Calibration of FST-hemispheres against bottom shear stress in a laboratory flume*

SUMMARY.

• 1 Fliesswasserstammtisch (FST)-hemispheres of identical size but different densities were exposed on a horizontal plane on the pebble-covered bottom of a laboratory flume at streaming to shooting, turbulent and fully developed flow. The heaviest hemisphere moved was used as an indicator of shear stress, a flow force acting on the flume bottom.
• 2 The relationship between shear stress and hemisphere density was practically the same for three different sets of hemispheres, namely one prototype set newly prepared for the calibrations, one prototype set intensively used in the field prior to calibrations, and one randomly selected new set bought commercially.
• 3 Shear stress (y, dyn cm^?2) was related to hemisphere density (x, g cm^?3) by y= x^2.85 (n= 69; r²= 0.993). For lighter hemispheres this relationship was better explained by the linear model y= 7.32x– 6.60 (n= 35; r²=0.983).

     

Response to Frutiger & Schib (1993) 'Limitations of FST hemispheres in lotic benthos research'

• 1 This response to the paper of Frutiger & Schib (1993) focuses on substantial errors that are relevant to the interpretation of results and deficiencies in their study design. I include some reanalysis of the original data of Schib (1991), which formed the basis of Frutiger & Schib's paper.
• 2 The paper of Frutiger & Schib (1993) is flawed because of their sampling strategy (sequence of measurements, depth stratification, and the long duration of the study in relation to temporal changes in the insect populations), the selection of study sites (one lake outlet, one river disturbed by bathers), the mixing of single-species and multiple-species units in the analysis, the pooling of data and its analysis, the omission of essential information given by Schib (1991), and the generation of doubtful arguments. Their approach and interpretation places FST hemispheres at an unreasonable disadvantage in a debate about the relative utility of hemispheres and propeller-type current meters and consistently discriminates against the general role hydraulics play in the micro-distribution of the eight insect taxa that were studied.
• 3 Despite the deficiencies of their study, my reanalysis of the original data of Schib (1991) provides significant models of insect abundance in relation to hemisphere density for six of the eight insect taxa, with r² values between 0.62 and 0.86 for five of them.

     

Flow‐mediated predator–prey dynamics influence fish populations in a tropical river

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Quantitative relationships between oligochaete communities and phosphorus concentrations in lakes

SUMMARY.

• 1 The relative abundance of oligotrophic species in tubificid and lumbriculid communities was related to phosphorus concentration in eight lakes of Western Europe and three large lakes of North America.
• 2 Mean annual concentrations of total phosphorus, recorded in the whole lake during the 5 years preceding the sampling of worms, were averaged and this mean was used to indicate the trophic state.
• 3 Mean relative abundance (%) of oligotrophic species (OS) was negatively correlated with mean concentrations (mg m^?3) of total phosphorus (TP): OS = 80.29 – 8.35 TP^0.5r²= 0.81
• 4 Location and depth from which worms were sampled also influenced values of OS.

     

Does the presence of grassy strips and landscape grain affect the spatial distribution of aphids and their carabid predators?

• 1 We investigated, over the course of 2 years, the spatial distribution and abundance of two species of aphid, Metopolophium dirhodum and Sitobion avenae, and predatory species of carabid. This was undertaken in 24 wheat fields in ‘coarse‐grain’ and ‘fine‐grain’ landscapes in western France. A greater percentage of the latter landscape was covered by hedgerows and grassland and the total area covered by fields and the average size of the fields were smaller.
• 2 The effects on aphid abundance of the distance from field margins, the presence of grassy strips and carabid abundance were determined in both landscapes.
• 3 Both aphid species were more abundant in the ‘fine‐grain’ landscape, which may have been a result of the higher density of semi‐natural elements. In both types of landscape, the total numbers of aphids were negatively correlated with the distance from the field margin. This may have been because aphids were dispersing from overwintering sites in field margins. The abundance of M. dirhodum was strongly negatively correlated with the presence of grassy strips in the ‘coarse‐grain’ landscape, although there were no such significant correlations for either of the aphid species in the ‘fine‐grain’ landscape.
• 4 Aphid and carabid abundances were negatively correlated in the ‘fine‐grain’ and positively in ‘coarse‐grain’ landscape.
• 5 The results obtained in the present study emphasize the importance of semi‐natural areas in agricultural landscapes in shaping the spatial distribution of aphids and carabid beetles, their natural enemies, at different spatial scales.

     

Microhabitat and plant structure of Batrachospermum (Batrachospermales, Rhodophyta) populations in four streams of São Paulo State, southeastern Brazil

Microhabitat and plant structure of seven Batrachospermum populations (four of Batrachospermum delicatulum (=Sirodotia delicatula), one of Batrachospermum macrosporum and two of the ‘Chantransia’ stage), including the influence of physical variables (current velocity, depth, irradiance and substratum), were investigated in four streams of São Paulo State, southeastern Brazil. The populations of B. delicatulum and the ‘Chantransia’ stage occurred under very diverse microhabitat conditions, which probably contributes to their wide spatial and seasonal distribution in Brazilian streams. Results suggest branch reconfiguration as a probable mechanism of adaptation to current velocity based on the occurrence of: (i) B. macrosporum (a large mucilaginous form with presumably little ability for branch reconfiguration) under lower current velocity than B. delicatulum; (ii) only dense plants in populations with high current velocities (> 60 cm s^?1), whereas 53–77% of dense plants were seen in populations exposed to lower currents (< 40 cm s^?1); (iii) positive correlations of plant length with internode length in populations under low current velocities and negative correlation in a population with high velocity (132 cm s^?1); and (iv) negative correlations of current velocity with plant diameter and internode length in a population under high flow. This study, involving mainly dioecious populations, revealed that B. delicatulum displayed higher fertilization rates than B. macrosporum. A complementary explanation for a dioecious species to increase fertilization success was proposed consisting of outcrossing among intermingled male and female adjacent plants within an algal spot.     

Ecomorphology ofCrassostrea cucullata (Born, 1778) (Ostreidae) in a mangrove creek (Gazi,Kenya)

Variations of shell form and shell length were studied for oysters growing in the mangroves of Gazi Creek, Kenya, and related to different environmental factors.For the study of the form, Fourier analysis was performed on the circumference of 85 oysters. The resulting coefficients were compared among specimens using cluster analysis. The correspondence between this classification and substrate diameter is virtually perfect (only one misclassification out of 85 oysters). For the clusters based on height above chart datum, 9 specimens, all on intermediate height levels, were misclassified. Orientation with respect to tidal current had 13 misclassifications. Mangrove species seemed to influence form only marginally, if at all.In the study of the size ofCrassostrea cucullata, the length of 956 oysters, growing along two transects were measured, and correlated with several environmental factors. Oyster length was not related to substrate diameter or its orientation with respect to the main current. Length was not influenced by density up to a cover of 70%. For densities higher than 70%, there was a fairly strong negative correlation (r ² = 0.634,n = 217). Length was not correlated with height above bottom (base of the tree) for heights lower than 20 cm, while oysters growing closer to the bottom were smaller. The correlation with height above chart datum was negative but very low (r ² = 0.060,n = 957). However, if all measurements of oysters closer than 20 cm to the bottom, and all from a density of more than 70% cover are deleted from the data set, the correlation with height increased dramatically, the slope still being negative (r ² = 0.859,n = 543).     

Fine‐scale habitat preferences influence within‐river population connectivity: a case‐study using two sympatric New Zealand Galaxias fish species

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Production of new organic carbon and its distribution between autotrophic picoplankton, bacteria, extracellular organic carbon and phytoplankton in an upland lake

• 1 Picoplankton community production (0.2–2μm) was investigated over 3 months, June-September 1991, in Llyn Padarn, a mesotrophic upland lake in north Wales.
• 2 The picoplankton was differentiated into autotrophic algae (<1–3μm) and heterotrophic bacteria (<0.2–1 μm) using differential filtration through a 1 μm pore size Nuclepore filter.
• 3 Efficient separation of these distinct metabolic constituents of picoplankton was obtained. A good correlation (r= 0.81, P < 0.001) was found between physical separation of bacterial and picoalgal cells from fluorescence microscopy and the distribution of heterotrophic metabolic activity between different cell size fractions measured by uptake of ¹⁴C-glucose.
• 4 Picoplankton community production was differentiated into the ‘absolute’ autotrophic production by picoalgae, corrected for overestimation due to retention of bacteria with the picoalgae, and the heterotrophic component, bacterial uptake of ‘extracellular organic carbon’ (EOC), derived from the entire phytoplankton community.
• 5 The heterotrophic contribution to picoplankton community production ranged from 88 to 1%, mean value 55% of total. Autotrophic picoplankton production was dominant in June and July, but in August and September heterotrophic uptake of EOC was the major input to picoplankton community production.
• 6 During the 3 months, the mean contributions to plankton production were autotrophic picoplankton 10.3%, heterotrophic bacterial uptake of EOC 9.7%, EOC in lake water 11.6% and phytoplankton (>3μm) 68.3%.
• 7 Bacteria accounted for about half the picopfankton community production via uptake of EOC. Thus although autotrophic picoplankton were ubiquitous, it is likely that their contribution via primary production to the carbon balance of planktonic environments has been overestimated in previous studies.

     

Indicating shear stress with FST-hemispheres - effects of stream-bottom topography and water depth

1. In order to quantify the effects of substratum roughness on shear stress and Fliesswasserstammtisch-(FST)-hemisphere movement, hemispheres were calibrated against shear stress in a laboratory flume with fully developed turbulent flow. In five different runs, substratum roughness, water depth and location of hemispheres in relation to the surrounding particles, were varied. 2. FST-hemisphere results were strongly influenced by bottom topography. In the case of hydraulically rough flow a linear relationship exists between shear stress (χ_c) and hemisphere density (ρ_h), whereas in the case of quasi-smooth flow a power law was obtained for the χ_c/ρ_h, relationship. Shear stress for a given hemisphere and relative roughness h/k > 4 (h= water depth; k= height of the roughness elements) deviated up to one order of magnitude between roughnesses. In water depths, where h/k 4, the χ_c/ρ_h relationships are dependent on the ratio h/k, due to water surface effects on hemisphere movement. In the case of k = d₉₀=r_h (d₉₀= characteristic diameter of the largest particles of the bottom substratum; r_h= radius of the hemispheres), the location of the hemispheres in respect to the roughness elements is of secondary importance. 3. In the case of hydraulically rough flow and wake interference between the roughness elements, the turbulent flow field close to the substratum is three-layered, each layer being characterized by its own velocity distribution laws (Dittrich & Hammann de Salazar, 1993). Depending on the height of the roughness elements, FST-hemispheres will be subjected mainly to flow forces of the near-bed layer (in rough substrata) or to flow forces distant from the near-bed zone (in fine substrata). The dominant flow forces acting on bottom particles, organisms, or FST-hemispheres are shear force and lift force. 4. The Local Shear Stress Model (Lamouroux et al., 1992) leads to a correct prediction of hemisphere distribution in a stream with a cobble size substratum, but to an overestimation of hemisphere numbers in a sandy-bottom stream. The substratum-dependent shear stress values therefore need to be entered into the model and a measure of substratum roughness included. 5. Macroinvertebrate abundance correlates well with the movement of FST-hemispheres. Samples from points with very high or very low roughness did not contribute to scatter in the data, indicating that the sum of the near-bed flow forces is relevant to macroinvertebrate distribution, not shear stress alone. We conclude, that FST-hemispheres are well suited to characterize near-bottom hydraulics and therefore the microhabitat of the benthos.     

Hydraulic Microdistribution of Cased Caddis Larvae in an Austrian Mountain Brook

Water velocity acting at the upper edge of the case opening was measured at the locations of 1074 cased caddis larvae along a cross section of the Seebach near Lunz Biological Station (Lower Austria). In addition, Froude number, boundary Reynolds number, bottom shear stress and thickness of the viscous sublayer were measured at the center of contagious sampling squares of 30 × 30 cm over the same cross section. Measurements were made at monthly intervals from 2 November 1993 to 24 October 1994 using an impeller-meter (Ott C2; propeller diameter = 30 mm) and a set of FST hemispheres. A total of 16 species was recorded with Drusus biguttatus Pictet, Allogamus auricollis Pictet and Potamophylax cingulatus Stephens being most abundant. Maximum values of current velocity and hydraulic stress parameters (e.g. Froude numbers up to 0.90) were recorded for D. biguttatus. P. cingulatus and Glossosoma conformis Neboiss, whereas lowest values of hydraulic stress parameters were observed in Sericostoma flavicorne Schneider. In addition, up to 40% of the population in Drusinae species and P. cingulatus was over-represented in high stress areas at the streambed, whilst up to 36% of the population in S. flavicorne and Allogamus spp. were over-represented in low stress areas.     

Does body mass restrict call peak frequency in echolocating bats?

1. Echolocation is the ability of some animals to orient themselves through sound emission and interpretation of the echoes. This is bats’ main sense for orientation and recognising biotopes that provide food, water, and roosts. It is widely accepted that echolocation call frequency is related to body mass, and this relationship has been described as the ‘allometric hypothesis’, which proposes a negative correlation between these variables.
2. There is evidence that, in many cases, the allometric hypothesis does not apply. Additionally, studies supporting this hypothesis were done at the family level, resulting in a broad range of correlation values with r ranging from −0.36 to −0.76, and only insectivorous bats were included. Due to the notable exceptions and the lack of a quantitative synthesis of this hypothesis including all echolocating bats, we evaluated the allometric hypothesis of echolocation calls for this group.
3. Using a meta-analysis and phylogenetic generalised least-squares techniques, we evaluated the relationship between echolocation call peak frequency and the body mass of bats.
4. We found a negative relationship between body mass and echolocation call peak frequency for the 85 bat species that were included in our analysis (r = −0.3, p = 0.005). The relationship was consistent when we analysed the data at the insectivorous guild level, and in bats belonging to the families Vespertilionidae, Rhinolophidae, Emballonuridae, and the genus Myotis. However, the wide range of r values suggests that the strength of the relationship between peak frequency and body mass varies within the order Chiroptera.
5. Our results support the allometric hypothesis of sound production in echolocating bats. However, the low coefficient we found suggests that factors other than body mass may influence the peak frequency of echolocation calls produced by bats.

     

Modelling roach (Rutilus rutilus) microhabitat using linear and nonlinear techniques

• 1 Multiple linear regression (MLR), generalised additive models (GAM) and artificial neural networks (ANN), were used to define young of the year (0+) roach (Rutilus rutilus) microhabitat and to predict its abundance.
• 2 0+ Roach and nine environmental variables were sampled using point abundance sampling by electrofishing in the littoral area of Lake Pareloup (France) during summer 1997. Eight of these variables were used to set up the models after log₁₀ (x+ 1) transformation of the dependent variable (0+ roach density). Model training and testing were performed on independent subsets of the whole data matrix containing 306 records.
• 3 The predictive quality of the models was estimated using the determination coefficient between observed and estimated values of roach densities. The best models were provided by ANN, with a correlation coefficient (r) of 0.83 in the training procedure and 0.62 in the testing procedure. GAM and MLR gave lower prediction in the training set (r = 0.53 for GAM and r = 0.32 for MLR) and in the testing set (r = 0.48 for GAM and r = 0.43 for MLR). In the same way, samples without fish were reliably predicted by ANN whereas GAM and MLR predicted absence unreliably.
• 4 ANN sensitivity analysis of the eight environmental variables in the models revealed that 0+ roach distribution was mainly influenced by five variables: depth, distance from the bank, local slope of the bottom and percentage of mud and flooded vegetation cover. The nonlinear influence of these variables on 0+ roach distribution was clearly shown using nonparametric lowess smoothing procedures.
• 5 Non‐linear modelling methods, such as GAM and ANN, were able to define 0+ fish microhabitat precisely and to provide insight into 0+ roach distribution and abundance in the littoral zone of a large reservoir. The results showed that in lakes, 0+ roach microhabitat is influenced by a complex combination of several environmental variables acting mainly in a nonlinear way.

     

Phenology of Paralemanea mexicana (Batrachospermales,Rhodophyta) in a high‐altitude stream in central Mexico

The morphology and phenology of Paralemanea mexicana (Kützing) Vis et Sheath was evaluated seasonally in a fifth order high‐altitude stream in central Mexico. The gametophytes grew during oligotrophic and eutrophic conditions, and during particular microhabitat conditions: high current velocity (40–240 cm s^?1), low to medium irradiance (5–973 μmol photons m^?2 s^?1), and shallow depth (1–30 cm). The abundance of gametophytes was positively correlated with low temperature, high current velocity and concentrations of soluble reactive phosphorus. Interestingly, monoecious gametophytes formed two types of branches, true branches with sympodial pattern originating from meristematic cells in variable number, and abundant false branches produced during the development of the ‘Chantransia’ stage in the surface of the gametophyte or by uniseriate filaments arising within the thallus lumen. These filaments generally produce gametophytes and suggest that they could support the germination of carpospores. The frequently whorled branches are the result of a false branching pattern and are exclusive to P. mexicana. These morphological and reproductive characteristics appear to be biomechanical adaptations to avoid detachment and increase reproductive success. Efficient reproductive strategies of P. mexicana observed in this study can be interpreted as adaptations to successfully colonize streams; however, these features may not have been common in the study region due to restricted microhabitat conditions and geographic isolation.     

Remote sensing evidence for the episodic transport of phosphorus from the littoral zone of a thermally stratified lake

• 1 Esthwaite Water in Cumbria is a small, thermally stratified lake fringed with beds of reed in the shallow littoral. In this study, we used a combination of in situ measurements and airborne remote sensing to investigate some of the physical processes influencing the transport of water and nutrients from the littoral zone.
• 2 The analysis of water samples collected from the reed beds, the littoral zone and the open water showed that significantly higher concentrations of dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) were frequently recorded in the reed beds in early summer.
• 3 Experiments with surface and near‐surface free‐running drogues demonstrated that the movement of water from the littoral zone was strongly influenced by the development of a secondary thermocline. When there was no secondary stratification, the surface currents generated by light winds seldom exceeded 2 cm s^‐1. When a secondary thermocline was present, surface current speeds of 5–10 cm s^‐1 were recorded even when the wind speed was less than 200 cm s^‐1.
• 4 A series of thermal surveys using a Daedalus Airborne Thematic Mapper (ATM) demonstrated that plumes of warm water frequently developed in the littoral zone when the weather was calm. Some of these plumes covered several hundred square metres and persisted for several hours. Others were only a few metres in width and acted as episodic ‘pumps’ that appeared and dispersed in less than an hour.

     

Zooplankton distribution in relation to turbidity and related environmental gradients in a large subtropical reservoir: patterns and implications

SUMMARY.

• 1 A marked gradient in water transparency along the 75 km longitudinal axis of Lake le Roux, a fjord-like reservoir on the Orange River, South Africa, was consistently evident over several years. On average, Secchi depth transparency doubled from approximately 18 cm at the turbid upper end (which is fed by sediment-laden Orange River water discharged from Lake Verwoerd), to 33 cm near the dam wall. A variety of changes in abiotic limn logical attributes (temperature, light attenuation, suspended solids and nutrient levels, etc.), and in the abundance and composition of planktonic biota accompany, and may be imposed by, this turbidity gradient.
• 2 On average, phytoplankton abundance (assessed as chlorophyll content), and total crustacean zooplankton biomass (per unit volume) were lowest at the very top of the lake, but reached maximal values within 15 km ‘downstream’, reflecting the rapid development of plankton. These variables subsequently declined downstream, in contrast to the apparent improvement in conditions for planktonic existence (increasing water transparency, longer water residence time, etc.).
• 3 The composition of crustacean zooplankton varied along the length of the reservoir. Both seasonal and inter-annual differences were evident. On average, however, cladocerans (Daphnia, Moina), despite their r-selected attributes, were especially sparse in the more turbid, uppermost reaches, where advective effects of river inflows were most pronounced. The large predatory copepod Lovenula was surprisingly most abundant in this region, where potential planktonic curstacean prey was scarce. The attainment of maximal zooplankton standing slocks some 15 km downstream was attributable to the proliferation particularly of the herbivorous copepod Metadiaptomus, along with minor increases in several ctadoceran components. The latter continued to increase downstream, in line with declining turbidity, although Daphnia and Moina reached their respective abundance maxima in central and lower reaches of the reservoir, reflecting slight disparities in response to turbidity or related gradients. By contrast.

     

Host range determination in a novel outbreak pest of sugarcane,Cacosceles newmannii (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae,Prioninae), inferred from stable isotopes

1. An outbreak of Cacosceles newmannii (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) was detected for the first time on sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) in 2015 in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Although primary host plants of this native species remain unknown, these are central to testing hypotheses concerning the outbreak.
2. We hypothesized that this species has undergone a host plant shift (i.e. a feeding association with a novel host plant).
3. We compared δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N ratios of adult beetles retrieved from South African museum collections, collected between 1891 and 2016 (n = 23; ‘pre-outbreak’), with samples from infested fields in 2017 (n = 9, ‘post-outbreak’) and in 2019 (n = 23, ‘post-outbreak’), as well as diverse, plausible host plants (n = 42 samples across 10 species) from infested fields and surrounding patches of indigenous and commercial forest vegetation. We used Bayesian isotope mixing models to infer the relative contribution of the different plants to the diet of C. newmannii.
4. Pre-outbreak, C₃ plants contributed strongly to the larval diet, whereas post-outbreak, C₄ plants were the largest component of their diet. There was some indication of C₄ plants contributing to their diet pre-outbreak.
5. Our results suggest that the outbreak of this polyphagous beetle was not a dramatic host shift but rather a rapid increase in the proportion of C₄ plants already in their diet.
6. We concluded that plants from the families Fabaceae and Poaceae are the most likely host plants of this species. Nevertheless, the drivers of this rapid outbreak on sugarcane remain poorly determined and should be the focus of future research.

     

The relative importance of viral lysis and nanoflagellate grazing for prokaryote mortality in temperate lakes

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The influence of iron,siderophores and refractory DOM on cyanobacterial biomass in oligotrophic lakes

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