Showing papers by "Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology published in 2001"

Loss on ignition as a method for estimating organic and carbonate content in sediments: reproducibility and comparability of results.

Abstract: Five test runs were performed to assess possible bias when performing the loss on ignition (LOI) method to estimate organic matter and carbonate content of lake sediments. An accurate and stable weight loss was achieved after 2 h of burning pure CaCO3 at 950 °C, whereas LOI of pure graphite at 530 °C showed a direct relation to sample size and exposure time, with only 40-70% of the possible weight loss reached after 2 h of exposure and smaller samples losing weight faster than larger ones. Experiments with a standardised lake sediment revealed a strong initial weight loss at 550 °C, but samples continued to lose weight at a slow rate at exposure of up to 64 h, which was likely the effect of loss of volatile salts, structural water of clay minerals or metal oxides, or of inorganic carbon after the initial burning of organic matter. A further test-run revealed that at 550 °C samples in the centre of the furnace lost more weight than marginal samples. At 950 °C this pattern was still apparent but the differences became negligible. Again, LOI was dependent on sample size. An analytical LOI quality control experiment including ten different laboratories was carried out using each laboratory's own LOI procedure as well as a standardised LOI procedure to analyse three different sediments. The range of LOI values between laboratories measured at 550 °C was generally larger when each laboratory used its own method than when using the standard method. This was similar for 950 °C, although the range of values tended to be smaller. The within-laboratory range of LOI measurements for a given sediment was generally small. Comparisons of the results of the individual and the standardised method suggest that there is a laboratory-specific pattern in the results, probably due to differences in laboratory equipment and/or handling that could not be eliminated by standardising the LOI procedure. Factors such as sample size, exposure time, position of samples in the furnace and the laboratory measuring affected LOI results, with LOI at 550 °C being more susceptible to these factors than LOI at 950 °C. We, therefore, recommend analysts to be consistent in the LOI method used in relation to the ignition temperatures, exposure times, and the sample size and to include information on these three parameters when referring to the method.

Arsenic contamination of groundwater and drinking water in Vietnam: a human health threat.

Abstract: This is the first publication on arsenic contamination of the Red River alluvial tract in the city of Hanoi and in the surrounding rural districts. Due to naturally occurring organic matter in the sediments, the groundwaters are anoxic and rich in iron. With an average arsenic concentration of 159 micrograms/L, the contamination levels varied from 1 to 3050 micrograms/L in rural groundwater samples from private small-scale tubewells. In a highly affected rural area, the groundwater used directly as drinking water had an average concentration of 430 micrograms/L. Analysis of raw groundwater pumped from the lower aquifer for the Hanoi water supply yielded arsenic levels of 240-320 micrograms/L in three of eight treatment plants and 37-82 micrograms/L in another five plants. Aeration and sand filtration that are applied in the treatment plants for iron removal lowered the arsenic concentrations to levels of 25-91 micrograms/L, but 50% remained above the Vietnamese Standard of 50 micrograms/L. Extracts of sediment samples from five bore cores showed a correlation of arsenic and iron contents (r2 = 0.700, n = 64). The arsenic in the sediments may be associated with iron oxyhydroxides and released to the groundwater by reductive dissolution of iron. Oxidation of sulfide phases could also release arsenic to the groundwater, but sulfur concentrations in sediments were below 1 mg/g. The high arsenic concentrations found in the tubewells (48% above 50 micrograms/L and 20% above 150 micrograms/L) indicate that several million people consuming untreated groundwater might be at a considerable risk of chronic arsenic poisoning.

Enrichment and characterization of an anammox bacterium from a rotating biological contactor treating ammonium-rich leachate.

Abstract: Anaerobic ammonium oxidation with nitrite to N2 (anammox) is a recently discovered microbial reaction with interesting potential for nitrogen removal from wastewater. We enriched an anammox culture from a rotating disk contactor (near Kolliken, Switzerland) that was used to treat ammonium-rich leachate with low organic carbon content. This enrichment led to a relative population size of 88% anammox bacteria. The microorganism carrying out the anammox reaction was identified by analysis of the 16S rDNA sequence and by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with 16S-rRNA-targeting probes. The percentage sequence identity between the 16S rDNA sequences of the Kolliken anammox organism and the archetype anammox strain Candidatus Brocadia anammoxidans was 90.9%, but between 98.5 and 98.9% with Candidatus Kuenenia stuttgartiensis, an organism identified in biofilms by molecular methods. The Kolliken culture catalyzed the anaerobic oxidation of ammonium with nitrite in a manner seemingly identical to that of Candidatus B. anammoxidans, but exhibited higher tolerance to phosphate (up to 20 mM) and to nitrite (up to 13 mM) and was active at lower cell densities. Anammox activity was observed only between pH 6.5 and 9, with an optimum at pH 8 and a temperature optimum at 37 degrees C. Hydroxylamine and hydrazine, which are intermediates of the anammox reaction of Candidatus B. anammoxidans, were utilized by the Kolliken organisms, and approximately 15% of the nitrite utilized during autotrophic growth was converted to nitrate. Electron microscopy showed a protein-rich region in the center of the cells surrounded by a doughnut-shaped region containing ribosomes and DNA. This doughnut-shape region was observed with FISH as having a higher fluorescence intensity. Similar to Candidatus B. anammoxidans, the Kolliken anammox organism typically formed homogenous clusters containing up to several hundred cells within an extracellular matrix.

Chemical properties of catechols and their molecular modes of toxic action in cells, from microorganisms to mammals.

Abstract: Catechols can undergo a variety of chemical reactions. In this review, we particularly focus on complex formations and the redox chemistry of catechols, which play an inportant role in the toxicity of catechols. In the presence of heavy metals, such as iron or copper, stable complexes can be formed. In the presence of oxidizing agents, catechols can be oxidized to semiquinone radicals and in a next step to o-benzoquinones. Heavy metals may catalyse redox reactions in which catechols are involved. Further chemical properties like the acidity constant and the lipophilicity of different catechols are shortly described as well. As a consequence of the chemical properties and the chemical reactions of catechols, many different reactions can occur with biomolecules such as DNA, proteins and membranes, ultimately leading to non-repairable damage. Reactions with nucleic acids such as adduct formation and strand breaks are discussed among others. Interactions with proteins causing protein and enzyme inactivation are described. The membrane-catechol interactions discussed here are lipid peroxidation and uncoupling. The deleterious effect of the interactions between catechols and the different biomolecules is discussed in the context of the observed toxicities, caused by catechols.

Biodiversity: towards a unifying theme for river ecology

Abstract: 1. A broadened concept of biodiversity, encompassing spatio-temporal heterogeneity, functional processes and species diversity, could provide a unifying theme for river ecology. 2. The theoretical foundations of stream ecology often do not reflect fully the crucial roles of spatial complexity and fluvial dynamics in natural river ecosystems, which has hindered conceptual advances and the effectiveness of efforts at conservation and restoration. 3. Inclusion of surface waters (lotic and lentic), subsurface waters (hyporheic and phreatic), riparian systems (in both constrained and floodplain reaches), and the ecotones between them (e.g. springs) as interacting components contributing to total biodiversity, is crucial for developing a holistic framework of rivers as ecosystems. 4. Measures of species diversity, including alpha, beta and gamma diversity, are a result of disturbance history, resource partitioning, habitat fragmentation and successional phenomena across the riverine landscape. A hierarchical approach to diversity in natural and altered river-floodplain ecosystems will enhance understanding of ecological phenomena operating at different scales along multidimensional environmental gradients. 5. Re-establishing functional diversity (e.g. hydrologic and successional processes) across the active corridor could serve as the focus of river conservation initiatives. Once functional processes have been reconstituted, habitat heterogeneity will increase, followed by corresponding increases in species diversity of aquatic and riparian biota.

Environmental fate and microbial degradation of aminopolycarboxylic acids

Abstract: Aminopolycarboxylic acids (APCAs) have the ability to form stable, water-soluble complexes with di- and trivalent metal ions. For that reason, synthetic APCAs are used in a broad range of domestic products and industrial applications to control solubility and precipitation of metal ions. Because most of these applications are water-based, APCAs are disposed of in wastewater and reach thus sewage treatment plants and the environment, where they undergo abiotic and/or biotic degradation processes. Recently, also natural APCAs have been described which are produced by plants or micro-organisms and are involved in the metal uptake by these organisms. For the two most widely used APCAs, nitrilotriacetate (NTA) and ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA), transformation and mineralisation processes have been studied rather well, while for other xenobiotic APCAs and for the naturally occurring APCAs little is known on their fate in the environment. Whereas NTA is mainly degraded by bacteria under both oxic and anoxic conditions, biodegradation is apparently of minor importance for the environmental fate of EDTA. Photodegradation of iron(III)-complexed EDTA is supposed to be mostly responsible for its elimination. Isolation of a number of NTA- and EDTA-utilising bacterial strains has been reported and the spectrum of APCAs utilised by the different isolates indicates that some of them are able to utilise a range of different APCAs whereas others seem to be restricted to one compound. The two best characterised obligately aerobic NTA-utilising genera (Chelatobacter and Chelatococcus) are members of the α-subgroup of Proteobacteria. There is good evidence that they are present in fairly high numbers in surface waters, soils and sewage treatment plants. The key enzymes involved in NTA degradation in Chelatobacter and Chelatococcus have been isolated and characterised. The two first catabolic steps are catalysed by a monooxygenase (NTA MO) and a membrane-bound iminodiacetate dehydrogenase. NTA MO has been cloned and sequenced and its regulation as a function of growth conditions has been studied. Under denitrifying conditions, NTA catabolism is catalysed by a NTA dehydrogenase. EDTA breakdown was found to be initiated by a MO also which shares many characteristics with NTA MO from strictly aerobic NTA-degrading bacteria. In contrast, degradation of [S,S]-ethylenediaminedisuccinate ([S,S]-EDDS), a structural isomer of EDTA, was shown to be catalysed by an EDDS lyase in both an EDTA degrader and in a NTA-utilising Chelatococcus strain. So far, transport of APCAs into cells has only been studied for EDTA and the results obtained give strong evidence for an energy-dependent carrier system and Ca2+ seems to be co-transported with EDTA. Due to their metal-complexing capacities, APCAs occur in the environment mostly in the metal-complexed form. Hence, the influence of metal speciation on various degradation processes is of utmost importance to understand the environmental behaviour of these compounds. In case of biodegradation, the effect of metal speciation is rather difficult to assess at the whole cell level and therefore only limited good data are available. In contrast, the influence of metal speciation on the intracellular enzymatic breakdown of APCAs is rather well documented but no generalising pattern applicable to all enzymes was found.

Riparian vegetation and island formation along the gravel‐bed Fiume Tagliamento, Italy

Abstract: After more than 300 years of river management, scientific knowledge of European river systems has evolved with limited empirical knowledge of truly natural systems. In particular, little is known of the mechanisms supporting the evolution and maintenance of islands and secondary channels. The dynamic, gravel-bed Fiume Tagliamento, Italy, provides an opportunity to acquire baseline data from a river where the level of direct engineering intervention along the main stem is remarkably small. Against a background of a strong alpine to mediterranean climatic and hydrological gradient, this paper explores relationships between topography, sediment and vegetation at eight sites along the active zone of the Tagliamento. A conceptual model of island development is proposed which integrates the interactions between large woody debris and vegetation, geomorphic features, sediment calibre and hydrological regime. Islands may develop on bare gravel sites or be dissected from the floodplain by channel avulsion. Depositional and erosional processes result in different island types and developmental stages. Differences in the apparent trajectories of island development are identified for each of the eight study sites along the river. The management implications of the model and associated observations of the role of riparian vegetation in island development are considered. In particular, the potential impacts of woody debris removal, riparian tree management, regulation of river flow and sediment regimes, and changes in riparian tree species' distribution are discussed.

Complex Regulatory Network Controls Initial Adhesion and Biofilm Formation in Escherichia coli via Regulation of the csgD Gene

Abstract: The Escherichia coli OmpR/EnvZ two-component regulatory system, which senses environmental osmolarity, also regulates biofilm formation. Up mutations in the ompR gene, such as the ompR234 mutation, stimulate laboratory strains of E. coli to grow as a biofilm community rather than in a planktonic state. In this report, we show that the OmpR234 protein promotes biofilm formation by binding the csgD promoter region and stimulating its transcription. The csgD gene encodes the transcription regulator CsgD, which in turn activates transcription of the csgBA operon encoding curli, extracellular structures involved in bacterial adhesion. Consistent with the role of the ompR gene as part of an osmolarity-sensing regulatory system, we also show that the formation of biofilm by E. coli is inhibited by increasing osmolarity in the growth medium. The ompR234 mutation counteracts adhesion inhibition by high medium osmolarity; we provide evidence that the ompR234 mutation promotes biofilm formation by strongly increasing the initial adhesion of bacteria to an abiotic surface. This increase in initial adhesion is stationary phase dependent, but it is negatively regulated by the stationary-phase-specific sigma factor RpoS. We propose that this negative regulation takes place via rpoS-dependent transcription of the transcription regulator cpxR; cpxR-mediated repression of csgB and csgD promoters is also triggered by osmolarity and by curli overproduction, in a feedback regulation loop.

Understanding natural patterns and processes in river corridors as the basis for effective river restoration

Abstract: An Erratum has been published for this article in Regulated Rivers: Research and Management 17 (6) 2001, 311–323. Running water ecology is a young science, the conceptual foundations of which were derived largely from research conducted in Europe and North America. However, virtually all European river corridors were substantially regulated well before the science of river ecology developed. While regulation of North American river systems occurred later than in European systems, river ecology also developed later. Therefore, there is a general impression of rivers as being much less heterogeneous and much more stable than they actually are in the natural state. The thesis of this paper is that established research and management concepts may fail to fully recognize the crucial roles of habitat heterogeneity and fluvial dynamics owing to a lack of fundamental knowledge of the structural and functional features of morphologically intact river corridors. Until quite recently, most concepts in river ecology were based on the implicit assumption that rivers are stable, single-thread channels isolated from adjacent floodplains. Unfortunately, many rivers are in just such a state, but it should be recognized that this is not the natural condition. This incomplete understanding constrains scientific advances in river ecology and renders management and restoration initiatives less effective. Examples are given of the high level of spatio-temporal heterogeneity that may be attained in rivers where natural processes still operate on a large scale. The objective of this paper is to promulgate a broader and more integrative understanding of natural processes in river corridors as a necessary prelude to effective river conservation and management. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Solar Oxidation and Removal of Arsenic at Circumneutral pH in Iron Containing Waters

Abstract: An estimated 30−50 million people in Bangladesh consume groundwater with arsenic contents far above accepted limits. A better understanding of arsenic redox kinetics and simple water treatment procedures are urgently needed. We have studied thermal and photochemical As(III) oxidation in the laboratory, on a time scale of hours, in water containing 500 μg/L As(III), 0.06−5 mg/L Fe(II,III), and 4−6 mM bicarbonate at pH 6.5−8.0. As(V) was measured colorimetrically, and As(III) and As(tot) were measured by As(III)/As(tot)-specific hydride-generation AAS. Dissolved oxygen and micromolar hydrogenperoxide did not oxidize As(III) on a time scale of hours. As(III) was partly oxidized in the dark by addition of Fe(II) to aerated water, presumably by reactive intermediates formed in the reduction of oxygen by Fe(II). In solutions containing 0.06−5 mg/L Fe(II,III), over 90% of As(III) could be oxidized photochemically within 2−3 h by illumination with 90 W/m2 UV-A light. Citrate, by forming Fe(III)citrate complexes t...

Algal games: The vertical distribution of phytoplankton in poorly mixed water columns

Abstract: Phytoplankton often face the dilemma of living in contrasting gradients of two essential resources: light that is supplied from above and nutrients that are often supplied from below. In poorly mixed water columns, algae can be heterogeneously distributed, with thin layers of biomass found on the surface, at depth, or on the sediment surface. Here, we show that these patterns can result from intraspecific competition for light and nutrients. First, we present numerical solutions of a reaction-diffusion-taxis model of phytoplankton, nutrients, and light. We argue that motile phytoplankton can form a thin layer under poorly mixed conditions. We then analyze a related game theoretical model that treats the depth of a thin layer of phytoplankton as the strategy. The evolutionarily stable strategy is the depth at which the phytoplankton are equally limited by both resources, as long as the layer is restricted to the water column. The layer becomes shallower with an increase in the nutrient supply and deeper with an increase in the light supply. For low nutrient levels, low background attenuation, and shallow water columns, a benthic layer occurs; for intermediate nutrient levels in deep water columns, a deep chlorophyll maximum occurs; and for high nutrient levels, a surface scum occurs. These general patterns are in agreement with field observations. Thus, this model can explain many patterns of algal distribution found in poorly mixed aquatic ecosystems.

Bromate minimization during ozonation : Mechanistic considerations

Abstract: Bromate formation during ozonation of bromide-containing natural waters is somewhat inversely connected to the ozone characteristics: an initial fast increase followed by a slower formation rate. During the initial phase mostly OH radical reactions contribute to bromate formation,whereas in the secondary phase both ozone and OH radicals are important. To minimize bromate formation several control options are presented: ammonia addition, pH depression, OH radical scavenging, and scavenging or reduction of hypobromous acid (HOBr) by organic compounds. Only the two first options are applicable in drinking watertreatment. By both methods a similar effect of a bromate reduction of approximately 50% can be achieved. However, bromate formation during the initial phase of the ozonation cannot be influenced by either method. Ammonia (NH3) efficiently scavenges HOBrto NH2Br. However, this reaction is reversible which leads to higher required NH3 concentrations than expected. The rate constant kNH2Br for the hydrolysis of NH2Br by OH- to NH3 and OBr- was found to be 7.5-10(6) M(-1) s(-1). pH depression shifts the HOBr/ OBr- equilibrium to HOBr and also affects the ozone chemistry. The effect on ozone chemistry was found to be more importantfor bromate formation. For a given ozone exposure, the OH radical exposure decreases with decreasing pH. Therefore, for pH depression the overall oxidation capacity for a certain ozone exposure decreases which in turn leads to a smaller bromate formation.

Revisiting the serial discontinuity concept

Abstract: We revisit the serial discontinuity concept (SDC), which predicts river ecosystem responses to stream regulation in the context of recovery with distance downstream from the dam (discontinuity distance). Many studies have described pervasive interruptions of natural biophysical gradients of dams by comparing conditions in tailwaters to reference or pre-impoundment conditions. But only a few studies provide data or interpretations that explicitly test the SDC within entire stream corridors or along specifically defined reaches where recovery was expected in view of the predictions of the SDC. We present discontinuity distance measures for nine rivers around the world where the predictions of the SDC were substantiated. In two cases, recovery trajectories were overwhelmed by other human sources of disturbance. In one case, the SDC did not hold up, but only biotic measures were made. We conclude that, in general, the SDC is a sound construct that in most cases can be used to predict, or at least clearly articulate, the consequences of new regulation. The next step is to develop better empirical models of the SDC and to validate them experimentally through re-regulation of entire river corridors.

Competition of phytoplankton under fluctuating light.

Abstract: Light is an essential resource for phytoplankton and fluctuates on a wide range of timescales. To understand how light fluctuations affect phytoplankton community structure and diversity, we have studied a set of simple models using a combination of analytical and numerical techniques. Light fluctuations can affect community structure when species exhibit the gleaner‐opportunist trade‐off between competitive ability and ability to reach carrying capacity quickly. Fast fluctuations can switch the competitive dominant from a gleaner to an opportunist; slow fluctuations can cause this switch and also lead to stable coexistence. Coexistence is easiest between species that are highly differentiated along the gleaner‐opportunist trade‐off. Our results remain qualitatively unchanged when more realistic light fluctuations such as daily and seasonal changes in irradiance and the presence of a spatial gradient in light are considered. Seasonal change in day length may be one of the factors driving the sea...

Eighty years of spatially coherent Austrian lake surface temperatures and their relationship to regional air temperature and the North Atlantic Oscillation

Abstract: Eighty years of monthly mean lake surface temperature (LST) data from eight lakes in the northern perialpine area of Austria show a high degree of coherence among lakes in all seasons and reflect much of the temporal structure of the regional air temperature. Coherence is least in winter because of the distorting effect of varying periods of ice cover. In spring, regional coherence in meteorological driving forces that are essentially uncorrelated with air temperature (e.g., geostrophic wind speed) contribute to the coherence in LST, presumably by partially determining the timing of the onset of stratification. In summer, spatial coherence in LST appears to be related directly (via the radiation balance) and/or indirectly (via air temperature) to largeߚscale variations in highaltitude cloud cover. Correlations of the Austrian LSTs with (1) seasonal indices of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), (2) the timing of spring ice breakߚup in Finland, and (3) air temperatures in northern and western Europe, suggest that from autumn to spring, spatial coherence of LST in central Europe is related to the dominance of the weather by largescale climatic processes occurring over the North Atlantic, whereas in summer the processes responsible are more regional in nature. The influence of the NAO on LST is greatest in lowߚlying lakes in which periods of ice cover are infrequent and short.

High-resolution analyses of an early Holocene climate event may imply decreased solar forcing as an important climate trigger

Abstract: Early Holocene lacustrine, tree-ring, ice-core, and marine records reveal that the Northern Hemisphere underwent a short cooling event at 10 300 calendar yr B.P. (9100 14 C yr B.P.). The records were compared on a common high-resolution time scale and show that the event lasted less than 200 yr, with a cooling peak of 50 yr, and the event coincides with a distinct Holocene thermohaline disturbance recognized in the North Atlantic Ocean. In spite of wellknown freshwater forcings at the time of the event, the negligible difference between the modeled D 14 C record, based on the GISP2 (Greenland Ice Sheet Project 2) 10 Be data, and the measured values, does not allow for detectable D 14 C changes related to global ocean ventilation. We can, however, show that the onset of the cooling coincides with the onset of one of the largest Holocene 10 Be flux peaks. This finding may imply that the climate system is more

Presence of the solar de Vries cycle (~205 years) during the last ice age

Abstract: Certain characteristic periodicities in the Δ14C record from tree rings, such as the well-known 11-yr Schwabe cycle, are known to be of solar origin. The origin of longer-period cycles, such as the 205-yr de Vries cycle, in the Δ14C record was less certain, and it was possible to attribute it either to solar or climatic variability. Here, we demonstrate that the de Vries cycle is present in 10Be data from the GRIP ice core during the last ice age (25 to 50 kyr BP). Analysis of the amplitude of variation of this cycle shows it to be modulated by the geomagnetic field, indicating that the de Vries cycle is indeed of solar, rather than climatic, origin.

MTBE oxidation by conventional ozonation and the combination ozone/hydrogen peroxide: efficiency of the processes and bromate formation.

Abstract: The present study investigates the oxidation of methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) by conventional ozonation and the advanced oxidation process (AOP) ozone/hydrogen peroxide under drinking water treatment conditions. The major degradation products identified were tert-butyl formate (TBF), tert-butyl alcohol (TBA), 2-methoxy-2-methyl propionaldehyde (MMP), acetone (AC), methyl acetate (MA), hydroxyisobutyraldehyde (HiBA), and formaldehyde (FA). The rate constants of the reaction of ozone and OH radicals with MTBE were found to be 0.14 and 1.9 x 10(9) M(-1) s(-1), respectively. The rate constants for the same oxidation processes were also measured for the degradation products TBF, MMP, MA, and HiBA (k(O3-TBF) = 0.78 M(-1) s(-1); k(OH-TBF) = 7.0 x 10(8) M(-1) s(-1); k(O3-MMP) = 5 M(-1) s(-1); k(OH-MMP) = 3 x 10(9) M(-1) s(-1), k(O3-MA) = 0.09 M(-1) s(-1), k(O3-HiBA) = 5 M(-1) s(-1); k(OH-HiBA) = 3 x 10(9) M(-1) s(-1)). Since all compounds reacted slowly with molecular ozone, only the degradation pathway of MTBE with OH radicals has been determined, including the formation of primary degradation products. In experiments performed with several natural waters, the efficiency of MTBE elimination and the formation of bromate as disinfection byproduct have been measured. With a bromide level of 50 microg/L, only 35-50% of MTBE could be eliminated by the AOP O3/H2O2 without exceeding the current drinking water standard of bromate (10 microg/L). The transient concentrations of MTBE and its primary degradation products were modeled using a combination of kinetic parameters (degradation product distribution and rate constants) together with the ozone and OH radical concentration and were in good agreement with the experimental results.

Electron-rich phenols for probing the photochemical reactivity of freshwaters.

Abstract: Different Swiss freshwater samples spiked with 3,4-dimethoxyphenol (DMOP) or 2,4,6-trimethylphenol (TMP) were irradiated using UV-A and visible light from a medium-pressure mercury lamp. The kinetics of depletion of both phenols at pH 8 revealed that in almost all samples the probe phenols disappeared more rapidly at 0.1 μM than 5 μM initial concentration. Pseudo-first-order rate coefficients were on average 2−3 times greater at the lower initial phenol concentration. A comparable effect was observed using buffered solutions of Suwannee River fulvic acid, which was also used as a model photosensitizer to study the influence of various parameters on such rate coefficients. Sensitizer concentration and photon fluence rate were found to be directly proportional to the rate coefficients for DMOP transformation at both initial concentrations. For both phenols, the rate coefficients increased with increasing pH in the range 4−10, but such an increase was much more pronounced at 0.1 μM than at 5 μM initial pheno...

Potential genetic benefits of mate selection in whitefish

Abstract: To test the potential of optimal mate selection with respect to offspring viability, we crossed 10 female and 10 male whitefish in all possible combinations and reared the resulting 100 sib groups in several replicates. We recorded two types of egg mortality, one that was correlated to developmental problems, and a later one that was correlated to a bacterial infection. We found strong maternal and paternal effects in both types of mortality. Early mortality also depended on which female was mated with which male, suggesting partial incompatibilities. The later mortality, but not the former, could be predicted by male breeding ornamentation. More strongly ornamented males sired offspring that better survived the epidemic during egg development. This ‘good genes’ effect was larger than expected from theory: optimal mate selection would have improved offspring survival during the epidemic by about 12% (or reduce mortality by about 66%) as compared with random mating.

Light-induced redox cycling of iron in circumneutral lakes

Abstract: The light-induced redox cycling of Fe II /Fe III was studied both in laboratory experiments and in the field in two circumneutral Swiss lakes: Greifensee, a eutrophic, natural water body, and Melchsee, an oligotrophic, artificial mountain lake. To determine Fe II

Measurement of denitrification in sediments with the 15N isotope pairing technique.

Abstract: Due to increasing nitrogen concentrations in surface waters ([6][1]) and eutrophication of coastal waters ([14][2], [26][3], [51][4]), the quantification of denitrification rates in sediments of lakes, rivers, and estuaries has gained importance. Different methods for measuring denitrification have

Diuron degradation in irradiated, heterogeneous iron/oxalate systems: the rate-determining step.

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the various factors that control the kinetics of diuron degradation in irradiated, aerated suspensions containing goethite (α-FeOOH) and oxalate, in the fol...