant reacting rapidly with
suspended solids. Various studies have suggested that ozone attacks the bacterial cell surface, alters the permeability of the cell membrane and ultimately results in the leakage of cell
contents. However, the microbes in the sludge form a complex matrix, and ozone may affect bacterial populations at different rates different depending on their locations in the floc or their
capacity for adaptation. Nitrification, a key step of the nitrogen cycle, is the sequential oxidation of ammonia via nitrite to nitrate. This process is catalysed by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria
(AOB) and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB), whose cooperation is needed to achieve complete nitrification. Although the nitrification process in WWTPs has been investigated in depth, the response of microbial communities are still a focus of considerable interest due to their high sensitivity to inhibitory compounds and environmental factors that results in repeated
breakdowns of nitrification performance. In this study, we focus on two aspects that have not been thoroughly considered in previous studies; the use of ozone for Gordonia foaming
elimination on dynamic population of a nitrifying bacterial community, and the nitrification performance of activated sludge system.
2017 - Environmental ordination of nitrifying bacterial community dynamics in...WALEBUBLÉ
Biological nitrification-denitrification is commonly used for nitrogen removal in Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs). Nitrification, is the sequential oxidation of ammonia via nitrite to nitrate. This process is catalysed by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and archaea (AOB and AOA) and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB), whose cooperation is needed to achieve complete nitrification. They are a phylogenetically diverse guild with pronounced ecological niche specialization and they differ from each other in fundamental physiological and molecular traits. Although the nitrification process in WWTPs has been investigated in depth, the response of microbial
communities are still a focus of considerable interest due to their high sensitivity to inhibitory compounds and environmental factors, that results in repeated breakdowns of nitrification performance. Most of studies have been mainly descriptive and/or exploratory and environmental interpretation has not been addressed. In this study, we focus on the environmental ordination of the relationships between biological variables (nitrifying bacterial community) and physicochemical variables (nitrogen compounds and environmental conditions), to propose new strategies to improve the performance of the nitrogen removal process in WWTPs.
2017 - Environmental Ordination of Filamentous Bacteria in Activated SludgeWALEBUBLÉ
Reference:
Zornoza, A., Serrano, S. and Alonso, J.L. (2017) Environmental Ordination of Filamentous Bacteria in Activated Sludge. In: Abstracts of the 7th congress of European microbiologists FEMS 2017, Valencia, Spain, 9-13 July 2017.
2017 - Comparison of nitrifying microbial communities of two full-scale membr...WALEBUBLÉ
Barbarroja, P., Moreno-Mesonero, L., Zornoza, A., Fernández-Navarro, J., Alonso, J.L., Muñagorri, F., García, C., Álvarez, C. (2017) Comparison of nitrifying microbial communities of two full-scale membrane bioreactors treating wastewaters from municipal solid wastes using 16S rDNA gene amplicon sequencing. 7th congress of European microbiologists FEMS 2017, Valencia, Spain, 9-13 July 2017.
2019 - Profiling of filamentous bacteria in activated sludge by 16s RNA ampli...WALEBUBLÉ
Abstract: In this study, filamentous bacteria in the activated sludge of a WWTP were investigated throughout a one-year period using high-throughput short-read (Illumina) and full-length (PacBio) 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. The results showed that a total of 28 filamentous bacteria genera
were identified using Illumina sequencing. Also, we found 25 species using PacBio sequencing, belonging to Curvibacter, Mycobacterium, Haliscomenobacter, Defluvicoccus, Sphaerotilus, Thiothrix, Leptothrix, Gordonia and Tetrasphaera genera. Active Volatile Suspended Solids (AVSS) were
calculated from ATP data contained in living microorganisms, this parameter represents the living biomass concentration, and the food/microorganisms ratio (F/M ratio) was calculated using AVSS instead of MLVSS. To assess the contribution of the F/M ratio to the variability observed in the filamentous bacteria structure we carried out distance-based linear models (DISTLM) and distancebased redundancy analysis (dbRDA).
Chemical communications among plant and animal components are fundamental elements for the functioning and the connectivity of ecosystems. In particular, wound-activated infochemicals trigger specific reactions of invertebrates according to evolutionary constraints, permitting them to identify prey cues, escape predators and optimize their behaviors according to specific life strategies.
2017 - Effect of ozone addition to control Gordonia foaming on the nitrifying...WALEBUBLÉ
The ozonation of activated sludge has been used as a technical measure for bulking control in a high number of full-scale wastewater treatment plants (WWTP), despite a lack of precise
predictions on the level of reduction in filament growth or the lack of knowledge of impact on microbial community from this technique. Ozone is a strong oxidant reacting rapidly with
suspended solids. Various studies have suggested that ozone attacks the bacterial cell surface, alters the permeability of the cell membrane and ultimately results in the leakage of cell
contents. However, the microbes in the sludge form a complex matrix, and ozone may affect bacterial populations at different rates different depending on their locations in the floc or their
capacity for adaptation. Nitrification, a key step of the nitrogen cycle, is the sequential oxidation of ammonia via nitrite to nitrate. This process is catalysed by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria
(AOB) and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB), whose cooperation is needed to achieve complete nitrification. Although the nitrification process in WWTPs has been investigated in depth, the response of microbial communities are still a focus of considerable interest due to their high sensitivity to inhibitory compounds and environmental factors that results in repeated
breakdowns of nitrification performance. In this study, we focus on two aspects that have not been thoroughly considered in previous studies; the use of ozone for Gordonia foaming
elimination on dynamic population of a nitrifying bacterial community, and the nitrification performance of activated sludge system.
Mycological flora of Clarias gariepinus exposed to an oilfield wastewater in ...Innspub Net
The Mycological flora of Clarias gariepinus exposed to sub-lethal concentrations of an oilfield wastewater were investigated. The concentrations included 0% (control), 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60% respectively. Physico-chemistry and mycoflora of wastewater and tissues of Clarias gariepinus were
determined using standard methods. Mean values obtained were; temperature 25.93±6.7oC, pH 7.73±0.31, turbidity 40.33±1.53 NTU, salinity 6584±137mg/l, conductivity 15200±1058.68μs/cm, total dissolved solids 8436.33±501.68 mg/l, total suspended solids 4.67±0.58mg/l, alkalinity
1296.33±2168mg/l, dissolved oxygen 1.83±0.38mg/l, biochemical oxygen demand 1.3±0.7mg/l and Total hydrocarbon 40.54±50mg/l. Temperature, DO, BOD and THC were below allowable FEPA limits while all other components were higher. Mean counts of total fungi and petroleum degraders in the oilfield wastewater were 4.7±0.46x106 sfu/ml and 59.7±25.7% respectively. Fungal counts in the
tissues of Clarias ranged from 0.20±0.00 x 104sfu/g to 3.00±0.00 x 104sfu/g (skin), 0.48±0.05 x 104sfu/g to 7.25±0.96 x 104sfu/g (gills), and 1.13±0.15 x 104sfu/g to 5.75±0.50 x 104sfu/g (intestine). The intestine had higher fungal counts, but the gills recorded the highest at 10%
concentration. Fungi isolated included; Aspergillus fumigatus (46.43%), Aspergillus niger (100%), Fusarium spp. (100%), Mucor spp. (24.99%), Penicillium spp. (57.14%), Rhizopus spp. (32.13%) and Saccharomyces spp. (34.3%). All except Saccharomyces spp were isolated from oilfield wastewater.
Aspergillus spp. Penicillium spp, Mucor and Rhizopus are considered normal flora, but can still cause infection which may result in the mortality of the fish and eventually economic loss to the aquarium fish industry. Proper treatment of oilfield wastewater prior to discharge into the recipient water body is
advocated to reduce ecotoxicological problems. Get more articles at: http://www.innspub.net/volume-3-number-1-july-2015-ijmm/
Assessment of the Plankton Biodiversity,Bay of Bengal, Cox's Bazar, BangladeshAbuMusa51
I am Abu Musa. This is my Internship Presentation. This is for partial fulfillment of the 4th-year final examination of the Department of Fisheries, University of Dhaka. This is based on my findings from one month of research on the Coxs Bazar coast. The research is done in the live feed lab of BFRI Cox's Bazar.
Determinar la toxicitat dels sediments en els ecosistemes aquàtics és un repte, i és necessari per a una adequada avaluació del risc toxicològic en aquests ecosistemes. En les darreres dècades s’han estudiat i aplicat diferents eines (ex. tests de laboratori amb diferents concentracions, tests amb l’aigua intersticial, estudis de bioacumulació, índexs de toxicitat). Actualment es recomana l'aplicació conjunta d'eines químiques, ecològiques i toxicològiques per a una adequada avaluació. En aquest treball utilitzem l’aproximació de les Toxic Units, tests de toxicitat amb l’aigua intersticial (Vibrio fischeri, Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata i Daphnia magna) i tests d'exposició amb el sediment (V. fischeri, Chironomus riparius), juntament amb l’estudi de la comunitat d'invertebrats, per detectar respostes a curt i llarg termini en quatre rius de la Península Ibèrica: el Llobregat, l’Ebre, el Xúquer i el Guadalquivir.
by Núria de Castro-Català, Maja Kuzmanovic, Neus Roig, Jordi Sierra, Antoni Ginebreda, Damià Barceló, Sandra Pérez, Mira Petrovic, Yolanda Picó, Marta Schumacher and Isabel Muñoz
2017 - Analysis of nitrifying microbial communities by FISH and 16S rRNA ampl...WALEBUBLÉ
Nitrification, the sequential oxidation of ammonia via nitrite to nitrate, is an important process for nitrogen removal from municipal wastewater. This process is catalysed by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB), two different groups of slow-growing microorganisms whose cooperation is needed to achieve complete nitrification. High efficiency and stability of this process is required for wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) operational optimization due to
nitrification is often subjected to recurring collapse in many WWTPs. Therefore, a better understanding of the microbial ecology of nitrifying bacteria in WWTPs could
potentially improve the nitrification stability. Novel high-throughput molecular methods, as next generation sequencing (NGS), are nowadays providing detailed knowledge on the microorganisms governing wastewater treatment systems. This
methods in conjunction with the environmental ordination of the relationships between biological variables (nitrifying bacterial community) and physicochemical variables (nitrogen compounds and environmental conditions) provide a powerful
tool to elucidate how selection pressures imposed by operational and environmental conditions affect community diversity and dynamics within activated sludge systems.
Heavy Metals in organs and endoparasites of Oreochromisniloticus, Sediment an...iosrjce
IOSR Journal of Environmental Science, Toxicology and Food Technology (IOSR-JESTFT) multidisciplinary peer-reviewed Journal with reputable academics and experts as board member. IOSR-JESTFT is designed for the prompt publication of peer-reviewed articles in all areas of subject. The journal articles will be accessed freely online.
The effects of different water quality parameters on zooplankton distribution...iosrjce
IOSR Journal of Environmental Science, Toxicology and Food Technology (IOSR-JESTFT) multidisciplinary peer-reviewed Journal with reputable academics and experts as board member. IOSR-JESTFT is designed for the prompt publication of peer-reviewed articles in all areas of subject. The journal articles will be accessed freely online
2017 - Plausible Bioindicators of Biological Nitrogen Removal Process in WWTPsWALEBUBLÉ
Reference:
Zornoza, A., Alonso, J.L. and Serrano, S. (2017) Plausible Bioindicators of Biological Nitrogen Removal Process in WWTPs. In: Abstracts of the 7th congress of European microbiologists FEMS 2017, Valencia, Spain, 9-13 July 2017.
Utilization of Multiple Habitat Sampling Protocol for Macroinvertebrates as Indicators of Water
Quality in Stream Ecosystem in Lawis,
Buruun, Iligan City
Bacterial and phytoplanktonic alkaline phosphatase activity (APA) was measured from
March to December 1998 in the mesotrophic Allal El Fassi reservoir located in a semiarid
zone (Morocco). The total APA varied between 0,107-1,780 mmol PNP·L-1·h-1. In
epilimnion, the bacteria contributed significantly (> 60%) to the total APA. In the meta
and hypolimnion, the APA was predominantly algal (> 58%). The absence of correlation
between APA and orthophosphates indicates that the hydrolysis caused by this enzyme
was not a significant process in the recycling of phosphorus in Allal El Fassi reservoir.
So, the APA was not a valid test of phosphorus deficiency.
ABSTRACT- Fresh water resources are not unlimited. The high rate of increase of human population of Nepal and the
rapid rate of industrialization have created problems of disposal of waste water products. The domestic wastes, excretory
materials of both human and animals and industrial effluents are discharged into the nearly lakes, rivers, reservoirs and
tanks and even in the catchment area of the above water bodies. The undesirable substances are regularly mixed into the
water of pond through surface run-off that degrades the water quality. Since last several years, there have been added an
array of agricultural pesticides and insecticides, which are further seriously aggravating the problem of pollution both for
public health and aquaculture. The detailed information of water quality and status of affected living organisms of water
bodies are necessary for the implementation of any management plan. The present investigation encompasses on plankton
identifying the ecological quality of Chhapakaiya pond Birgunj, Nepal. Seasonal sampling from all the sampling sites (site
A, B, C, D) in winter, summer and rainy season for period of 12 months (November 2014 – October 2015) at 9:00-11: 00
AM. A total of 27 taxa from different classes of zooplankton were reported. The zooplanktons were reported to be
maximum (774.4 unit/L) during summer and minimum (539.2 unit/L) during the rainy season in Chhapakaiya pond.
Key-words- Zooplankton, Biological productivity, Habitat degradation
Mycological flora of Clarias gariepinus exposed to an oilfield wastewater in ...Innspub Net
The Mycological flora of Clarias gariepinus exposed to sub-lethal concentrations of an oilfield wastewater were investigated. The concentrations included 0% (control), 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60% respectively. Physico-chemistry and mycoflora of wastewater and tissues of Clarias gariepinus were
determined using standard methods. Mean values obtained were; temperature 25.93±6.7oC, pH 7.73±0.31, turbidity 40.33±1.53 NTU, salinity 6584±137mg/l, conductivity 15200±1058.68μs/cm, total dissolved solids 8436.33±501.68 mg/l, total suspended solids 4.67±0.58mg/l, alkalinity
1296.33±2168mg/l, dissolved oxygen 1.83±0.38mg/l, biochemical oxygen demand 1.3±0.7mg/l and Total hydrocarbon 40.54±50mg/l. Temperature, DO, BOD and THC were below allowable FEPA limits while all other components were higher. Mean counts of total fungi and petroleum degraders in the oilfield wastewater were 4.7±0.46x106 sfu/ml and 59.7±25.7% respectively. Fungal counts in the
tissues of Clarias ranged from 0.20±0.00 x 104sfu/g to 3.00±0.00 x 104sfu/g (skin), 0.48±0.05 x 104sfu/g to 7.25±0.96 x 104sfu/g (gills), and 1.13±0.15 x 104sfu/g to 5.75±0.50 x 104sfu/g (intestine). The intestine had higher fungal counts, but the gills recorded the highest at 10%
concentration. Fungi isolated included; Aspergillus fumigatus (46.43%), Aspergillus niger (100%), Fusarium spp. (100%), Mucor spp. (24.99%), Penicillium spp. (57.14%), Rhizopus spp. (32.13%) and Saccharomyces spp. (34.3%). All except Saccharomyces spp were isolated from oilfield wastewater.
Aspergillus spp. Penicillium spp, Mucor and Rhizopus are considered normal flora, but can still cause infection which may result in the mortality of the fish and eventually economic loss to the aquarium fish industry. Proper treatment of oilfield wastewater prior to discharge into the recipient water body is
advocated to reduce ecotoxicological problems. Get more articles at: http://www.innspub.net/volume-3-number-1-july-2015-ijmm/
Assessment of the Plankton Biodiversity,Bay of Bengal, Cox's Bazar, BangladeshAbuMusa51
I am Abu Musa. This is my Internship Presentation. This is for partial fulfillment of the 4th-year final examination of the Department of Fisheries, University of Dhaka. This is based on my findings from one month of research on the Coxs Bazar coast. The research is done in the live feed lab of BFRI Cox's Bazar.
Determinar la toxicitat dels sediments en els ecosistemes aquàtics és un repte, i és necessari per a una adequada avaluació del risc toxicològic en aquests ecosistemes. En les darreres dècades s’han estudiat i aplicat diferents eines (ex. tests de laboratori amb diferents concentracions, tests amb l’aigua intersticial, estudis de bioacumulació, índexs de toxicitat). Actualment es recomana l'aplicació conjunta d'eines químiques, ecològiques i toxicològiques per a una adequada avaluació. En aquest treball utilitzem l’aproximació de les Toxic Units, tests de toxicitat amb l’aigua intersticial (Vibrio fischeri, Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata i Daphnia magna) i tests d'exposició amb el sediment (V. fischeri, Chironomus riparius), juntament amb l’estudi de la comunitat d'invertebrats, per detectar respostes a curt i llarg termini en quatre rius de la Península Ibèrica: el Llobregat, l’Ebre, el Xúquer i el Guadalquivir.
by Núria de Castro-Català, Maja Kuzmanovic, Neus Roig, Jordi Sierra, Antoni Ginebreda, Damià Barceló, Sandra Pérez, Mira Petrovic, Yolanda Picó, Marta Schumacher and Isabel Muñoz
2017 - Analysis of nitrifying microbial communities by FISH and 16S rRNA ampl...WALEBUBLÉ
Nitrification, the sequential oxidation of ammonia via nitrite to nitrate, is an important process for nitrogen removal from municipal wastewater. This process is catalysed by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB), two different groups of slow-growing microorganisms whose cooperation is needed to achieve complete nitrification. High efficiency and stability of this process is required for wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) operational optimization due to
nitrification is often subjected to recurring collapse in many WWTPs. Therefore, a better understanding of the microbial ecology of nitrifying bacteria in WWTPs could
potentially improve the nitrification stability. Novel high-throughput molecular methods, as next generation sequencing (NGS), are nowadays providing detailed knowledge on the microorganisms governing wastewater treatment systems. This
methods in conjunction with the environmental ordination of the relationships between biological variables (nitrifying bacterial community) and physicochemical variables (nitrogen compounds and environmental conditions) provide a powerful
tool to elucidate how selection pressures imposed by operational and environmental conditions affect community diversity and dynamics within activated sludge systems.
Heavy Metals in organs and endoparasites of Oreochromisniloticus, Sediment an...iosrjce
IOSR Journal of Environmental Science, Toxicology and Food Technology (IOSR-JESTFT) multidisciplinary peer-reviewed Journal with reputable academics and experts as board member. IOSR-JESTFT is designed for the prompt publication of peer-reviewed articles in all areas of subject. The journal articles will be accessed freely online.
The effects of different water quality parameters on zooplankton distribution...iosrjce
IOSR Journal of Environmental Science, Toxicology and Food Technology (IOSR-JESTFT) multidisciplinary peer-reviewed Journal with reputable academics and experts as board member. IOSR-JESTFT is designed for the prompt publication of peer-reviewed articles in all areas of subject. The journal articles will be accessed freely online
2017 - Plausible Bioindicators of Biological Nitrogen Removal Process in WWTPsWALEBUBLÉ
Reference:
Zornoza, A., Alonso, J.L. and Serrano, S. (2017) Plausible Bioindicators of Biological Nitrogen Removal Process in WWTPs. In: Abstracts of the 7th congress of European microbiologists FEMS 2017, Valencia, Spain, 9-13 July 2017.
Utilization of Multiple Habitat Sampling Protocol for Macroinvertebrates as Indicators of Water
Quality in Stream Ecosystem in Lawis,
Buruun, Iligan City
Bacterial and phytoplanktonic alkaline phosphatase activity (APA) was measured from
March to December 1998 in the mesotrophic Allal El Fassi reservoir located in a semiarid
zone (Morocco). The total APA varied between 0,107-1,780 mmol PNP·L-1·h-1. In
epilimnion, the bacteria contributed significantly (> 60%) to the total APA. In the meta
and hypolimnion, the APA was predominantly algal (> 58%). The absence of correlation
between APA and orthophosphates indicates that the hydrolysis caused by this enzyme
was not a significant process in the recycling of phosphorus in Allal El Fassi reservoir.
So, the APA was not a valid test of phosphorus deficiency.
ABSTRACT- Fresh water resources are not unlimited. The high rate of increase of human population of Nepal and the
rapid rate of industrialization have created problems of disposal of waste water products. The domestic wastes, excretory
materials of both human and animals and industrial effluents are discharged into the nearly lakes, rivers, reservoirs and
tanks and even in the catchment area of the above water bodies. The undesirable substances are regularly mixed into the
water of pond through surface run-off that degrades the water quality. Since last several years, there have been added an
array of agricultural pesticides and insecticides, which are further seriously aggravating the problem of pollution both for
public health and aquaculture. The detailed information of water quality and status of affected living organisms of water
bodies are necessary for the implementation of any management plan. The present investigation encompasses on plankton
identifying the ecological quality of Chhapakaiya pond Birgunj, Nepal. Seasonal sampling from all the sampling sites (site
A, B, C, D) in winter, summer and rainy season for period of 12 months (November 2014 – October 2015) at 9:00-11: 00
AM. A total of 27 taxa from different classes of zooplankton were reported. The zooplanktons were reported to be
maximum (774.4 unit/L) during summer and minimum (539.2 unit/L) during the rainy season in Chhapakaiya pond.
Key-words- Zooplankton, Biological productivity, Habitat degradation
Sách này lấy nội kinh làm cương chỉ về cách xét bệnh và tìm nguyên nhân bệnh lấy bản thảo cương mục làm chính tông để khảo dược tính và kê cứu các vị thuốc chửa bệnh.
Physico-chemical parameters and macrobenthic invertebrates of the intertidal ...Angelo Mark Walag
Physico-chemical parameters and macrobenthic invertebrates of the intertidal zone of Gusa, Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines were assessed from March to May 2014. Water temperature, pH, salinity, dissolved oxygen, biological oxygen demand, and type of substrate were determined in the study were within the normal range. A modified transect-quadrat method was used in an approximately 14,000 m2 of study area. Seven hundred twenty seven individuals belonging to 15 species were found in the area. These organisms belong to four phyla namely: Mollusca, Arthropoda, Echinodermata, and Annelida. The three most abundant organisms found were Coenobita clypeatus, Ophiothrix longipeda, and Cypraea poraria with relative abundance of 73.86%, 4.13% and 3.71% respectively. Most of the macrobenthic fauna identified exhibited a clumped pattern of distribution, while the rest are randomly distributed. The species diversity of the area is 1.19 which is very low compared to reports from related studies.
Few species are standardized and have been used as test organisms around the world in
ecotoxicological assays. In the case of sediment assessment, there are only two amphipod species
(Tiburonella viscana and Grandidierella bonnieroides) standardized protocols for toxicity test in South
Atlantic region.
Few species are standardized and have been used as test organisms around the world in
ecotoxicological assays. In the case of sediment assessment, there are only two amphipod species
(Tiburonella viscana and Grandidierella bonnieroides) standardized protocols for toxicity test in South
Atlantic region
A Rapid marine biodiversity assessment of the coral reefs in morales Beach, B...Innspub Net
Morales beach is one of the beaches located in the coastal town of Glan, Sarangani Province and noted for its quite enormous coral reef which is continuously degrading. This study was conducted to assess the health status of coral reef ecosystem and to evaluate the physico-chemical parameters of the area. Point Intercept Transect (PIT) method was used to monitor live coral condition and the supporting fauna at a coral reef ecosystem. Physico-chemical parameters were obtained in situ using a thermometer, refractometer, and a pH meter. The result of the study showed a very low percentage cover of hard corals, no cover percentage of soft corals and high cover percentage of other biota or substrate. The reef areas exhibited poor coral cover with an average of 15 percent live hard corals having family Acropora as the most dominant species (Shannon diversity index of 1.653). Water samples obtained were within the DENR (1990) standards suitable for the optimum growth of coral reefs. The health status of the coral reefs in Morales beach showed a partially disturbed reef due to human intervention. It is greatly recommended to constantly monitor the coral conditions in order to effectively manage and protect the increasing number of Marine Protected Areas (MPA).
— The formation, species composition and functional role of red algae were studied in the Black Sea's coastal zone. In sublittoral plant communities, red algae are dominant both by their number of species in the phytocenosis and by their active thallus-the one that ensures their high metabolism. Algae with a large specific surface area of thallus can accumulate heavy metals in higher concentrations. In the paper, we discuss possibilities of using red algae as biomarkers of marine pollution, and as bio filters in the processes of water natural.
Environmental conditions and zooplankton community structure in five ponds in...Innspub Net
The degradation of surface water quality in Cameroon is linked to the absence of a functional waste management strategy. For such a strategy to be efficient, a general understanding of aquatic ecosystems will be of importance, these management strategies are particularly lacking in the eastern part of the country. To better understand and appreciate the ecosystems in the town of Bertoua, five ponds where chosen for the physicochemical and zooplankton communities analysis. Sampling on these ponds was conducted from March 2016 to April 2017 on a monthly basis. Samples for physicochemical analysis were collected at 20cm below water surface at the middle of each pond and measured were done following the recommendations of Rodier and Alpha. Biological samples were collected by filtering 50 liters of water through a 64µm mesh opening sieve. Identification was done using standard methods and identification keys. One-way ANOVA analysis was conducted to assess the potential differences between the different ponds base monthly observations. Although they are all hypereutrophic, with regard to the values of the physicochemical parameters, the five ponds showed no significant difference between them but, the structure of the zooplankton community remains very diverse. 118 zooplankton species have been identified in the five ponds. The distribution of zooplankton in these hydrosystems was mainly governed by the presence of organic matter. This study sheds light on the status and biological diversity of ponds in eastern Cameroon, data on which to rely to develop management strategies.
Emerging Diversity Within Well-known Heterotrophic Flagellates Groups Reveal...Javier del Campo
During the last ten years, an overwhelming amount of data has been generated from culturing independent techniques to study the diversity of marine protists. These studies show a large diversity and the existence of new groups, such as for MAST (Marine Stramenopiles) or MALV (Marine Alveolates). However, a large part of these sequences has not been analysed together, and constitutes a potentially important source of information related with protists diversity and distribution. Using sequences from our studies and from GenBank and CAMERA, we have been able to define several novel clades in three important marine representative groups such are Choanoflagellates, Chrysophytes and Bicosecids. Most of the novel clades correspond to uncultured organisms. Analyzing all sequences together permits to observe this diversity, which was already presented by generally ignored. Only an important data mining work developed using GenBank allows this novel diversity hidden inside well know groups to emerge from the enormous sea of data generated.
Interrupting Schistosomiasis Transmission: Taking sensible steps in Snail Con...COUNTDOWN on NTDs
This presentation was given by Prof. Russell Stothard, at the ISNTD Bites event that took place on Tuesday, 19th July 2017. It highlights the work being done in Cameroon to control Schistosomiasis transmission by reducing the snail population.
Distribution of macrophytes in river narmada near water intake point
displayarticle
1. Assessment of the Multispecies Freshwater BiomonitorÔ (MFB) in a marine
context: the Green crab (Carcinus maenas) as an early warning indicator
Sharon C. Stewart,*a
Jaimie T. A. Dick,a
Peter R. Laminga
and Almut Gerhardtb
Received 3rd December 2009, Accepted 7th June 2010
DOI: 10.1039/b925474a
The Multispecies Freshwater BiomonitorÔ is an online continuous biomonitor which utilises
impedance conversion to quantitatively record behavioural responses of vertebrates and invertebrates
to environmental change. Here, we extend the use of the MFB into the marine aquaculture environment
using the Green crab (Carcinus maenas) as a biological monitor. As a ubiquitous and abundant species,
C. maenas can be used in applications such as aquaculture and monitoring of diffuse and point source
marine pollution. Four experiments were undertaken to establish: (1) if the electrical field generated by
the apparatus had any effect on C. maenas; (2) if the behaviour of C. maenas was altered by the presence
of ammonia; (3) if the behaviour of C. maenas was affected by the electrical field when ammonia was
present and (4) if defined behaviours could be detected by the MFB. There was no significant effect of
the current on C. maenas in the MFB. There was a significant difference in overall expression of
behaviour in response to an increasing gradient of ammonia and activity of the chamber. Five
behaviours, ‘walking’, ‘climbing’, ‘leg stretch’, ‘cleaning’ and ‘inactivity’ were detected by the MFB.
C. maenas appears to be a suitable candidate for use in the MFB in a marine context. Further testing of
the biomonitor and C. maenas is required using other toxicants to establish alarm thresholds that could
be used in situ for water quality monitoring.
1. Introduction
Manual biomonitoring techniques can be subjective, time
consuming and laborious.1,2
As a result, various methods for
automating the process have been developed. For example, the
WRc (Water Research centre) has a fish monitor technique3
that
reduces subjectivity and allows long term online biomonitoring
using ventilation behaviour of fish as the response variable.
Biomonitors have been used based on a variety of methods,
including light beam disruption using invertebrates such as
Daphnia sp. and mussels.4,5
A recent development is the Multispecies Freshwater Bio-
monitorÔ (MFB), which is based on the quadropole impedance
conversion technique and is a novel biological early warning
system (BEWS) for online water quality biomonitoring.1,2,6,7
The
MFB is based on impedance conversion,6
with organisms placed
in flow-through chambers. Online biomonitors register the effects
of toxic pollutants on indicator species and therefore allow for
fast, continuous and relevant water quality control. BEWS
continuously registers sensitive stress responses (behaviour,
physiology) of selected indicator species in order to detect pollu-
tion pulses. The chambers have two pairs of electrodes, one pair is
currentcarrying (100 kHz) and the other pair senses the changes of
impedance caused by the movements of the organism, with the
different signals being attributed to different types of behav-
iours.7,8
The MFB quantitatively measures changes in the behav-
ioural pattern of both aquatic vertebrates and invertebrates.1,2,6,9
Biomonitors rely on rapid and sensitive changes in the
behaviour of the indicator species, often recorded as locomotion
and/or ventilation.25
A number of authors have explored the
preference or avoidance behaviour of organisms to various
toxicants or stimulants.10,11
Cherry and Cairns10
in 1982 discov-
ered that two contrasting situations were found: the first appears
to be a preference for the organism to enter into a lethal
concentration of a toxicant, while the second was where the
organism showed neither preference nor avoidance behaviour in
the presence of a toxicant. McNicol and Scherer11
in 1991 carried
a
School of Biological Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast, Medical
Biology Centre, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast, BT9 7BL, Northern Ireland,
UK. E-mail: sharonstewart26@gmail.com; Tel: +44 (0)28 28272402
b
LimCo International, An der Aa 5, 49477 Ibbenbueren, Germany
Environmental impact
We describe a new marine biomonitoring system using large crabs in the Multispecies Freshwater BiomonitorÔ (MFB). Carcinus
maenas, native in Europe, impacts as invasive marine invertebrate fisheries and maricultures. Both as bait and for human
consumption the crab has been fished in Europe, hence being of high ecological and economical importance. The EU Marine
Strategy Directive demands a good environmental status for marine environments until 2021. The new biomonitoring system
represents an important tool, e.g. allowing online surveillance of the crab’s fitness as indicator in mariculture systems and along
polluted coasts. Extending the MFB to marine biomonitoring, using invasive, widely distributed species, which are also of economic
importance represents a new approach in applied ecotoxicological research and risk assessment.
1566 | J. Environ. Monit., 2010, 12, 1566–1574 This journal is ª The Royal Society of Chemistry 2010
PAPER www.rsc.org/jem | Journal of Environmental Monitoring
2. out a study on lake whitefish, Coregonus clupeaformis, and found
their reaction to various cadmium concentrations to be bimodal,
in that they reacted to low and high concentrations, but showed
little reaction to intermediate levels, with the fish showing both
preference and avoidance to the cadmium solution. These issues
need to be addressed in the development of the MFB in a marine
context.
In this study, therefore, our aim was to examine the merits and
suitability of a marine organism, the Green crab C. maenas, as
a potential new early warning system species in conjunction with
the MFB. C. maenas is a common and widely distributed crus-
tacean native to North West Europe.12
More recently, they have
been found on N. American coasts.12
They are found along all
British coasts, making them the most widespread of all British
crab species,13
and they can be found hiding under rocks or
buried in the sand during low tide. They are commercially
important species that are routinely collected and cultured for
Bait.14
They are also widely collected for human consumption in
many parts of mainland Europe and increasingly so in some
areas of Britain.14
As the worldwide demand for seafood
increases, aquaculture production has also increased to help meet
the demand.15
Aquaculture facilities are subjected to exogenous
and endogenous sources of pollution and these crabs could
potentially be used for BEWS in these systems. Ammonia is an
important toxicant in these conditions as it can build up in the
system from the excretion of the animals and can be brought into
the system with the water supply. We thus use ammonia in the
present study to examine the use of the MFB for marine aqua-
culture and water quality monitoring. The MFB has only been
used once before with a marine organism in sediment assays with
Corophium volutator.2
The aims of this study were to determine:
(1) does the Green crab (C. maenas) show preference or avoid-
ance behaviour in response to the current in the MFB chambers?
(2) Does the presence of ammonia (mg NH3N lÀ1
) have an effect
on the behaviour of the Green crab in MFB chambers? (3) Does
the MFB have an effect on the behaviour of the Green crab due
to the current passing through the chambers when ammonia is
present? (4) Can individual behaviours exhibited by the Green
crab be quantified and qualitatively assessed using the MFB
without continual direct observations in a control solution and
different concentrations of ammonia?
2. Materials and methods
2.1 Test species
C. maenas were collected from Ballyhenry Island (OS J680055),
Strangford Lough, Northern Ireland on several dates spanning
two weeks during June 2003. They were manually collected at
low tide from under rocks and in rock pools and were of
a uniform size (carapace width 3 cm (Æ0.6 cm)), males and
females were collected at a ratio of 50 : 50. Crabs were then
transferred to outdoor holding tanks with flow through systems
and aeration for 24 hours. The seawater was pumped from
Strangford Lough and through a filter before entering the tanks.
2.2 Toxicant
Ammonia can exist in two chemical forms and both are highly
soluble in water, with the non-toxic ammonium ions (NH4
+
)
predominantly in acidic (low pH) conditions and the highly toxic
unionized ammonia (NH3) (high pH).16
Together they are
referred to as ‘total ammonia’. In this study, ammonium chloride
(NH4Cl) solutions were formulated using UV filtered seawater.
Average pH and temperature were used to calculate the
proportion of unionised ammonia (mg NH3N lÀ1
) (Trussell,
1972).
2.3 The Multispecies Freshwater BiomonitorÔ
The test organisms were placed individually in a cylindrical flow-
through clear acrylic plastic test chamber with nylon nets (0.5 cm
mesh size) screwed on both ends. The chambers (17 cm in length
 6 cm in diameter) were attached to the MFB, and channel
information, noise level (40 mV) and frequency bands (Band 1,
0.5–4.0 Hz for locomotory activity and Band 2, 4.0–8.0 Hz for
ventilation and small movements) programmed prior to
recording. Recording occurred over 4 minute durations with 6
minute intervals between recording periods (see drawing of MFB
in Fig. 1a and b by Kirkpatrick et al. in 2006).1
2.4 Experimental setup
2.4.1 The quantification and qualification of individual
behaviours exhibited by the Green crab (C. maenas) using the
MFB. The direct observation of individual behaviour with the
MFB in a previous experiment enabled the MFB trace to be
characterised for each of the specific behaviours; ‘walking’,
‘climbing’, ‘leg stretch’, ‘cleaning’ and ‘inactivity’.
2.4.2 Preference/avoidance response to current passing
through the MFB chamber. Two MFB chambers were attached to
each other using an intermediate rubber tubing of 5 cm length.
The ends of the ‘‘dual chamber’’ were sealed using the mesh caps
provided. Each chamber that was part of the dual chamber was
then attached to the MFB. One crab was placed into the dual
chamber and the mesh end replaced. The chamber was then
lowered into a solution ensuring that all air bubbles were
removed and the crab was allowed for 15 minutes to acclimatise.
The ‘dual chamber’ was then placed into a 6 L tank which con-
tained 5 L of solution (see below) at pH 7.3 Æ 0.3 and 10.8
C Æ
0.2, then one randomly chosen chamber was activated for 7
minutes before the next chamber was activated and the first
chamber became inactive. The location of the crab was recorded
visually at 2, 6, 10 and 14 minutes. There were five experimental
dilution groups: (1) standard seawater; (2) 2.3 mg NH3N lÀ1
; (3)
6.9 mg NH3N lÀ1
; (4) 9.2 mg NH3N lÀ1
and (5) 11.5 mg NH3N lÀ1
.
These concentrations were chosen as they were above and below
the 96 hour LC50 (6.88 mg NH3N lÀ1
) for the crab.16
Forty
individuals were used in all the groups, i.e. 40 per treatment. The
animals used were placed in a chamber for 15 minutes before
recording to allow for acclimatising then after 24 hours, the same
forty individuals were used in experimental group 2, this was
repeated for experimental groups 3–5.
2.4.3 The effect of ammonia (mg NH3N lÀ1
) on the behaviour
of the Green crab (C. maenas) in MFB chambers. Individual
chambers were used for this test. A crab was placed into each
chamber and the chamber was then lowered into 5 L of solution
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3. (see above) in a 6 L tank and the crab was allowed for 15
minutes to acclimatise. Crab behaviour was visually recorded
using a Psion II hand-held computer (Psion PLC, London,
England), programmed using the Observer (4.0) package
(Noldus Information Technology, Wageningen, The Nether-
lands) for five predefined behavioural components: walking,
climbing, leg stretch, cleaning and inactivity, obtained from
qualitative observations17
for 15 minutes. This direct
observation of the individual behaviour enabled a determina-
tion of the effect of the ammonia whilst the crabs were in the
chambers, twenty crabs were observed for each experimental
group (as above).
2.4.4 The effect of the current passing through the chambers of
the MFB on the behaviour of the Green crab (C. maenas) when
ammonia is present. An individual crab was placed into each
Fig. 1 MFB traces showing characteristic waveforms for C. maenas behaviours.
1568 | J. Environ. Monit., 2010, 12, 1566–1574 This journal is ª The Royal Society of Chemistry 2010
4. chamber which was then lowered into one of the solutions (see
above). Each 6 L tank contained two chambers with a crab in
each chamber; the crabs were allowed for 15 minutes to accli-
matise. The chambers were attached to the MFB and at random
one of the two chambers was activated. The behaviour of the
crabs was also recorded using the Psion II hand-held computer
(Psion PLC, London, England), programmed using the Observer
(4.0) package (Noldus Information Technology, Wageningen,
The Netherlands) for five predefined behavioural components,
walking, climbing, leg stretch, cleaning and inactivity, obtained
from qualitative observations17
for 15 minutes. Twenty crabs
were observed for each experimental group.
2.5 Statistical analyses
2.5.1 Preference/avoidance response to current passing
through the MFB chamber. The distribution of crabs between the
active/inactive chambers was assessed by Chi-squared analysis
(Statview version 5) (c2
). There were four tests (i.e. 2, 6, 10 and 14
minutes) undertaken on each dataset, so to avoid type 1 errors
(erroneous rejection of a true null hypothesis) we used the
Bonferroni adjustment, giving the level of significance as P
0.0125.18
2.5.2 The effect of ammonia (mg NH3N lÀ1
) on the behaviour
of the Green crab (C. maenas) in MFB chambers. The file created
on the Psion was downloaded onto the observer system (described
below). The data recorded on the Observer system were sum-
marised to produce a total duration for each of the behaviours
recorded for each crab over the study time (15 minutes). These
data were entered into Statview (version 5) and a one-factor
MANOVA (Multivariate Analysis of Variance) was undertaken
on the dependent variables (log10(x + 1) data), that is, ‘inactivity’,
‘walking’, ‘climbing’, ‘leg stretch’ and ‘cleaning’. The between
subject factor was concentration of ammonia (mg NH3N lÀ1
).1,2,9
2.5.3 The effect of the current passing through the chambers of
the MFB on the behaviour of the Green crab (C. maenas) when
ammonia is present. The data recorded on the Observer system
produced a total duration for each of the behaviours recorded for
each crab over the study time (15 minutes). These data were
entered into Statview (version 5) and a MANOVA (Multivariate
Analysis of Variance) was undertaken on the dependent vari-
ables (log10(x + 1)) for ‘no movement’, ‘walking’, ‘climbing’, and
‘leg stretch’. The between subject factors were the concentration
of ammonia (mg NH3N lÀ1
) and whether the chamber was active
or inactive. The MANOVA generates a 2-factor ANOVA, with
concentration and chamber activity as the between subject
factors for each separate behaviour.
3. Results
3.1 The quantification and qualitative assessment of individual
behaviours exhibited by the Green crab (C. maenas) using the MFB
‘Ventilation’ has an average frequency of 1.5 Hz (range 1–2 Hz).
‘Ventilation’ traces have regular peaks and troughs (Fig. 1a).
‘Ventilation’ is not always so distinctive from direct observation,
thus the time for ‘ventilation’ was considered to be the duration
when the organism was ‘inactive’, i.e., when the organism is
inactive the only behaviour that can be registered is ventilation.
‘Cleaning’ and ‘leg stretch’ have an average frequency of 3 Hz
(range 2.5–3.5 Hz) and have a very similar trace on the MFB,
which is characterised by small peaks with additional areas of
‘inactivity’ (Fig. 1b). Of all the behaviours, ‘walking’ and
‘climbing’ (Fig. 1c) have the greatest amplitude. ‘Walking’ has an
average frequency of 6.5 Hz (range 5.5–7.5 Hz) and ‘climbing’
has an average frequency of 4.5 Hz (range 4–5 Hz).
3.2 Preference/avoidance response to current passing through
the MFB chamber
The Chi-squared value for each time interval showed no signifi-
cant difference (Tables 1 and 2) except for 6.9 mg NH3N lÀ1
at the
14 minute interval (c2
¼ 8.1, df ¼ 1).
Overall, there was no significant effect on the behaviour of C.
maenas when the MFB is switched on, that is, there was neither
preference nor avoidance of a chamber with current passing
through it.
3.3 The effect of ammonia (mg NH3N lÀ1
) on the behaviour of
the Green crab (C. maenas) in MFB chambers
There was a significant difference in overall expression of
behaviour among the experimental dilution groups (PF20,176 ¼
3.04, P 0.0001, Fig. 2). The individual one factor ANOVA
results showed that there was a significant difference in time spent
‘walking’ among groups (F4,45 ¼ 3.8, P 0.01), although this
shows no discernible pattern with increasing concentration
(Fig. 2). Fisher’s PLSD showed significant differences between the
control and 2.3 mg NH3N lÀ1
; control and 9.2 mg NH3N lÀ1
; 2.3
mg NH3N lÀ1
and 6.9 mg NH3N lÀ1
; 2.3 mg NH3N lÀ1
and 11.5 mg
NH3N lÀ1
; 9.2 mg NH3N lÀ1
and 11.5 mg NH3N lÀ1
(Table 3).
‘Cleaning’ also showed a significant difference in time spent among
groups (F4,45 ¼ 12.2, P 0.0001) over the range of ammonia
concentrations (Fig. 2 and Table 3). The amount of time spent on
‘cleaning’ decreased with increasing ammonia (Fig. 2). Fisher’s
PLSD showed significant differences between the control and 6.9,
Table 1 c2
results for preference/avoidance experiment
Solution Time/min c2
df P Value
Control 2 0 1 NS
6 0.4 1 NS
10 0.4 1 NS
14 2.5 1 NS
2.3 mg NH3N lÀ1
2 1.6 1 NS
6 2.5 1 NS
10 3.6 1 NS
14 0.9 1 NS
6.9 mg NH3N lÀ1
2 1.6 1 NS
6 0.4 1 NS
10 0.1 1 NS
14 8.1 1 0.01
9.2 mg NH3N lÀ1
2 1.6 1 NS
6 0.9 1 NS
10 0.4 1 NS
14 1.6 1 NS
11.5 mg NH3N lÀ1
2 3.6 1 NS
6 2.5 1 NS
10 3.6 1 NS
14 6.4 1 NS
This journal is ª The Royal Society of Chemistry 2010 J. Environ. Monit., 2010, 12, 1566–1574 | 1569
5. 9.2, and 11.5 mg NH3N lÀ1
; 2.3 and 9.2 mg NH3N lÀ1
; 11.5 mg
NH3N lÀ1
and 6.9 and 11.5 mg NH3N lÀ1
(Table 3). The other
behaviours showed no overall significant difference over the
concentrations of ammonia, although Post hoc tests (Fisher’s
PLSD) carried out on ‘no movement’ and ‘climbing’ showed
significant differences between the control and 9.2 mg NH3N lÀ1
for ‘no movement’ and between 2.3 and 11.5 mg NH3N lÀ1
for
‘climbing’.
Table 2 Number of crabs (C. maenas, n ¼ 40) recorded as located at
consecutive time intervals (2, 6, 10 and 14 minutes), in an MFB chamber
when the MFB was ‘on’ compared with when the MFB was ‘off’ in
control (filtered seawater) and several concentrations of ammonia (mg
NH3N lÀ1
)
Time intervals
2 6 10 14
Control on 20 22 22 25
Control off 20 18 18 15
2.3 mg on 24 25 14 17
2.3 mg off 16 15 16 23
6.9 mg on 24 22 19 29
6.9 mg off 16 18 21 11
9.2 mg on 24 23 18 16
9.2 mg off 16 17 22 24
11.5 mg on 26 25 14 13
11.5 mg off 14 15 26 27
Fig. 2 Log mean time (ÆSE) spent on each behaviour with increasing concentrations of ammonia (mg NH3N lÀ1
).
Table 3 Fisher’s PLSD results for the effect of unionised ammonia
concentration (mg NH3N lÀ1
) on the behaviour of the Green crab (C.
maenas)
Behaviour Significant result Mean difference P Value
Inactive None, 9.2 mg À0.155 0.0322
Walking None, 2.3 mg 0.272 0.0029
None, 9.2 mg 0.228 0.0115
2.3 mg, 6.9 mg À0.202 0.0238
2.3 mg, 11.5 mg À0.221 0.0141
9.2 mg, 11.5 mg À0.177 0.0468
Climbing 2.3 mg, 11.5 mg À0.293 0.0350
Cleaning None, 6.9 mg 0.608 0.0006
None, 9.2 mg 0.892 0.0001
None, 11.5 mg 0.963 0.0001
2.3 mg, 9.2 mg 0.606 0.0006
2.3 mg, 11.5 mg 0.678 0.0002
6.9 mg, 11.5 mg 0.355 0.0367
1570 | J. Environ. Monit., 2010, 12, 1566–1574 This journal is ª The Royal Society of Chemistry 2010
6. 3.4 The effect of the current passing through the chambers of
the MFB on the behaviour of the Green crab (C. maenas) when
ammonia is present
The majority of time during the observations in the ammonia
solutions regardless of the MFB state (on/off) was spent ‘inac-
tive’ or on ‘leg stretch’ (Fig. 3a and b). There was a significant
difference in expression of behaviour among the experimental
dilution groups (PF16,760 ¼ 16.8, P 0.001) and activity of the
chambers (PF4,187 ¼ 5.06, P 0.001). There was also a significant
interaction effect between the presence of ammonia and the
activity of the chamber (PF16,760 ¼ 7.59, P 0.001).
The 2-factor ANOVAs showed significantly more time doing
nothing when ammonia was present as compared to the control
(F4,190 ¼ 289.7, P 0.001). There was a small difference between
the means for ‘no movement’ when the chamber was active (2.77)
compared with when the chamber was inactive (2.82). This may
explain the significant difference between the chamber being on
Fig. 3 Duration (+SE) spent per behaviour (in seconds as recorded by the Observer) in filtered seawater and four concentrations of ammonia (mg
NH3N lÀ1
) (n ¼ 20 per solution) when the MFB was switched (a) off and (b) on.
This journal is ª The Royal Society of Chemistry 2010 J. Environ. Monit., 2010, 12, 1566–1574 | 1571
7. and off even though it is not obvious from looking at the figures
(Fig. 3a and b). The Post Hoc test, Fisher’s PLSD, showed
significant differences between the control solution and 2.3, 6.9,
9.2 and 11.5 mg NH3N lÀ1
(Table 4). There was a significant
decrease in time spent ‘walking’ with increasing concentrations
of ammonia (F4,190 ¼ 62.5, P 0.001). However, the presence of
the current in the chamber had no significant effect. Post Hoc
tests, Fisher’s PLSD, showed significant differences between the
control solution and all the experimental dilutions, 2.3 and
9.2 mg NH3N lÀ1
, 6.9 and 9.2 mg NH3N lÀ1
and 9.2 and 11.5 mg
NH3N lÀ1
(Table 4). There was a significant decrease in time
spent ‘climbing’ over the range of experimental dilutions
(F4,190 ¼ 115.7, P 0.001) and the presence of the current had no
significant impact on the behaviour. The Post Hoc tests showed
significant differences between the same solutions as the results
for ‘walking’ (Table 4). There were significant decreases in time
spent on ‘leg stretch’ with increasing concentrations of ammonia
(F4,190 ¼ 65.7, P 0.0002). Post Hoc tests showed significant
differences between the control solution and 6.9 and 9.2 mg
NH3N lÀ1
, also 2.3 and 9.2 mg NH3N lÀ1
, 6.9 and 11.5 mg NH3N
lÀ1
, and 9.2 and 11.5 mg NH3N lÀ1
(Table 4).
Individual behaviours are affected to different extents, with
a general decline in behaviours with increasing ammonia
concentration, except for ‘no movement’.
4. Discussion
In this study, our aim was to examine the merits and suitability of
the Green crab, C. maenas, as a potential new ‘early warning
system’ species in conjunction with the MFB in a marine context.
The first experiment assessed if the monitoring system imposed
any restrictions on the test species’ normal behaviour. There was
no significant avoidance of, or attraction to, active/inactive test
chambers. This indicates that the current passing through the
chambers was not affecting the location of crabs in the chamber.
This has been observed before for other crustacean species1
and
fish.9
The addition of ammonia at different concentrations was to
determine if there was a behavioural change in response to
increasing concentrations of toxicant and the presence or absence
of the current. There was no preference for, or avoidance of,
a current passing through a chamber when ammonia is present.
The second experiment was designed to assess the effect that
the presence of ammonia had on the behaviour of the test crabs.
Total ammonia is usually measured in tests, however, the toxicity
is primarily attributable to the unionised form (NH3). Most
animals immediately convert the toxic ammonia to a less harmful
substance such as urea in fish which continually excrete meta-
bolic ammonia into the surrounding environment via cells in the
gills.19
In rivers, lakes and seas this is normally diluted to a safe
level, however, in aquaculture systems the levels can rise
dangerously.19
This rise in ammonia is also exacerbated by the
decomposition of fish food, fish waste and detritus left in the
cages or tanks. With increasing concentration of ammonia, there
was a significant difference in some of the behaviours (such as
walking and cleaning). In addition, ‘inactivity’, ‘climbing’ and
‘leg stretch’ did not change significantly with increasing ammonia
concentration. However, ‘inactivity’ did increase as the other
behaviours decreased, showing a causal relationship. Low levels
of ammonia act as an irritant to gills, prolonged exposure to sub-
lethal levels can cause skin and gill hyperplasia (this is where the
gill lamellae swell and thicken restricting the water flow over the
gills20
). At high levels even short exposure leads to skin, eye and
gill damage.20
It can also suppress the normal excretion of
ammonia causing ammonia poisoning which results in organ
damage and eventually death.20
The third experiment was designed to assess the effect of the
current passing through the chambers of the MFB on the
behaviour of the Green crab when ammonia was present.
Behaviours were significantly affected by the presence of
ammonia, but not by the electrical current. When examining the
traces formed by the MFB, there was oscillation even when the
crab was classified as being ‘inactive’. These oscillations are
caused by ventilation which is not easily manually observed, but
is picked up by the MFB.
Kirkpatrick (2006b)2
showed that the MFB could be used in
sediment toxicity assays with C. volutator as well as the fresh-
water Crangonyx pseudogracilis.1
The MFB has been used
successfully with a variety of freshwater crustacean and fish
species (e.g. Gammarus pulex,8,21
Macrobrachium nipponense,23
and fish:9
Daphnia magna and Gambusia holbrooki23
). During in
situ MFB tests in Sweden using G. pulex exposed to a copper
pulse, it was found that there was an overall increase in activity
which correlated with the changing copper concentration.8
Overall activity in this case involved significant increases in leg
movements, body stretches and ventilation, with response times
between 30 and 60 minutes occurring at sub-lethal concentra-
tions. During the current investigation, there were significant
increases in leg movement, and periods of inactivity (ventilation)
with increasing concentrations of ammonia. Gerhardt (1996)22
carried out another study using G. pulex and the MFB, and
found that it again reacted within 1 hour to a combination of
heavy metals and organic xenobiotics from a factory effluent.
Table 4 Fisher’s PLSD results for the effect of unionised ammonia
concentration (mg NH3N lÀ1
) on the behaviour of the Green crab (C.
maenas)
Behaviour Significant result Mean difference P Value
Inactive None, 2.3 mg À0.562 0.0001
None, 6.9 mg À0.542 0.0001
None, 9.2 mg À0.568 0.0001
None, 11.5 mg À0.581 0.0001
Walking None, 2.3 mg 1.376 0.0001
None, 6.9 mg 1.248 0.0001
None, 9.2 mg 1.7 0.0001
None, 11.5 mg 1.463 0.0001
2.3 mg, 9.2 mg 0.323 0.0074
6.9 mg, 9.2 mg 0.451 0.0002
9.2 mg, 11.5 mg À0.237 0.0485
Climbing None, 2.3 mg 2.098 0.0001
None, 6.9 mg 1.797 0.0001
None, 9.2 mg 2.131 0.0001
None, 11.5 2.103 0.0001
2.3 mg, 6.9 mg À0.302 0.0133
6.9 mg, 9.2 mg 0.334 0.0062
6.9 mg, 11.5 mg 0.306 0.0121
Leg stretch None, 6.9 mg À0.214 0.0036
None, 9.2 mg À0.264 0.0003
2.3 mg, 9.2 mg À0.174 0.0173
6.9 mg, 11.5 mg 0.217 0.0032
9.2 mg, 11.5 mg 0.267 0.0003
1572 | J. Environ. Monit., 2010, 12, 1566–1574 This journal is ª The Royal Society of Chemistry 2010
8. The initially high levels of activity decreased as the duration of
the exposure increased. The response variable in that study was
overall activity. In the same study, Hydropsyche angustipennis
showed increased locomotion, but only at night. It also showed
a decrease in ventilation, which has been suggested to be
a mechanism to try to delay exposure to toxicants until they had
passed downstream, a technique which has been suggested by
other authors for semi-sessile organisms.21
Ventilation has been
used as a response variable by many researchers.3
In fish, the
responses include gill purging (coughing), ventilatory frequency
and amplitude.24
Some authors only used ventilatory frequency
in their biomonitoring systems26,27
as frequency is easily moni-
tored and was the most sensitive indicator of fish health.
There are a number of advantages of the MFB over other
biomonitors, for example, it can record in sediment, cloudy,
turbid or coloured water samples or using pale coloured organ-
isms.8
Problems have been found when using pale coloured
organisms, especially with detection systems that utilise video
recordings. This was overcome by feeding organisms such as
Daphnia with a dark coloured food and by only using large
Daphnia in the investigation28
or even using fluorescent food. The
colour of the organisms, sample colour or time of day are irrel-
evant in the MFB as this system does not depend on visual
detection, but rather measures the change in impedance due to
changes in the electrical field.8
The MFB can also be utilised
without affecting the photoperiod to which the organism is
acclimitatised.28
Overall, BEWS can complement but not replace existing water
quality monitoring.29
The use of organisms enables the detection
of anything toxic or detrimental as the organisms react auto-
matically, whereas water quality monitors and toxicity tests can
only examine for the toxicant for which they are designed or
investigating. Field applied BEWS have two applications: (1) to
protect drinking water supplies by detecting toxicants within it
and (2) to protect the aquatic environment from the toxicants.29
The protection of aquatic ecosystem health is more reliable than
determining the effects to human health. Some studies have
shown that BEWS only detected levels of some chemicals, such as
cadmium, ammonia and zinc that were too high to protect
human health.29
For example, Morgan et al.30,31
carried out
a study on the guppy, Poecilia reticulate, and found that the
detection of chronically toxic levels of chemicals was poor.
Individual behaviours were characterised using the MFB and
this was fundamental in the investigations to assess the impact of
toxicants on specific behavioural components. For the Green
crab (C. maenas) there was a reduction in the number of
behavioural components recorded when compared with the
manual observations undertaken. This arose from the subjec-
tivity of the direct observations with the human eye able to
distinguish factors such as ‘cleaning’, and the objective
measurements taken by the automated technique. The MFB was
investigated as a relatively new biomonitor that is little used with
marine species. From an operational point of view, the system
was easy to set up, run and obtain information from. This
equipment would take little specialist knowledge to run once
installed as an online biomonitor system. Whilst the system was
only used with one test species in the present study, it would be
possible to use it with a variety of other marine species simul-
taneously, e.g. with a crab and benthic Corophium sp. The MFB
can be used in saltwater. It is a portable system and could be
installed on site for continuous monitoring. The MFB at present
requires further work, such as the remote access, e.g. in offshore
situations, before it is ready for sea cages and widespread marine
application, but could now be used to monitor water quality in
crustacean aquaculture and holding facilities.
5. Conclusions
The Green crab (C. maenas) appears to be a suitable candidate
for biological monitoring using the MFB in marine aquaculture
facilities.
Their behaviour is not adversely affected by the passage of the
current through the chambers.
Future widespread studies are required to assess sensitivity to
other toxicants and using multiple species to increase the sensi-
tivity of the MFB.
The MFB can be used in a marine setting but requires further
research on remote access operation so that it could be used in
sea cages, e.g. in offshore mariculture.
Acknowledgements
This research was funded by an ESF studentship award to
Sharon Stewart. Thanks to Arthur Stewart for assistance and to
Miriam Langer for photography.
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