Environmental Influences on the Genetic Diversity of Bacterial Communities in Arctic Streams

The National Park Service (NPS) Inventory and Monitoring (I&M) Program is designed to collect baseline data on “vital sign” indicators across the entire NPS system. The project presented in this thesis was designed to supplement to efforts of the Artic Network (ARCN) to catalogue the physical, chemical and biological metrics associated with the Stream Communities and Ecosystems vital sign and to foster a better understanding of the basic structure and function of these remote systems. This data is essential to assess the impacts of current and future environmental change in the ARCN parks. The primary objective of this project was to quantify the genetic diversity of microbial communities of selected arctic stream ecosystems. Microbes are a fundamentally important but poorly understood component of arctic stream ecosystems. They are responsible for recycling organic matter and regenerating nutrients that are essential to the food webs of aquatic ecosystems. Recent research (Jorgenson et al. 2002) in the ARCN parks has shown that two fundamentally different lithologies – ultramafic and non-carbonate – influence terrestrial productivity and impart different geochemical characteristics to stream water. Microbes are found in different stream habitats – sediment (epipssamon) and rock (epilithon) biofilms. In this work we test the hypothesis that these differences in lithology and stream habitat influence the genetic diversity of bacterial biofilm communities in arctic streams and whether these patterns can be correlated to stream biogeochemistry. A microbial community fingerprinting method, T-RFLP, as well as 16S rRNA gene sequencing were used to explore the genetic diversity of microbial communities in sediment and epilithic biofilms in stream reaches that drain watersheds with contrasting lithologies in the Noatak National Preserve, Alaska. Differing patterns in bacterial community composition at both the large-scale (lithology) and small-scale (stream habitat) were observed. Non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) ordination of T-RFLP peaks and Analysis of Similarity (ANOSIM) showed a high degree of separation (ANOSIM P \u3c 0.001) between the non-carbonate and ultramafic lithologies, as well as the two habitats, sediment and epilithon. Significant (P \u3c 0.005, Bonferroni corrected) positive correlations were detected between particular nutrients, base cations, and dissolved organic carbon and bacterial community structure unique to each lithology. Although clone libraries indicated high bacterial OTU diversity within and across stream sites, biogeographical patterns were observed depending on locality type. Rarefaction analyses indicated that streams arising from the non-carbonate lithology may be more diverse than streams arising from the ultramafic lithology. Analysis of MOlecular VAriance (AMOVA) indicated that sediment and epilithon samples had genetically different microbial communities (P = 0.01) and taxonomic identifications revealed markedly different bacterial residents between sediment and epilithon habitats. Our results show relationships at large- and small-scales at the landscape level and in ecological niches within a single stream

Thermokarst And Wildfire: Effects Of Disturbances Related To Climate Change On The Ecological Characteristics And Functions Of Arctic Headwater Streams

The Arctic is warming rapidly as a result of global climate change. Permafrost - permanently frozen ground - plays a critical role in shaping arctic ecosystems and stores nearly one half of the global soil organic matter. Therefore, disturbance of permafrost will likely impact the carbon and related biogeochemical processes on local and global scales. In the Alaskan Arctic, fire and thermokarst (permafrost thaw) have become more common and have been hypothesized to accelerate the hydrological export of inorganic nutrients and sediment, as well as biodegradable dissolved organic carbon (BDOC), which may alter ecosystem processes of impacted streams. The biogeochemical characteristics of two tundra streams were quantified several years after the development of gully thermokarst features. The observed responses in sediment and nutrient loading four years after gully formation were more subtle than expected, likely due to the stabilization of the features and the dynamics controlling the hydrologic connectivity between the gully and the stream. The response of impacted streams may depend on the presence of water tracks, particularly their location in reference to the thermokarst and downslope aquatic ecosystem. We found evidence of altered ecosystem structure (benthic standing stocks, algal biomass, and macroinvertebrate composition) and function (stream metabolism and nutrient uptake), which may be attributable to the previous years\u27 allochthonous gully inputs. The patterns between the reference and impacted reaches were different for both stream sites. Rates of ecosystem production and respiration and benthic chlorophyll-a in the impacted reaches of the alluvial and peat-lined streams were significantly lower and greater, respectively, compared to the reference reaches, even though minimal differences in sediment and nutrient loading were detected. Rates of ammonium and soluble reactive phosphorus uptake were consistently lower in the impacted reach at the alluvial site. The observed differences in metabolism, nutrient uptake and macroinvertebrate community composition suggest that even though the geochemical signal diminished, gully features may have long-lasting impacts on the biological aspects of downstream ecosystem function. In a separate study, a suite of streams impacted by thermokarst and fire were sampled seasonally and spatially. Regional differences in water chemistry and BDOC were more significant than the influences of fire or thermokarst, likely due to differences in glacial age and elevation of the landscape. The streams of the older (\u3e700 ka), lower elevation landscape contained higher concentrations of dissolved nitrogen and phosphorus and DOC and lower BDOC compared to the streams of the younger (50-200 ka) landscapes that had lower dissolved nutrient and DOC quantity of higher biodegradability. The findings in this dissertation indicate that arctic stream ecosystems are more resilient than we expected to small-scale, rapidly stabilizing gully thermokarst features and disturbance caused by fire. Scaling the results of these types of studies should consider the size of thermokarst features in relation to the size of impacted rivers and streams. It remains to be determined how general permafrost thaw will affect the structure and function of arctic streams in the future

Major Perioperative Complications of Benign Gynecologic Procedures at a University-Affiliated Hospital

Background: With the increasing use of minimally invasive techniques for gynecologic procedures, women are at a low risk for peri-operative complications. The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of and risk factors for major intra or postoperative complications among women undergoing benign gynecologic surgeries. Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational study of all women who underwent benign gynecologic surgery in 2016-2017 at a University-Affiliated community hospital. Pregnant women, malignancy cases, and hysteroscopic or minor vulvar procedures were excluded. Primary outcome was composite intraoperative and/or 30-day postoperative complications requiring medical or surgical management. Logistic regression identified significant patient, peri-operative and surgeon risk factors associated with complications. Results: Of 975 patients included, 53 patients experienced major intra or postoperative complications (5.4%). Mean age was 47.7 ± 13.8 years. Mean BMI was 27.1 ± 5.8 kg/m2. Prior abdominal surgery (laparotomy or laparoscopy) (adjusted odds ratio [OR]= 2.01, 95%CI 1.05-3.83) and emergency surgery (adjusted OR= 19.54, 95%CI 2.99-127.54) were significantly associated with major complications. Surgeon volume of 1-2 operative days per month (adjusted OR=0.30, 95%CI 0.10 - 0.87) and age 40-64 years (adjusted OR=0.24, 95%CI 0.11- 0.56) had a protective effect on the risk of major complications. Conclusions: Among patients in our sample, 5.4% experienced major complications from a benign gynecologic surgery. Complications from benign gynecologic surgery are rare, even in the absence of robotic equipment. Center-specific data and a discussion of the increased morbidity associated with with prior abdominal surgery and emergency surgery should be considered for pre-operative patient counselling

The Grizzly, November 17, 2011

Professor Named Huffington Post Contributor • November Focuses on Sophomores • UCDC Offers Multiple Performances This Week • Bearitones, B\u27Nats Premiere Let\u27s Du Et!? • Students Compete at Simon Business School • Senior Interns at Sacred Heart • MCS Department Welcomes Professor Kirstie Hettinga • Opinion: Good Writers are an Endangered Species • Men\u27s Indoor Track and Field has Conference Championship Aspirations • Martell Wins Defensive Player of the Year Award • Success is a Tradition for Racich\u27s Wrestling Program • Field Hockey Headed Back to Final Fourhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1847/thumbnail.jp

The Grizzly, March 31, 2011

SIFE Wins Regionals for Second Year in a Row • Career Webinar Series Comes to Ursinus College • Director Domenick Scudera Presents Two Woody Allen Plays • John Prendergast Talks About Human Rights • The Vagina Monologues • Culture Shock While Studying Abroad in Spain • Internship Spotlight: Bob Wise • Opinions: Response to a Past Article; Give Artist a Break; United Nations Take Action Against Gaddafi; It\u27s More Than Fruit: Rant About Women Power • Ursinus Community Celebrates Ground Breakinghttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1833/thumbnail.jp

Reviews and syntheses: Effects of permafrost thaw on Arctic aquatic ecosystems

The Arctic is a water-rich region, with freshwater systems covering about 16 % of the northern permafrost landscape. Permafrost thaw creates new freshwater ecosystems, while at the same time modifying the existing lakes, streams, and rivers that are impacted by thaw. Here, we describe the current state of knowledge regarding how permafrost thaw affects lentic (still) and lotic (moving) systems, exploring the effects of both thermokarst (thawing and collapse of ice-rich permafrost) and deepening of the active layer (the surface soil layer that thaws and refreezes each year). Within thermokarst, we further differentiate between the effects of thermokarst in lowland areas vs. that on hillslopes. For almost all of the processes that we explore, the effects of thaw vary regionally, and between lake and stream systems. Much of this regional variation is caused by differences in ground ice content, topography, soil type, and permafrost coverage. Together, these modifying factors determine (i) the degree to which permafrost thaw manifests as thermokarst, (ii) whether thermokarst leads to slumping or the formation of thermokarst lakes, and (iii) the manner in which constituent delivery to freshwater systems is altered by thaw. Differences in thaw-enabled constituent delivery can be considerable, with these modifying factors determining, for example, the balance between delivery of particulate vs. dissolved constituents, and inorganic vs. organic materials. Changes in the composition of thaw-impacted waters, coupled with changes in lake morphology, can strongly affect the physical and optical properties of thermokarst lakes. The ecology of thaw-impacted lakes and streams is also likely to change; these systems have unique microbiological communities, and show differences in respiration, primary production, and food web structure that are largely driven by differences in sediment, dissolved organic matter, and nutrient delivery. The degree to which thaw enables the delivery of dissolved vs. particulate organic matter, coupled with the composition of that organic matter and the morphology and stratification characteristics of recipient systems will play an important role in determining the balance between the release of organic matter as greenhouse gases (CO2and CH4), its burial in sediments, and its loss downstream. The magnitude of thaw impacts on northern aquatic ecosystems is increasing, as is the prevalence of thaw-impacted lakes and streams. There is therefore an urgent need to quantify how permafrost thaw is affecting aquatic ecosystems across diverse Arctic landscapes, and the implications of this change for further climate warming.Additional co-authors: G. MacMillan, M. Rautio, K. M. Walter Anthony, and K. P. Wicklan

Composition of pH-Sensitive Triad in C-Lobe of Human Serum Transferrin. Comparison to Sequences of Ovotransferrin and Lactoferrin Provides Insight into Functional Differences in Iron Release

The transferrins (TF) are a family of bilobal glycoproteins that tightly bind ferric iron. Each of the homologous N- and C-lobes contains a single iron-binding site situated in a deep cleft. Human serum transferrin (hTF) serves as the iron transport protein in the blood; circulating transferrin binds to receptors on the cell surface, and the complex is internalized by endocytosis. Within the cell, a reduction in pH leads to iron release from hTF in a receptor-dependent process resulting in a large conformational change in each lobe. In the hTF N-lobe, two critical lysines facilitate this pH-dependent conformational change allowing entry of a chelator to capture the iron. In the C-lobe, the lysine pair is replaced by a triad of residues:  Lys534, Arg632, and Asp634. Previous studies show that mutation of any of these triad residues to alanine results in significant retardation of iron release at both pH 7.4 and pH 5.6. In the present work, the role of the three residues is probed further by conversion to the residues observed at the equivalent positions in ovotransferrin (Q-K-L) and human lactoferrin (K-N-N) as well as a triad with an interchanged lysine and arginine (K534R/R632K). As expected, all of the constructs bind iron and associate with the receptor with nearly the same KD as the wild-type monoferric hTF control. However, interesting differences in the effect of the substitutions on the iron release rate in the presence and absence of the receptor at pH 5.6 are observed. Additionally, titration with KCl indicates that position 632 must have a positively charged residue to elicit a robust rate acceleration as a function of increasing salt. On the basis of these observations, a model for iron release from the hTF C-lobe is proposed. These studies provide insight into the importance of charge and geometry of the amino acids at these positions as a partial explanation for differences in behavior of individual TF family members, human serum transferrin, ovotransferrin, and lactoferrin. The studies collectively highlight important features common to both the N- and C-lobes of TF and the critical role of the receptor in iron release