Behavioural response of brown trout (Salmo trutta) to total dissolved gas supersaturation in a regulated river

Total dissolved gas supersaturation from dams and power stations is a chronic freshwater pollutant that is toxic to animals with aquatic respiration. Laboratory ecotoxicology experiments have revealed capacity for captive fishes to saturoregulate by moving deeper, but field ecotoxicology research is largely lacking. We instrumented 94 brown trout in the Rysstad basin of the Otra River, Norway, with depth sensor acoustic transmitters and monitored their movements for 10 months. We found that the depths used by the trout largely protected them from the effects of total dissolved gas supersaturation, which ranged from 96% to 133% total gas pressure during the study. The depth use of fish was affected by sun position, lunar phase and spatial position in the river (i.e., available depth), and there was an extremely weak effect of total dissolved gas supersaturation that was counterintuitive (i.e., positive slope, movement toward surface). Depth traces of the fish revealed that nine fish died during the study, mostly coinciding with the first wave of supersaturation, consistent with observations of untagged dead fish with signs of gas bubble trauma found on the river bottom during this period (May-June). Overall, tagged trout exposure to total dissolved gas supersaturation depended on their use of depth, but responses to waves of extreme supersaturation at supraphysiological levels were weak and biologically insignificant, with individual variation and spatial position in the river most important in the model. Exposure to total dissolved gas supersaturation was mediated by individual differences in habitat use, which may be linked to activity and other traits that determine overall vulnerability to exposure to total dissolved gas supersaturation.publishedVersio

Simple model to explain effects of plasma protein binding and tissue binding on calculated volumes of distribution, apparent elimination rate constants and clearances

A simple pharmacokinetic model, incorporating linear plasma protein binding, linear tissue binding, and first order elimination of free (unbound) drug, was studied. If Cl p is the plasma clearance, V f is the “true” volume of distribution of free drug, β is the apparent elimination rate constant, σ is the fraction of the drug which is free in plasma, f is the fraction of the drug which is free in the entire body, k f is the intrinsic elimination rate constant for free drug, and A TB o is the initial amount of drug which is bound to tissues, then the model indicates that the following relationships hold: (1) Cl p = V f σ k f ; (2) β = f k f ; and V dext = (σ/f) V f . Only σ, and not f, can be measured experimentally . Dividing Cl p by σ provides an estimate of the intrinsic clearance of free drug, V f k f . A plot of V dext versus σ has an intercept equal to V f , and the ratio of the slope/intercept is an estimate of A TB o /A f o , where A f o is the initial amount of free drug (equal to V f times initial concentration of free drug in plasma). Thus, an estimate of A TB o may be obtained. Dividing the intrinsic clearance by V f provides an estimate of k f . Thus, theoretically, estimates of V f , k f , A TB o and f may be obtained. The variables are not separated when β is plotted versus σ, and curvature of such plots is expected; no useful information is obtained from such plots.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/46634/1/228_2004_Article_BF00563079.pd

Short-term effects of macrophyte removal on emission of CO2 and CH4 in shallow lakes

Mass development of macrophytes in freshwater ecosystems is today considered a worldwide problem and substantial resources are spent on macrophyte removal each year. By removing the dominant primary producer, however, this management practice radically changes the ecosystem overnight. Here, we studied short-term effects of the removal of a mass development of free-floating (Pontederia crassipes), submerged (Elodea nuttallii) and emergent (mix of Ludwigia grandiflora and L. peploides) macrophytes on fluxes of CH4 and CO2 in three lakes. In our field experiment, we assigned an impact site where macrophytes were removed, and a control site where vegetation remained. Before and after removal, diffusive fluxes of CO2 and CH4 were determined in lakes dominated by P. crassipes and E. nuttallii, whereas total emission of CH4 was determined in all three case study lakes. Additionally, plant biomass, and physical and chemical parameters were measured before and after removal. While removal of emergent Ludwigia spp. showed no clear effect on total CH4 emission, removal of submerged E. nuttallii reduced both CO2 fixation and total CH4 emission. Removal of free-floating P. crassipes, on the other hand, increased CH4 fluxes and stimulated phytoplankton blooms. The lack of a universal response across our case study lakes suggests that both macrophyte life forms and environmental parameters can be important factors determining effects of removal. Additionally, indirect effects of macrophyte removal on temperature and dissolved oxygen can help to explain carbon emissions. Long-term effects should be studied to allow development of sustainable management practices

Short-term effects of macrophyte removal on emission of CO2 and CH4 in shallow lakes

International audienceMass development of macrophytes in freshwater ecosystems is today considered a worldwide problem and substantial resources are spent on macrophyte removal each year. By removing the dominant primary producer, however, this management practice radically changes the ecosystem overnight. Here, we studied short-term effects of the removal of a mass development of free-floating (Pontederia crassipes), submerged (Elodea nuttallii) and emergent (mix of Ludwigia grandiflora and L. peploides) macrophytes on fluxes of CH4 and CO2 in three lakes. In our field experiment, we assigned an impact site where macrophytes were removed, and a control site where vegetation remained. Before and after removal, diffusive fluxes of CO2 and CH4 were determined in lakes dominated by P. crassipes and E. nuttallii, whereas total emission of CH4 was determined in all three case study lakes. Additionally, plant biomass, and physical and chemical parameters were measured before and after removal. While removal of emergent Ludwigia spp. showed no clear effect on total CH4 emission, removal of submerged E. nuttallii reduced both CO2 fixation and total CH4 emission. Removal of free-floating P. crassipes, on the other hand, increased CH4 fluxes and stimulated phytoplankton blooms. The lack of a universal response across our case study lakes suggests that both macrophyte life forms and environmental parameters can be important factors determining effects of removal. Additionally, indirect effects of macrophyte removal on temperature and dissolved oxygen can help to explain carbon emissions. Long-term effects should be studied to allow development of sustainable management practices. © 2022 The Author