Historical changes in phosphorus accumulation in a small lake

Isotopes like 210Pb and 137Cs are effectivetools for determining chronology in lake sediments. Once the chronology is established, environmentalchanges in lakes can be investigated, and the causesfor those changes can often be inferred. 210Pband 137Cs profiles were constructed for thesediments of Crystal Lake, Connecticut, USA. Thegeochronology was used to determine the historicalchanges in organic matter and P accumulationin the sediment. Those profiles showed twosignificant periods of sedimentation which correlatewith major precipitation events. DecreasingP accumulation in the sediments of the lakein the last decade was also correlated with increasingeutrophication as documented by increases inepilimnetic P and decreases intransparency.     

Evolution of the mitochondrial DNA control region in the mbuna (Cichlidae) species flock of lake Malawi, East Africa

Considerable controversy has surrounded the application of mitochondrial DNA data to reconstruction of evolutionary relationships among the endemic cichlids of Lake Malawi. Central to this debate has been the issue of whether lineage sorting is complete, and thus whether these data actually reflect species phylogeny, or simply gene genealogy. Review of all mtDNA control region sequences available for members of one monophyletic subset of this species flock, the Malawi rockfishes, or mbuna, strongly indicates that lineage sorting is incomplete: Character-based analyses of these sequences reconstruct gene, not species, interrelationships. Analysis of the pattern of nucleotide substitutions differentiating these mtDNA alleles suggests that pyrimidine residues undergo transition substitutions more often than do purines. Estimation of the magnitude of derived sequence differentiation in light of the reconstructed gene genealogy suggests that the mbuna may be of considerably more recent vintage than previous molecular characterizations have indicated. Received: 6 April 1996 / Accepted: 3 March 1997     

The ecology of ruffe,Gymnocephalus cernuus (Pisces: Percidae) introduced to Mildevatn,western Norway

Synopsis Diet, habitat use, diel and seasonal activity and a number of population parameters were studied on ruffe,Gymnocephalus cernuus, introduced to Mildevatn, western Norway. This lake is sited outside the natural range of the ruffe and has a lower fish diversity and a different fish species composition than within its native range. From June through September the ruffe was planktivorous and mainly caught at 4 to 6 m depth in the benthic zone. At other times of year ruffe was feeding on zoobenthos and caught deeper in the benthic zone. Ruffe was mainly day active. Zooplankton feeding during summer is the clearest difference compared to ruffe populations living within its natural range. Presence of large zooplankton organisms available for ruffe is suggested as the main reason for the difference found in food choice. The availability of large zooplankton is probably due to community structure caused by a predator and lack of interspecific competition for zooplankton in the deeper parts of the lake. Piscivorous brown trout.Salmo trutta, restrict the habitat of threespined stickleback,Gasterosteus aculeatus, to the zone of littoral vegetation, allowing high densities of larger zooplankton species likeBythotrephes longimanus to be present in the lake. Brown trout is present only in the upper light and well oxygenated parts of the lake, leaving a refuge for the ruffe, where they can feed on the rich zooplankton community.     

POST-PLEISTOCENE DIATOM SUCCESSION IN DOUGLAS LAKE,MICHIGAN1,2

Analysis of fossil diatom assemblages recovered from a 12.2 m core reveals a series of distinct floristic associations. The associations present are correlated with sediment type and reflect successive stages in the development of the lake. A basal red clay sediment contains a planktonic association characteristic of large, proglacial lakes. At 10.0 m core depth, sediment type changes to fine sand containing a higher abundance of benthic species indicating reduction of water depth at the deposition site. Marl sediments begin at 9.7 m and contain an association characteristic of a small, shallow, oligotrophic lake. At 8.8 m the marl sequence is interrupted by highly organic sediment containing a eutrophic plankton association. From 8.5 to 7.6 m the sediment type grades from marl to organic, apparently reduced sediments and diatom associations present contain successively higher percentages of planktonic species associated with eutrophic habitats. By the 7.6 m level a eutrophic plankton association, similar to the modern flora, is established and remains remarkably constant to the surface of the section.     

A revision of the genus Labidochromis (Teleostei: Cichlidae) from Lake Malawi

The diagnosis of the genus Labidochromis is revised to include species with bicuspid outer teeth. Sixteen species, of which 13 are new, are described and illustrated and the validity of five others is discussed. The interrelationships between members of the genus and the relationship of the genus to other genera are discussed. No clearly defined sister group to the genus has been found either within or outside the Lake Malawi cichlid species flock. A key based on the coloration of known species is included.     

Reproductive patterns in seventeen species of warmwater fishes in a Missouri River reservoir

Synopsis The timing of ovarian maturation and spawning of 17 warmwater fish species in Lake Oahe (South and North Dakota) was estimated from changes in the mean ovary indices (ratios of ovary weight to fish length). The onset of vitellogenesis varied within species (up to 2 months). Maturation of the ova took from 7.5 to 10 months, depending on species. Annual variations in the mean date of peak spawning of individual species during 1964–1971 were usually less than a week. There was little overlap of the annual mean peak spawning dates of the 17 species, and an established sequence of spawning among species was shown. A relatively high incidence of atresia in the shovelnose sturgeon, northern pike, and carp indicated that these species had apparently not yet adapted to the altered and variable spawning conditions in this reservoir. Regularity of spawning would seem to provide the best chance for spawning success in variable environments such as Lake Oahe.     

Opposing effects of human peripheral blood lymphocytes on the growth of cultured leukemia cell lines

Natural killing of two human leukemia cell lines (K562 and Molt 4) in a soft-agar, clonagenic assay was shown to be the result of two opposite yet concurrent processes: target cell colony stimulation and inhibition. The stimulatory effect was demonstrable when the effector lymphocytes and target cells were separated in contiguous agar layers, suggesting mediation by a soluble factor. Similarly, stimulation occurred when the effector lymphocytes and target cells were combined at low effector-target cell ratios that do not favor direct cell contact. Target colony inhibition was found to be dominant when large E:T ratios were employed. Both target-effector binding and natural killing were significantly reduced in medium devoid of divalent cations.     

A review of the salt sensitivity of the Australian freshwater biota

In Victoria, Australia, both dryland salinity and salinity in irrigation regions are serious agricultural problems. One option to control the latter is to pump groundwater to maintain it below the surface. However, this leaves a saline wastewater for disposal, probably into local streams or wetlands. This review of the salt sensitivity of the biota of Australian streams and wetlands gives information of interest to those responsible for developing controls on these discharges. The review addresses the lethal and sub-lethal effects of salinity on microbes (mainly bacteria), macrophytes and micro-algae, riparian vegetation, invertebrates, fish, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds. Data suggest that direct adverse biological effects are likely to occur in Australian river, stream and wetland ecosystems if salinity is increased to around 1 000 mg L⁻¹. The review highlights a general lack of data on the sensitivity of freshwater plants and animals to salinity increases.     

A limnological reconnaissance of Lake Tebenquiche,Salar de Atacama,Chile

A number of expeditions to the area of Salar de Atacama, Chile, 68° 15'W, 20° 30'S, have involved studies of the biological and chemical features of Lake Tebenquiche, situated in the interior of the salar. Chemically, Tebenquiche is hypersaline, with practically anoxic waters dominated by sodium and chloride ions but with high concentrations of sulphate also. The lake is surrounded and invaded by macrophytes, dominated by Scirpus olmeyi and Juncus, which provide organic material for the formation of bacterial mats. The fauna of limnetic crustaceans is almost exclusively of Artemia salina. The most important genera of bacteria are: Marinomonas, Halobacterium, Acinetobacter and the sulphur reductors Vibrio and Bacillus. The Cyanobacteria are represented exclusively by Oscillatoria.