Effects of wastewater on phosphorus, nitrogen, and nuisance benthic algae in nearshore regions of a large lake.

Upgrading wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is a global practice for achieving increasingly stringent nutrient discharge objectives set by governments to accommodate population growth and reduce surface water pollution. However, associated downstream improvements in nutrient conditions are difficult to determine in nearshore regions of large aquatic ecosystems due to complex biophysical processes. We conducted a nine-year water quality study and analyzed the data using linear mixed models (LMMs) within a Before-After-Control-Impact (BACI) framework to assess effects of an upgrade to the Duffin Creek Water Pollution Control Plant (DCWPCP) on surface water nutrient conditions and proliferation of nuisance benthic algae (Cladophora glomerata) in nearshore Lake Ontario.

Spatio-temporal connectivity of the aquatic microbiome associated with cyanobacterial blooms along a Great Lake riverine-lacustrine continuum.

Lake Erie is subject to recurring events of cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (cHABs), but measures of nutrients and total phytoplankton biomass seem to be poor predictors of cHABs when taken individually. A more integrated approach at the watershed scale may improve our understanding of the conditions that lead to bloom formation, such as assessing the physico-chemical and biological factors that influence the lake microbial community, as well as identifying the linkages between Lake Erie and the surrounding watershed. Within the scope of the Government of Canada's Genomics Research and Development Initiative (GRDI) Ecobiomics project, we used high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene to characterize the spatio-temporal variability of the aquatic microbiome in the Thames River-Lake St.

Effects of detection limits on spatial modeling of water quality in lakes.

Identifying sources and fate of nutrients and pollutants in lake waters is often difficult when key analytes (e.g., dissolved phosphate) are frequently below analytical detection limits (non-detects).

A statistical framework for testing impacts of multiple drivers of surface water quality in nearshore regions of large lakes.

In nearshore regions of large freshwater ecosystems, complex biophysical processes across large geographic regions, combined with the common logistical challenges of data collection by multiple research agencies and shifting monitoring survey designs over time, present challenges for detecting and managing the influence of multiple sources of nutrients and pollution. We present a statistical framework using linear mixed models (LMMs) to test impact of multiple drivers on nearshore water quality of large lakes. Under this framework, we analyzed a 12-year dataset of water quality variables that were measured from a nearshore region along the Canadian shoreline of Lake Ontario (~86 km), near Pickering and Ajax.

Averting an Outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 in a University Residence Hall through Wastewater Surveillance.

A wastewater surveillance program targeting a university residence hall was implemented during the spring semester 2021 as a proactive measure to avoid an outbreak of COVID-19 on campus. Over a period of 7 weeks from early February through late March 2021, wastewater originating from the residence hall was collected as grab samples 3 times per week. During this time, there was no detection of SARS-CoV-2 by reverse transcriptase quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) in the residence hall wastewater stream.

Influence of Feeding Ecology on Legacy Organochlorine Contaminants in Freshwater Fishes of Lake Erie.

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in biota are influenced by ecological, physiological, and physicochemical properties; however, there is a need for a better understanding about the interplay of these parameters on POP dynamics and fate. To address this, POPs in three Lake Erie freshwater fishes (freshwater drum, Aplodinotus grunniens; walleye, Sander vitreus; and white perch, Morone americana) with different feeding ecologies were assessed using life history characteristics and three stable isotopes (δ C, δ N, and δ S). Lipid normalized POP concentrations were in the range of past studies and were generally similar among the three species when all ages were combined.

Continuing Persistence and Biomagnification of DDT and Metabolites in Northern Temperate Fruit Orchard Avian Food Chains.

Dichlorodiphenyldichlorethane (1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethane) (DDT) is an organochlorine insecticide that was widely used from the late 1940s to the 1970s in fruit orchards in the Okanagan valley, British Columbia, Canada, and in the process, contaminated American robin (Turdus migratorius) food chains with the parent compound and metabolite dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl)ethylene) (p,p'-DDE). In the present study, we examined the biological fate of these DDT-related (DDT-r) compounds at the same sites/region 26 years after a previous study by: (1) collecting soil, earthworms, and American robin eggs from apple, cherry, and pear orchards; (2) characterizing the diet and trophic positions of our biota using stable isotope analyses of δ C and δ N; and (3) estimating fugacity, biota-soil-accumulation factors (BSAFs), and biomagnification factors (BMFs). Mean p,p'-DDE concentrations (soil: 16.

Trophic magnification of legacy persistent organic pollutants in an urban terrestrial food web.

Legacy persistent organic pollutants (POPs), including organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), persist for generations in the environment and often negatively impact endocrine functions in exposed wildlife. Protocols to assess the bioaccumulation potential of these chemicals within terrestrial systems are far less developed than for aquatic systems. Consequently, regulatory agencies in Canada, the United States, and the European Union rely primarily on aquatic information for the bioaccumulation assessment of chemicals.

Protein and lipid growth rates regulate bioaccumulation of PCBs and Hg in Bighead Carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) and Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) from the Three Gorges Reservoir, China.

This study evaluated the effect of growth of different tissue compartments on the bioaccumulation of mercury (Hg) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) and Bighead Carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) from the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR), China. A non-steady state bioenergetics/toxicokinetic model was developed to simulate PCB and Hg concentrations in these two species and compared with field data. Simulations using constant whole body growth rate and constant tissue to whole body weight ratios were contrasted against simulations adopting age specific whole body and tissue/age specific growth rates for their goodness of fit to field data.

Catbirds are the New Chickens: High Sensitivity to a Dioxin-like Compound in a Wildlife Species.

Dioxins and dioxin-like compounds (DLCs) are highly toxic and persistent global pollutants with extremely large differences in sensitivity across taxonomic groups. The chicken has long been considered uniquely sensitive to DLCs among avian species; but DLC toxicity in nondomesticated birds is largely untested, and the relevance of the chicken as an ecological model is uncertain. New approaches that use genotyping of the AHR1 ligand binding domain to screen for DLC sensitivity among avian species predicted that the gray catbird, a relevant wildlife species, is also highly sensitive.

The growing need for sustainable ecological management of marine communities of the Persian Gulf.

The Persian Gulf is a semi-enclosed marine system surrounded by eight countries, many of which are experiencing substantial development. It is also a major center for the oil industry. The increasing array of anthropogenic disturbances may have substantial negative impacts on marine ecosystems, but this has received little attention until recently.

PCB elimination by yellow perch (Perca flavescens) during an annual temperature cycle.

The significance of temperature on aquatic species ecology and physiology is well recognized yet its effects on chemical bioaccumulation kinetics are less well understood under natural conditions. In this study, yellow perch were dosed with a polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) mixture and allowed to depurate the chemicals over 1 year under an ambient temperature cycle characteristic of northern temperate latitudes. PCB elimination kinetics during the summer months at optimal water temperature for perch (23 degrees C) were similar to those observed in lab studies with other species reared at their optimal temperature.