Antibiotic Resistance in Marine Microbial Communities Proximal to a Florida Sewage Outfall System.

Water samples were collected at several wastewater treatment plants in southeast Florida, and water and sediment samples were collected along and around one outfall pipe, as well as along several transects extending both north and south of the respective outfall outlet. Two sets of samples were collected to address potential seasonal differences, including 38 in the wet season (June 2018) and 42 in the dry season (March 2019). Samples were screened for the presence/absence of 15 select antibiotic resistance gene targets using the polymerase chain reaction.

Corbicula fluminea rapidly accumulate pharmaceuticals from an effluent dependent urban stream.

Freshwater bivalve populations are stressed by watershed development at the global scale. Though pharmaceuticals released from wastewater treatment plant effluent discharges are increasingly reported to bioaccumulate in fish, an understanding of bioaccumulation in bivalves is less defined. In the present study, we examined accumulation of 12 target pharmaceuticals in C.

Evaluation of sewage source and fate on southeast Florida coastal reefs.

Water, sponge and coral samples were collected from stations impacted by a variety of pollution sources and screened for human enteric viruses as conservative markers for human sewage. While human enteroviruses and adenoviruses were not detected, noroviruses (NoV; human genogroups I and II) were detected in 31% of samples (especially in sponge tissue). Stations near inlets were the only ones to show multiple sample types positive for NoV.

Severe 2010 cold-water event caused unprecedented mortality to corals of the Florida reef tract and reversed previous survivorship patterns.

Background: Coral reefs are facing increasing pressure from natural and anthropogenic stressors that have already caused significant worldwide declines. In January 2010, coral reefs of Florida, United States, were impacted by an extreme cold-water anomaly that exposed corals to temperatures well below their reported thresholds (16°C), causing rapid coral mortality unprecedented in spatial extent and severity.

Methodology/principal Findings: Reef surveys were conducted from Martin County to the Lower Florida Keys within weeks of the anomaly.

Assessing the accuracy of acoustic seabed classification for mapping coral reef environments in South Florida (Broward County, USA).

The Atlantic coast of Broward County, Florida (USA) is paralleled by a series of progressively deeper, shore-parallel coral reef communities. Two of these reef systems are drowned early Holocene coral reefs of 5 ky and 7 ky uncorrected radiocarbon age. Despite the case of access to these reefs, and their major contribution to the local economy, accurate benthic habitat maps of the area are not available.

Diazinon in surface waters before and after a federally-mandated ban.

Samples collected from rural and urban streams in the City of Denton, Texas, USA were analyzed for the organophosphorus pesticide diazinon during the years preceding and following a United States Environmental Protection Agency ban on many diazinon uses. A network of 70 monitoring stations, based mainly on topography and hydrological considerations, were established within the three main watersheds of Denton. Monitoring stations were sampled monthly from March through August during periods of normal flow (baseflow), resulting in a total of 1243 samples collected during the years of 2001-2004.

Chlorpyrifos in surface waters before and after a federally mandated ban.

Samples collected from rural and urban streams in the City of Denton, Texas, USA were analyzed for the organophosphorus pesticides diazinon and chlorpyrifos during the years preceding and following a United States Environmental Protection Agency ban on many chlorpyrifos uses. A network of 70 monitoring stations, based mainly on topography and hydrological considerations, were established within the three main watersheds of Denton. Monitoring stations were sampled monthly from March through August during periods of normal flow (baseflow), resulting in a total of 308 samples and 311 samples collected during 2001 and 2002, respectively.

Determination of select antidepressants in fish from an effluent-dominated stream.

Increasing evidence indicates widespread occurrence of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in municipal effluent discharges and surface waters. Studies that characterize the fate and effects of PPCPs in aquatic systems are limited, and to our knowledge, data regarding pharmaceutical accumulation in fish of effluent-dominated ecosystems have not been previously reported. In the present study, fish populations were sampled from a reference stream and an effluent-dominated stream in north Texas, USA.

Increased toxicity to Ceriodaphnia dubia in mixtures of atrazine and diazinon at environmentally realistic concentrations.

The acute toxicity of diazinon in combination with atrazine concentrations of 5, 10, 20, and 40 microg/L was evaluated using Ceriodaphnia dubia. Atrazine concentrations as low as 5 microg/L in combination with diazinon significantly increased toxicity to C. dubia compared to diazinon alone.

Joint acute toxicity of diazinon and copper to Ceriodaphnia dubia.

Diazinon and copper are two contaminants that are widely found in urban streams and in municipal wastewater effluents. Because these contaminants may be found concurrently, the potential for their joint toxicity is of interest, particularly with regard to toxicity testing of wastewater effluents and the ecological implications of simultaneous exposures in urban streams. Although interactions between metals are well studied, relatively little is known about interactions between metals and organophosphate compounds such as diazinon.