Biomass and concentrations of macronutrients and mercury inAzolla pinnata R.Br. In indian ponds enriched by anthropogenic effluents

The growth ofAzolla was stimulated in different water bodies in Burdwan. It depended on the PO₄−P contents of the media. Biomass, chlorophyll and tissue phosphorus content ofAzolla were positively correlated with PO₄−P of the different water bodies while chlorophyll content of the fern was positively correlated with conductivity. We concluded that the water bodies of Burdwan can be utilised as sites for large scale multiplication ofAzolla for fertilization purposes in rice cultivation, despite the presence of mercury.     

The Distribution of Mercury in the Sediments of Eight Saskatchewan Lakes

Eight lakes located in the southern half of Saskatchewan were sampled in May and June, 1987, to determine the concentration and spatial distribution of mercury in their surface sediments. Katepwa and Buffalo Pound lakes had maximum total mercury sediment concentrations of 0.158 and 0.100 μg · g⁻¹ dry weight respectively, while in the other six lakes the mercury concentration was never greater than 0.04 μg · g⁻¹ dw. Despite this difference in mercury concentration in the sediments of the lakes, walleye sampled from them have high mercury concentrations exceeding 0.5 μ · g⁻¹ (wet weight).