The Ecology of Temporary Streams I. The Faunas of Two Canadian Streams

This, the first of two papers on the ecology of temporary streams, describes, in detail, the faunas of two such habitats in southeastern Canada. The adaptive mechanisms for coping with the summer drought are documented for a variety of species and faunal succession is shown to occur from the stream stage (fall-winter) through the pool stage (spring) to the terrestrial (summer).     

Morphology,faunas and genesis of ordovician hardgrounds from Southern Ontario,Canada

We have used associations of different microfacies to define facies (or microfacies associations) which form reasonably well-defined sequences, which we infer, from analogies with recent and ancient carbonate environments, to have been deposited in a shelf environment characterized by small-scale topographic differentiation into shoal, slope and basinal environments.Shoal environments are characterized by typically cross-bedded, well-sorted bioclastic sands, with intershoal areas consisting of interbedded bioclastic sands and heavily bioturbated finer-grained carbonates.Slope and “basinal” environments are typically represented by “proximal” and “distal” cycles respectively. These we compare with deposits of carbonate ramp bypass channels, and with the more thoroughly studied deep-water clastic submarine fans. Many of the strong variations in environmental energy in these proximal and distal cycles can be attributed to migration of channels on the fans and the effect of funnelling of storm surges down the channels.Although hardground morphology and faunas are mostly related to local effects such as intensity of scouring, time of exposure, topographic differentiation of the surface and other factors, differing hardground types tend to be found in different environments. Smooth and rolling hardgrounds occur in the deeper distal environments, where the beds were subject to only slight scour and often limited exposure before renewed sedimentation. Hummocky and undercut hardgrounds are characteristic of the middle parts of proximal cycles, where they developed marginally to the main bypass channel, and in intershoal areas. Both these areas are sites of intermittent sedimentation and moderate turbulence, where cemented beds may be exposed for some time in environments optimal for attached benthos. These hardgrounds usually contain the most diverse hardground biotas. Pebbly and reworked hardgrounds occur in coarse, basal units of proximal cycles, which are interpreted as the grain-flow fillings of the central parts of bypass channels, though isolated examples occur in intershoal areas and in the higher parts of proximal channels. These hardgrounds contain low-diversity faunas, reflecting the stresses imposed by intermittent or constant abrasion; though some contain more diverse faunal assemblages formed after redeposition.     

Sylvatic trichinosis in Ontario, Canada

Samples of muscle from 4,773 specimens of 18 species of wild mammals from Ontario were examined for Trichinella. One of 12 mink (Mustela vison), 83 of 1,821 fisher (Martes pennanti) and 68 of 1,980 marten (Martes americana) had T. spiralis. Prevalences of infections by Trichinella were determined for fisher and marten from the Algonquin region, over a 10-yr period. Prevalences ranged from 0.9-9.2% in fisher and 1.3-8.7% in marten indicating that the parasite is well-established in the region. Prevalences of Trichinella increased with age of both fisher and marten. Intensities determined for the 1981-1982 sample ranged from 0.4-15.8 larvae/g for fisher and 22.4-159.7 larvae/g for marten. Higher intensities were not correlated with older hosts. Fisher and marten appeared to be the key hosts maintaining Trichinella in the Algonquin region, but transmission dynamics were unclear. Transmission may include an unidentified small rodent or other host and natural carrion-feeding.     

Photosynthetic Response of Soybean to Microclimate in 26-Year-Old Tree-Based Intercropping Systems in Southern Ontario,Canada

In order to study the effect of light competition and microclimatic modifications on the net assimilation (NA), growth and yield of soybean (Glycine max L.) as an understory crop, three 26-year-old soybean-tree (Acer saccharinum Marsh., Populus deltoides X nigra, Juglans nigra L.) intercropping systems were examined. Tree competition reduced photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) incident on soybeans and reduced net assimilation, growth and yield of soybean. Soil moisture of 20 cm depth close (< 3 m) to the tree rows was also reduced. Correlation analysis showed that NA and soil water content were highly correlated with growth and yield of soybean. When compared with the monoculture soybean system, the relative humidity (RH) of the poplar-soybean, silver maple-soybean, and black walnut-soybean intercropped systems was increased by 7.1%, 8.0% and 5.9%, soil water content was reduced by 37.8%, 26.3% and 30.9%, ambient temperature was reduced by 1.3°C, 1.4°C and 1.0°C, PAR was reduced by 53.6%, 57.9% and 39.9%, and air CO₂ concentration was reduced by 3.7μmol·mol^-1, 4.2μmol·mol^-1 and 2.8μmol·mol^-1, respectively. Compared to the monoculture, the average NA of soybean in poplar, maple and walnut treatments was also reduced by 53.1%, 67.5% and 46.5%, respectively. Multivariate stepwise regression analysis showed that PAR, ambient temperature and CO₂ concentration were the dominant factors influencing net photosynthetic rate.     

Antimicrobial resistance in Escherichia coli isolates from raccoons (Procyon lotor) in Southern Ontario, Canada

We conducted a cross-sectional study to determine the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in fecal Escherichia coli isolates from raccoons (Procyon lotor) living in Ontario, Canada. From June to October 2007, we trapped raccoons in three areas: one primarily urban site around Niagara, one primarily rural site north of Guelph, and one at the Toronto Zoo. In addition, we conducted a longitudinal study at the Toronto Zoo site to investigate the temporal dynamics of fecal E. coli and AMR in raccoons. Reduced susceptibility to ≥1 antimicrobial agent was detected in E. coli isolates from 19% of 16 raccoons at the urban site, 17% of 29 raccoons from the rural site, and 42% of 130 samples collected from 59 raccoons at the zoo site. Raccoons from the zoo site were significantly more likely to shed E. coli with reduced susceptibility to ≥1 antimicrobial agent than animals from the rural site (odds ratio [OR], 3.41; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.17 to 12.09; P = 0.02). Resistance to expanded-spectrum cephalosporins (and the associated bla(CMY-2) gene) was detected in two animals from the zoo site and one animal from the rural site. Serotyping and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analysis show that raccoons on the zoo grounds harbor a diverse assemblage of E. coli, with rapid bacterial turnover within individuals over time. Our study indicates that raccoons may shed resistant bacteria of public health significance and that raccoons have the potential to disseminate these bacteria throughout their environment.     

Zooplankton species diversity in Lake St. Clair,Ontario, Canada

Zooplankton species diversity and selected chemical parameters were investigated at three stations in Lake St. Clair, Ontario, Canada, from 15 June–26 August, 1971. Primary productivity and zooplankton species diversity were greatest at stations 1 and 2 which were enriched by the Thames River drainage. No significant correlation between total zooplankton diversity and chlorophyll a was found, however, within the Cladocera and Copepoda, positive correlations with chlorophyll a, reactive silicate and nitrate were shown at stations 2 and 3. Rotifer species diversity showed negative correlation with chlorophyll a, nitrate and reactive silicate.     

Rabies in vaccinated raccoons from Ontario, Canada

From 1999 to 2006, 132 cases of raccoon rabies, caused by the raccoon variant of rabies virus, were confirmed in eastern Ontario, Canada. Trap-vaccinate-release (TVR) and point infection control (PIC) programs were implemented to control the disease; 43,014 raccoons (Procyon lotor) were vaccinated against rabies by injection (Imrab3) during that period. Two vaccinated raccoons were diagnosed with rabies at 6 mo and at 2 wk postvaccination. One may have been due to a vaccination failure. The other was likely due to the animal being in the late stages of incubation for rabies at the time of vaccination. This information will be useful to wildlife rehabilitators and agencies that hold raccoons in captivity in that a vaccinated raccoon is not necessarily immune to rabies.     

Concentrations and fluxes of dissolved organic carbon in an age-sequence of white pine forests in Southern Ontario,Canada

We determined concentrations and fluxes of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in precipitation, throughfall, forest floor and mineral soil leachates from June 2004 to May 2006 across an age-sequence (2-, 15-, 30-, and 65-year-old) of white pine (Pinus strobus L.) forests in southern Ontario, Canada. Mean DOC concentration in precipitation, throughfall, leachates of forest floor, Ah-horizon, and of mineral soil at 1 m depth ranged from ∼2 to 7, 9 to 18, 32 to 88, 20 to 66, and 2 to 3 mg DOC L⁻¹, respectively, for all four stands from April (after snowmelt) through December. DOC concentration in forest floor leachates was highest in early summer and positively correlated to stand age, aboveground biomass and forest floor carbon pools. DOC fluxes via precipitation, throughfall, and leaching through forest floor and Ah-horizon between were in the range of ∼1 to 2, 2 to 4, 0.5 to 3.5, and 0.1 to 2 g DOC m⁻², respectively. DOC export from the forest ecosystem during that period through infiltration and groundwater discharge was estimated as ∼7, 4, 3, and 2 g DOC m⁻² for the 2-, 15-, 30-, and 65-year-old sites, respectively, indicating a decrease with increasing stand age. Laboratory DOC sorption studies showed that the null-point DOC concentration fell from values of 15 to 60 mg DOC L⁻¹ at 0 to 5 cm to <15 mg DOC L⁻¹ at 50 cm. Specific ultraviolet light absorption at 254 nm (SUVA₂₅₄) increased from precipitation and throughfall to a maximum in forest floor and decreased with mineral soil depth. No age-related pattern was observed for SUVA₂₅₄ values. DOC concentration in forest floor soil solutions showed a positive exponential relationship with soil temperature, and a negative exponential relationship with soil moisture at all four sites. Understanding the changes and controls of DOC concentrations, chemistry, and fluxes at various stages of forest stand development is necessary to estimate and predict DOC dynamics on a regional landscape level and to evaluate the effect of land-use change.     

Reproductive Timing of Fishes in a Tropical Intermittent Stream

Six fish species were studied in an intermittent lowland stream in Trinidad, West Indies for 28 months from 1980 to 1982. They were Gasteropelecus sternicla, Corynopoma riisei, Astyanax bimaculatus, Hemigrammus unilineatus, Corydoras aeneus and Poecilia reticulata. Peaks in GSIs and presence of mature adults and juveniles, as determined from monthly field collections, indicated reproduction coincident with the rainy seasons in all species except Poecilia. Gasteropelecus bred for a short period at the beginning of the main rainy season while Corynopoma, Corydoras and Hemigrammus had extended periods of breeding activity each year coincident with high rainfall. The presence of juveniles suggests that Astyanax also bred during the rainy season. Poecilia reproduced continuously throughout the study period but exhibited discharge-related adult stock fluctuations that may have influenced reproductive activity. Maximum ovarian fecundity correlated with species size suggested body size limitation on fecundity for small species such as Corynopoma and Hemigrammus. Size frequency distributions of oocytes in mature ovaries indicate synchronised ovum maturation in Astyanax and possibly Gasteropelecus, while Hemigrammus, Corynopoma and Corydoras showed evidence of continuous maturation of oocytes and multiple spawning. Prolonged small brood spawning was confirmed in the laboratory for Corynopoma and Hemigrammus and resulted in spawning fecundities up to 11 times greater than ovarian fecundities for Corynopoma. It is concluded that the conditions of intermittency in this stream did not significantly alter the reproductive styles of these species as described for other Neotropical environments, perhaps because of their opportunistic nature. Patterns of spawning for the characoids can be directly related to size and phylogeny.     

Antimicrobial resistance and resistance plasmids in Salmonella from Ontario, Canada.

Collections of 589 human and 204 animal strains of Salmonella isolated in Ontario during the summer of1974 were examined for susceptibility to 12 antimicrobial agents. Many isolates were found to be resistant to both chloramphenicol (12.4% of the human and 38.2% of the animal sample) and ampicillin. The chloramphenicol resistance almost always occurred in strains which were also resistant to ampicillin and was usually due to a self-transmissible plasmid with a resistance pattern of CmKmSmTc (chloramphenicol, kanamycin, streptomycin, and tetracycline) or CmTc. Ampicillin resistance in these strains was mediated by a variety of plasmids with patterns ApSu (ampicillin and sulfa drugs) and ApSmSu, many of which were nonself-transmissible. Ampicillin resistance in chloramphenicol-sensitive strains was transferable from 21% of the strains, and it was associated with resistance patterns which were different from the self-transferable ampicillin patterns from the chloramphenicol-resistance strains.     

Biology and Ecology of Fishes in Southern African Estuaries (Ichthyological Monographs of the J.L.B. Smith Institute of Ichthyology,No. 2)

Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries -     

Reproductive Behavior, Captive Breeding, and Restoration Ecology of Endangered Fishes

Species recovery efforts generally focus on in situ actions such as habitat protection. However, captive breeding can also provide critical life history information, as well as helping supplement existing or restoring extirpated populations. We have successfully propagated nine species in captivity, including blackside dace, spotfin chubs, bloodfin darters, and boulder darters. Threatened blackside dace, Phoxinus cumberlandensis, were induced to spawn in laboratory aquaria by exposing them to milt from a reproductively mature male stoneroller, Campostoma anomalum or river chub, Nocomis micropogon. The latter are nest-building minnows, with which Phoxinus may spawn in nature. Eggs are broadcast among gravel and pebbles. Blackside dace individuals reared in captivity were used for translocation. Threatened spotfin chubs, Cyprinella monacha, fractional crevice spawners, deposited eggs in laboratory aquaria in the spaces created between stacks of ceramic tiles. Captively produced spotfin chubs were used as part of a larger stream restoration and fish reintroduction project in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The bloodfin darter, Etheostoma sanguifluum, was first used as a surrogate to develop techniques for spawning a closely related species, the endangered boulder darter, E. wapiti. Both darter species mated in a wedge created between two ceramic tiles. Our efforts have had variable but generally high success, with survival rates of 50–90% of eggs deposited. Captive production of nongame fishes can aid recovery of rare species or populations, aid in watershed restoration, and can help to refine water quality standards. In addition, captive breeding allows discovery of important behavioral or life history characteristics that may constrain reproduction of rare species in altered natural habitats.     

Diatom Flora of the Grand River,Ontario, Canada

Summary This paper describes the diatom flora of the Grand River, Ontario, Canada. Samples were collected systematically from the river over a period of several years at tweleve stations. The diatom flora of the river is typical of temperate alkaline rivers. The flora is rich in species and variaties, and is similar to that from many parts from North Eastern United States. A total of 273 taxa of diatoms were identified. There is a tendency for the number of species per sample to increase downstream. The flora of the estuary in characteristic with a great variety of taxa occuring in small numbers. Most of the species are alkaliphilous and indifferent in the halolian spectra. Part of Ph. D. thesis (1970) of senior author     

Temporal Patterns and Environmental Correlates of Macroinvertebrate Communities in Temporary Streams

Temporary streams are characterised by short periods of seasonal or annual stream flow after which streams contract into waterholes or pools of varying hydrological connectivity and permanence. Although these streams are widespread globally, temporal variability of their ecology is understudied, and understanding the processes that structure community composition in these systems is vital for predicting and managing the consequences of anthropogenic impacts. We used multivariate and univariate approaches to investigate temporal variability in macroinvertebrate compositional data from 13 years of sampling across multiple sites from autumn and spring, in South Australia, the driest state in the driest inhabited continent in the world. We examined the potential of land-use, geographic and environmental variables to predict the temporal variability in macroinvertebrate assemblages, and also identified indicator taxa, that is, those highly correlated with the most significantly associated physical variables. Temporal trajectories of macroinvertebrate communities varied within site in both seasons and across years. A combination of land-use, geographic and environmental variables accounted for 24% of the variation in community structure in autumn and 27% in spring. In autumn, community composition among sites were more closely clustered together relative to spring suggesting that communities were more similar in autumn than in spring. In both seasons, community structure was most strongly correlated with conductivity and latitude, and community structure was more associated with cover by agriculture than urban land-use. Maintaining temporary streams will require improved catchment management aimed at sustaining seasonal flows and critical refuge habitats, while also limiting the damaging effects from increased agriculture and urban developments.     

Sexual Dichromatism and Temporary Color Changes in the Reproduction of Fishes

SYNOPSIS. Studies on color patterns of fishes have focused onrelationships between bright, relatively permanent colors, suchas those of fishes inhabiting coral reef and tropical freshwaterhabitats, and ecological factors, such as competitors, predators,and the visual background. By comparison, the functions of,and hence the selective pressures acting on, temporary changesin nuptial coloration have received much less attention. Temporarycolor changes associated with reproduction occur in many freshwaterand marine groups. Nuptial coloration in fishes functions bothin agonistic interactions among males and courtship of females,so that it is subject to both intrasexual and intersexual selectionas well as natural selection. Temporal variation in nuptialcolor patterns is sensitive to temporal changes in the male'sphysical condition, motivation, and social status. Physiologicalprocesses, such as neuronal and endocrine changes, play importantroles in the expression of breeding colors, including rapidresponses to changes in social conditions. The importance ofproximal mechanisms and ultimate selective processes in mediatingrapid changes in the blue, melanin—based breeding colorsof pupfish, and the red, carotenoid—based color patternsin guppies are discussed in the context of signal function andevolution.     

Seasonal Influences on the Ecology of Testate Amoebae (Protozoa) in a Small <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sphagnum</Emphasis> peatland in Southern Ontario,Canada

Testate amoebae (Protozoa) were studied in spring, summer, and fall from the same microhabitats in a small Sphagnum-dominated peatland in southern Ontario, Canada. A total of 32 sampling stations were established in two wetland plant communities, 19 in an open Ericaceae low-shrub community and 13 in a closed Picea mariana and Larix laricina swamp community. Sphagnum was collected in each station for analysis of testate amoebae and measurement of soil water content parameters and water table depth in May, August, and October 2001. pH and dissolved oxygen of the groundwater under the Sphagnum were measured also. A total of 52 taxa including the rotifer, Habrotrocha angusticollis, were identified. Soil water content and water table variables emerged as the primary factors separating testate amoebae between the open bog/fen community and swamp community. Testate amoebae in the open bog/fen community showed a clear separation between the May sampling period and the August and October sampling periods. Sampling stations in May had much higher water table and were wetter than those in August and October. Conversely, testate amoebae in the swamp community did not show a clear difference between sampling periods. Soil moisture and water tables appear to be more constant in the swamp communities. Biological factors or other microscale environmental factors may need to be considered to explain seasonal changes in testate amoebae. A greater understanding of relationships between testate amoebae and microenvironmental factors is necessary to track seasonality in testate amoebae distributions.