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  • About
  • The Global ETD Search service is a free service for researchers to find electronic theses and dissertations. This service is provided by the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations.
    Our metadata is collected from universities around the world. If you manage a university/consortium/country archive and want to be added, details can be found on the NDLTD website.
61

Estudo da distribuição de metais em água, sedimento e organismos aquáticos de rios e reservatórios pertencentes à rede de monitoramento da qualidade dos sedimentos do estado de São Paulo, Brasil / Metal distribution evaluation in water, sediment and aquatic organisms in rivers and reservoirs of a sediment quality monitoring network of São Paulo state, Brazil

SOARES, WALACE A.A. 09 October 2014 (has links)
Made available in DSpace on 2014-10-09T12:35:23Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 / Made available in DSpace on 2014-10-09T14:05:52Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 / Dissertação (Mestrado) / IPEN/D / Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares - IPEN-CNEN/SP
62

Avaliacao da qualidade do Rio Sao Lourenco, SP, sob influencia de estacoes de tratamento de agua e estacoes de tratamento de esgoto / Environmental quality in area of influence of mud of stations for treatment of water and sewage

SILVA, ANGELICA M. da 09 October 2014 (has links)
Made available in DSpace on 2014-10-09T12:26:12Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 / Made available in DSpace on 2014-10-09T14:06:48Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) / Tese (Doutoramento) / IPEN/T / Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares - IPEN-CNEN/SP / FAPESP:04/10085-4
63

Comparação ecotoxicológica de princípios ativos de repelentes para invertebrados aquáticos irradiados e não irradiados com radiação gama / Ecotoxicological comparison of active ingredients of repellents for aquatic invertebrates irradiated and non-irradiated with gamma radiation

GIMILIANI, GIOVANA T. 09 October 2014 (has links)
Made available in DSpace on 2014-10-09T12:35:53Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 / Made available in DSpace on 2014-10-09T14:03:31Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 / Nas últimas décadas, a introdução de produtos de uso diário nos ambientes aquáticos tem sido uma das questões mais discutidas no que se refere ao monitoramento ambiental. Estes produtos não são totalmente removidos pelos processos convencionais de estações de tratamento de esgoto e de água e são continuamente inseridos no ambiente aquático. O Dietiltoluamida, um princípio ativo de repelente de insetos bastante utilizado mundialmente, é um composto ambientalmente persistente e sua toxicidade para alguns organismos aquáticos tem sido comprovada. Em substituição aos produtos sintéticos, a população tem optado em utilizar produtos naturais, sendo cada vez mais comum o uso de repelentes com óleos essenciais de gramíneas. O óleo essencial de capim-limão é um dos mais utilizados nas formulações de cosméticos e de cuidados pessoais. Entretanto, nenhum estudo tem comprovado a sua toxicidade para a biota aquática. Além dos poluentes químicos, os organismos aquáticos podem estar sujeitos à exposição da radiação ionizante proveniente de fontes naturais (background radiation) ou nas proximidades de instalações de usinas nucleares. O presente estudo avaliou a reprodução de invertebrados aquáticos C. silvestrii após a exposição à radiação gama e posteriormente submetidos aos princípios ativos de repelente sintético e natural. Para isso, avaliou-se a citotoxicidade in vitro bem como a ecotoxicidade aguda e crônica dos princípios ativos e o efeito da radiação gama para D. similis e C. silvestrii. Os ensaios com radiação gama foram realizados sob as mesmas condições dos testes de ecotoxicidade, utilizando o irradiador Gamma-Cell com fonte de Co60. De acordo com os resultados obtidos, o óleo essencial apresentou efeito citotóxico igual a 50 mg.L-1 enquanto para o dietiltoluamida, foi de 420 mg.L-1. O efeito tóxico agudo na sobrevivência (CE50) foi encontrado na concentração de 7,2 mg.L-1 e 3,8 mg.L-1 de óleo essencial para D. similis e C. silvestrii, respectivamente. Concentrações de 64,9 e 53,9 mg.L-1 de dietiltoluamida apresentaram efeito agudo na sobrevivência de D. similis e C. silvestrii, respectivamente. 3,4 mg.L-1 foi estabelecida como a concentração de inibição (CI25) de óleo essencial para o dietiltoluamida correspondeu a 16,4 mg.L- 1, ambos para C. silvestrii. As doses letais de radiação gama que causaram efeito agudo na sobrevivência (DL50) foram de 242 Gy para D. similis e 525 Gy para C. silvestrii. A reprodução de C. silvestrii apresentou redução de 25% na dose de 29 Gy. Depois de determinar a ecotoxicidade dos princípios ativos e o efeito da radiação gama, os organismos foram irradiados com dose de 25 Gy, sendo a maior dose que não causou efeito na reprodução de C. silvestrii, e posteriormente foram expostos às mesmas concentrações utilizadas para os princípios ativos. Os resultados mostraram que a reprodução de C. silvestrii não foi afetada significativamente após a irradiação dos organismos testados quando comparada com os organismos não irradiados. / Dissertação (Mestrado) / IPEN/D / Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares - IPEN-CNEN/SP
64

Estudo da distribuição de metais em água, sedimento e organismos aquáticos de rios e reservatórios pertencentes à rede de monitoramento da qualidade dos sedimentos do estado de São Paulo, Brasil / Metal distribution evaluation in water, sediment and aquatic organisms in rivers and reservoirs of a sediment quality monitoring network of São Paulo state, Brazil

SOARES, WALACE A.A. 09 October 2014 (has links)
Made available in DSpace on 2014-10-09T12:35:23Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 / Made available in DSpace on 2014-10-09T14:05:52Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 / O presente trabalho teve como objetivo realizar um estudo dos níveis de concentração e da distribuição das espécies metálicas Arsênio, Cádmio, Crômio, Cobre, Níquel e Chumbo em água, sedimento e nos organismos bentônicos dos rios e reservatórios pertencentes à Rede de Monitoramento de água e sedimento da CETESB, utilizando as técnicas analíticas de espectrometria de absorção atômica com atomização em forno de grafite (GF AAS) e espectrometria de emissão ótica (ICP OES). Paralelamente, avaliou-se a toxicidade da água e do sedimento para a bactéria Vibrio fischeri e a comunidade bentônica local. A caracterização multielementar (concentração total) dos sedimentos pela técnica de análise por ativação neutrônica (NAA) também foi realizada. Todas as metodologias analíticas foram avaliadas quanto à precisão, exatidão e os limites de detecção e quantificação foram calculados. Nas amostras de água, foram obtidas concentrações dos metais analisados inferiores aos limites estipulados pela Resolução 357/2005 do CONAMA para corpos de água classe 2. Os elementos estudados foram determinados, muitas vezes em concentrações que podem causar efeitos adversos à biota aquática, nas amostras de sedimento de dez dos treze pontos estudados, o que sugere que estes elementos tendem a se depositar nos sedimentos. Obtiveram-se concentrações dos elementos Cd, Cu, Pb e Ni em muitas das amostras de invertebrados bentônicos estudados, demonstrando que estes elementos podem ser absorvidos e bioacumulados nos organismos expostos aos sedimentos contaminados. A correlação entre as concentrações dos elementos no sedimento e nos organismos foi significativa e positiva. As correlações entre as concentrações dos elementos detectados e a massa dos organismos também foram significativas, porém negativas, ou seja, quanto menor a massa, maiores concentrações são esperadas. Não foi detectada toxicidade aguda nas amostras de água para o Vibrio fischeri, porém foi detectada na água intersticial de oito das treze amostras de sedimento testadas. Quanto à avaliação da comunidade bentônica, um ponto foi classificado como qualidade Ruim, oito como Regular e quatro como Boa, segundo critério adotado pela CETESB. Os resultados obtidos na análise de sedimentos por análise por ativação neutrônica demonstraram existir valores mais enriquecidos para os elementos As, Br, Cr, Hf, Ta, Th , U e Zn e os elementos terras raras (ETR) Ce, Eu, La, Nd, Sm, Tb e Yb em muitas das amostras analisadas indicando que pode estar havendo contribuição antrópica para esses elementos. / Dissertação (Mestrado) / IPEN/D / Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares - IPEN-CNEN/SP
65

Avaliacao da qualidade do Rio Sao Lourenco, SP, sob influencia de estacoes de tratamento de agua e estacoes de tratamento de esgoto / Environmental quality in area of influence of mud of stations for treatment of water and sewage

SILVA, ANGELICA M. da 09 October 2014 (has links)
Made available in DSpace on 2014-10-09T12:26:12Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 / Made available in DSpace on 2014-10-09T14:06:48Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) / Durante muito tempo, houve um descaso com os recursos hídricos, tanto por parte da sociedade quanto pelas autoridades. O aumento rápido da população, ocasionando ocupações desordenadas, foi ignorado pelos setores públicos e pela própria sociedade, resultando na degradação do ambiente. Os ensaios ecotoxicológicos são essenciais para avaliação ambiental, em conjunto com a avaliação química e biológica. Atualmente, existem mais de 7500 estações de tratamento de água (ETA) convencionais no Brasil. Estima-se que cerca de 2.000 toneladas de sólidos (lodo gerado após o tratamento) são lançadas em águas brasileiras sem nenhum tratamento. O objetivo do presente trabalho foi a aplicação da tríade de qualidade do sedimento, além da avaliação química e ecotoxicológica da água do Rio São Lourenço, como subsídio para o estudo sobre a influência do descarte de Estações de Tratamento de Água (ETA) e Esgoto (ETE) dos municípios de São Lourenço da Serra e Juquitiba (SP). O Rio São Lourenço, além de abastecer o município de São Lourenço da Serra e receber toda a carga poluidora de São Lourenço da Serra e Juquitiba, é um dos principais afluentes do Rio Juquiá, que faz parte da Bacia Hidrográfica do Vale do Ribeira. Foram realizadas sete coletas durante os anos de 2004, 2005 e 2006, em 12 pontos do Rio São Lourenço, a montante e jusante das estações, as quais incluíram amostragens de água, para análises de parâmetros abióticos e ecotoxicológicos, e sedimento, para avaliação parâmetros ecotoxicológicos. Em 2006 as coletas incluíram amostras de sedimento para avaliação dos parâmetros abióticos e biológicos, dados utilizados para a aplicação da Tríade de Qualidade de Sedimento. Foram utilizadas espécies de diferentes níveis tróficos nos ensaios de ecotoxicidade, principalmente organismos autóctones, como importante ferramenta para se avaliar os ambientes tropicais. Na avaliação da toxicidade, foram realizados ensaios de toxicidade agudos e crônicos da água com Daphnia similis e Daphnia laevis, Ceriodaphnia silvestrii e Ceriodaphnia dubia, e do sedimento com organismos aquáticos: Ceriodaphnia silvestrii, Hyalella azteca e Chironomus xanthus. Nos ensaios ecotoxicológicos agudos foram utilizados para análise estatística o teste de TUKEY (TOXTAT 3.4) e para os ensaios de v toxicidade crônica o método proposto por EPA (2002). Os resultados de setembro de 2006 foram integrados e submetidos a análise multivariada. Os resultados obtidos em São Lourenço da Serra mostraram respostas negativas quanto à comunidade bentônica residente no local. Os pontos críticos quanto a avaliação ecotoxicológica do sedimento foram a jusante da ETA e jusante da ETE, sendo que não foi possível a correlação desses resultados com a avaliação química. Nas amostras de água apresentaram ecotoxicidade os pontos a jusante da ETA e da ETE. Os resultados indicam que o local é influenciado por ações antrópicas além dos descartes das ETA e ETE. Em Juquitiba, foi observada influência da ETA na qualidade da água. Na avaliação da estrutura da comunidade bentônica, a família Tubificidae foi presente e dominante em todos os pontos, característica de ambientes impactados. Na avaliação da contaminação química da água, foram observadas altas concentrações de Al e Fe, sendo que não estão correlacionadas aos efluentes das estações e são características naturais da região de São Paulo. Esses resultados mostram que a qualidade da água e do sedimento do Rio São Lourenço neste local está comprometida pelas ações antrópicas além do ambiente sofrer influência dos descartes das ETA e ETE. Há necessidade de maior controle ambiental na área, já que se trata de uma Área de Preservação Ambiental. / Tese (Doutoramento) / IPEN/T / Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares - IPEN-CNEN/SP / FAPESP:04/10085-4
66

Probing the environmental fate of emerging contaminants and their ecological impacts on aquatic environment

Sang, Ziye 23 June 2016 (has links)
In recent years, new classes of aquatic pollutants have received growing concerns from the environmentalists due to their unclear effects and increasing release into the water environment. Generally, before entering the aquatic ecosystem, many of these emerging contaminants are deemed safe active ingredients in the commercial products. This may lead to the underestimation of their potential impacts to the environment, once these substances were drained into the natural waters. So far, a wide range of emerging contaminants are still not well studied. In this thesis work, the environmental behaviors for two typical groups of emerging contaminants, which are frequently used in personal care products, are systematically probed in the aquatic ecosystem. One is the hydrophilic compounds - artificial sweeteners and the other one is the moderate hydrophobic compounds - ultraviolet (UV) filters. Acesulfame and sucralose are two of the most commonly used artificial sweeteners, which are a newly recognized class of emerging contaminants due to their widespread occurrence and extreme persistence in water environment. To date, however, their environmental behaviors, fates as well as long term ecotoxicological contributions in our water resources still remain largely unknown. In this work, a photodegradation investigation with UV/TiO2 was performed on these two artificial sweeteners, which projected their potential impacts under prolonged exposure to intensive solar irradiation. Real-time observation of the degradation profiles in both sweeteners illustrated that formation of new photo by-products under prolonged UV irradiation is highly viable. For the first time, acute toxicity for the degradates of these two sweeteners were measured and the enhancement in their ecotoxicity has been observed during the irradiation. In an attempt to neutralize this prolonged environmental threat, the feasibility of UV/TiO2 as an effective mineralization process in wastewater treatment was evaluated for both sweeteners. As a result, relatively higher removal efficiencies for acesulfame and sucralose were achieved in this study. For UV filters, a comprehensive investigation on their environmental behaviors and impacts was described in this thesis, covering the occurrence study in surface water and biota, environmental fate and their ecological risks. In the first step, an analytical method based on ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) was developed for the simultaneous determination of twelve UV filters in the environmental waters, which achieved good sensitivity to sub-ng/L levels. To monitoring their occurrence in local marine environment, the regional distribution of these sunscreen compounds was monitored along the coastline of Hong Kong. At the same time, considering the intensive consumption of sunscreen products in hot weathers, seasonal variation of UV filters between summer and winter was taken into consideration in our occurrence study. Additionally, we also monitored their occurrence in the drinking water supply system of Hong Kong, including the source water in Dongjiang, raw water in local reservoirs and tap water collected from urban communities, to support a good management on the reliable water supply. Furthermore, the distribution results indicated that the incomplete removal of UV filters in the effluents could be a major source for their release into the environmental waters. Aiming to achieve the complete removal of such compounds, a powerful technique of ozonation was employed in this study and the preliminary operational conditions were further provided. Secondly, in order to gain a better understanding of their environmental fate in surface water, a simulative catalytic photodegradation study with UV/TiO2 were performed to investigate the photostability, phototoxicity and the transformation pathways of seven selected UV filters. During the photodegradation, several transformation products were primarily identified. Thirdly, since lipophilic sunscreens were easily accumulated in the biota, we also made efforts to monitor their occurrence in marine organisms of different species, including farmed fish, wild mussels, prawns and sea urchin, which were collected from local offshore areas. Last but not the least, according to the measured concentrations of UV filters in Hong Kong marine environment, we further performed the ecological risk assessment with the approach specific to the marine aquatic compartment, so as to provide the overall understanding on the environmental impacts of these UV filters.
67

Assessment of the impact of water and sediment quality on aquatic macroinvertebrate assemblages in the Blyde River of the Olifants River System, Limpopo Province

Malakane, Karabo Concelia January 2019 (has links)
Thesis (M.Sc. (Zoology) -- University of Limpopo, 2019 / The Olifants River is one of the major river systems in South Africa, providing water for industries, mines, agricultural and domestic activities. Consequently, the river has turned out to be one of the most polluted rivers in South Africa. The Blyde River is an important tributary of the Olifants River, known for its continuous flow and good water quality. However, the recent increase in human activities such as, commercial agricultural and large-scale forestry practices in the catchment may have a negative impact on the quality of the water, which may consequently affect the aquatic biota community structure. The aim of the study was to assess the water and sediment quality of the Blyde River using aquatic macroinvertebrates as bioindicators and the South African Scoring System version 5 (SASS5) protocol was followed. Seven sampling sites were selected at Blyde River and five samples were collected per site. Collected macroinvertebrates were identified to family level and classified according to their tolerance levels to pollution at the University of Limpopo Biodiversity Laboratory. In addition, seasonal readings of the physico-chemical parameters such as, pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), temperature, salinity, total dissolved solutes (TDS) and electrical conductivity (EC) were recorded in situ using YSI Model 554 Datalogger with a 4 m multiprobe and a Mettler Toledo SevenGo™. Most of the physico-chemical parameters recorded at Blyde River were within the South African water quality guidelines for aquatic ecosystems. Metals such as, As, Al, Ba, B, Cd, Cr, Co, Cu, Fe, Pb, Mn, Ni, Se, Ag, Sr, Sn, Ti, V, and Zn were tested from the water column, sediments and macroinvertebrate tissue. Almost all the metals analysed from the water column and sediments were within the quality guidelines. Out of the twenty tested metals, As, Ag, Cu, and Zn exceeded the recommended quality guidelines in the water column at some sites. Only As, Cr and Cu exceeded the recommended quality guidelines in the sediments. The most abundant macroinvertebrates were from the orders Ephemeroptera, Diptera, and Trichoptera at all sites. There was a similar macroinvertebrate community structure across the sites, supported by the positive correlation analysis among the sites (r > 0.4). Wildlife Estate and Wildrivers Estate had the highest and lowest numbers of sensitive macroinvertebrates respectively. The highest percentage of iv sensitive macroinvertebrate taxa was recorded in winter and the highest percentage of tolerant species was recorded in summer. This was also supported by the SASS indices, the SASS score, number of taxa and average score per taxon (ASPT) were highest in winter, followed by autumn, spring and lowest in summer. The overall SASS indices showed that the water quality condition at most of the sites at Blyde River could be considered as good. All the seven sites on average fell under ecological band A and B, except for the Wildrivers Estate, thus, the water quality status of the river could be described as unmodified and largely natural with few modifications. / VLIR
68

Functional and pathological responses of selected aquatic organisms to chrysotile asbestos

Belanger, Scott E. 22 May 2007 (has links)
Functional and pathological responses of larval, juvenile, and adult Asiatic clams (Corbicula sp.), juvenile and adult fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas), and egg, larval and juvenile Japanese Medaka (Oryzias latipes) to chrysotile asbestos were investigated in 96-hour to 91-day tests. Chrysotile significantly reduced siphoning activity and shell growth of adult clams and siphoning, shell growth, and weight gain of juveniles at 10⁵ fibers/liter during 30-day tests. Larval Corbicula suffered significantly greater mortality and lower release by brooding adults at 10²-10⁸ fibers/liter. Adult and juvenile Corbicula exposed to 10⁸ fibers/liter for 30 days exhibited deteriorated gill tissue and significantly greater tissue water content. Corbicula accumulated up to 1000 fibers/mg in visceral tissue at 10⁸ fibers/liter. Clams collected from the California Aqueduct System exposed to 10⁹ fibers/liter accumulated up to 10⁵ fibers/mg in viscera. Corbicula can be used as a monitor for chrysotile contamination due to its ability to concentrate fibers. Adult and juvenile fathead minnows did not suffer acute toxicity at 10¹² fibers/liter and differential mortality relative to controls up to 10⁸ fibers/liter for 30 days. At the conclusion of the 30-day tests the length, weight, and swimming performance of adult minnows exposed to asbestos were not significantly affected relative to controls. Juvenile minnows exposed to 10⁶-10⁸ fibers/liter had significantly lower weight. Fish exposed to 10⁸ fibers/liter for 30 days accumulated up to 390 fibers/mg in kidney tissue. Egg and larval Medaka were exposed to 0-10¹⁰ fibers/liter of chrysotile until hatching and for thirteen weeks, respectively. Eggs responded erratically to asbestos exposure and no conclusive trends could be drawn. Larval Medaka exposed to 10⁶-10¹⁰ fibers/liter had reduced growth by 14 days. Fish exposed to 10¹⁰ fibers/liter suffered 100% mortality by 60 days. Fish exposed to asbestos developed epidermal tumors, thickened epidermal tissue, increased mucous cell density in the intestinal tract, constricted kidney tubules, and abnormal levels of lipid and endoplasmic reticulum in the liver. Maximum asbestos uptake occurred in fish exposed to 10⁸ fibers/liter for 91 days (400 fibers/mg). The extent of damage to fish and clams at levels greater than 10⁴ fibers/liter in the laboratory suggests that aquatically transmitted asbestos is a potential hazard to these species in the field. / Ph. D.
69

An assessment of the environmental effects of coal ash effluents using structural and functional parameters of aufwuchs communities

Nicholson, Richard B. January 1982 (has links)
A site-specific artificial stream system receiving selected levels of fly ash, heavy metals, or sulfates was compared to a natural stream (Adair Run) influenced by effluent from the fly ash settling basin at Glen Lyn, Virginia. Aufwuchs communities colonizing glass microscope slides were monitored for dry weights, ash-free dry weights, chlorophylls, ATP, and 14-carbon and 35-sulfate assimilation rates. Productivity appeared to be enhanced in Adair Run due to increased concentrations of sulfates (150 mg/l), and temperature (delta T=4. 5 C) in the ash basin effluent. A recovery response was observed following termination of basin operation. Artificial streams receiving selected concentrations of fly ash at low TSS (8.0-25 mg/l) exhibited no inhibition for all parameters except chlorophyll a and ATP. Higher levels (80-100 mg/l) depressed all aufwuchs parameters except AFDW within six days. Six heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn), when collectively pumped into artificial streams at concentrations modeling the ash basin effluent effectively lowered productivity parameters. This was followed by a slow recovery response. Aufwuchs demonstrated an ability to bioconcentrate heavy metals from ambient water. Streams dosed with sulfates demonstrated a stimulation response at concentrations modeling the Adair Run system. Current U.S. EPA effluent guidelines for fly ash (30 mg/l maximum weekly average; 100 mg/l maximum) are evaluated concerning the degree of protection afforded primary producers of aquatic receiving systems. / Master of Science
70

Physiological, population, and genetic responses of an aquatic insect (Isonychia bicolor) to chronic mercury pollution

Snyder, Craig D. 06 June 2008 (has links)
Responses to sublethal concentrations of mercury were determined and compared for several populations of the mayfly, Isonychia bicolor from sites on two mercury polluted rivers in Virginia (USA). Results from laboratory respiration experiments indicated that small nymphs were more sensitive to mercury than larger nymphs, and that sensitivity increased with temperature. In addition, mayfly nymphs from polluted sites on the less contaminated South River were found to be more resistant to sublethal doses of inorganic mercury than nymphs from a reference site as indicated by smaller changes in respiration following exposure. Results of preexposure treatments suggested a genetic basis for the observed tolerance. No evidence of tolerance was observed in nymphs from the more contaminated Holston River. Field surveys revealed no significant differences in age structure, growth, or survival between populations at reference and polluted sites on the South River. However, growth and survival of nymphs from the polluted site on the Holston River were significantly slower than at the reference site during the summer. In fact, shortly after the summer generation hatched, nymphal density at contaminated sites declined to zero. This apparent local extinction may have been due to increased toxicity of mercury at warmer temperatures. Results of reciprocal transplant experiments conducted at sites on the South River suggested that population differences in maintenance costs observed in short-term laboratory experiments, may have been reflected by population differences in fecundity in long-term field experiments. When nymphs from the reference site on South River were transplanted and allowed to develop at a contaminated site, lower fecundities were observed than for the native population. No population differences in fecundities were observed on the Holston River. The relationship between allozyme genotype to survival of I. bicolor nymphs to acute mercury exposure was also tested. The probability of survival and individual times to death (TTD) were found to be significantly different among genotypes at the Glucose Phosphate Isomerase (GPI) locus. This was true at both summer and winter temperatures and for populations from two separate, unpolluted streams. However, genotypes identified as sensitive and tolerant in these experiments showed no consistent relationship with environmental mercury levels in polluted rivers. Therefore, the use of allozyme variants as a biomarker to assess evolutionary change in populations due to mercury pollution may be impractical in freshwater systems. / Ph. D.

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