Hidden Dangers to Researcher Safety While Sampling Freshwater Benthic Macroinvertebrates

Abstract This paper reviews hidden dangers that threaten the safety of freshwater (FW) researchers of benthic macroinvertebrates (BMIs). Six refereed journals containing 2,075 papers were reviewed for field research resulting in 505 FW BMI articles. However, danger was reported in only 18% of FW BMI papers. I discussed: 1) papers that did not warn of existing danger and consider researcher safety, 2) metric threshold values (e.g., chemical hazards), and non-metric dangers, (e.g., caves and aquatic habitats), 3), the frequency of danger occurrence, 4) baseline and extreme values. Examples of 28 danger factors that posed a threat to BMI researchers in water were compared by frequency per journal papers. FW dangers identified by metric thresholds present a safety limit not to be exceeded, whereas non-metric dangers do not have a threshold as further explained. Also, discussed was a recent thesis on civil engineering hydraulics that identified low-head dams as deceptive and an increasing source of drownings in 39 states. A safe shallow water maximum depth to wade and collect BMIs is proposed based on researcher height and gender, compared to human height means in a large database. Practical safety recommendations were presented to help protect the FW researcher avoid and survive hidden dangers

Hidden Dangers to Researcher Safety While Sampling Freshwater Benthic Macroinvertebrates

Abstract This paper reviews hidden dangers that threaten the safety of freshwater (FW) researchers of benthic macroinvertebrates (BMIs). Six refereed journals containing 2,075 papers were reviewed for field research resulting in 505 FW BMI articles. However, danger was reported in only 18% of FW BMI papers. I discussed: 1) papers that did not warn of existing danger and consider researcher safety, 2) metric threshold values (e.g., chemical hazards), and non-metric dangers, (e.g., caves and aquatic habitats), 3), the frequency of danger occurrence, 4) baseline and extreme values. Examples of 28 danger factors that posed a threat to BMI researchers in water were compared by frequency per journal papers. FW dangers identified by metric thresholds present a safety limit not to be exceeded, whereas non-metric dangers do not have a threshold as further explained. Also, discussed was a recent thesis on civil engineering hydraulics that identified low-head dams as deceptive and an increasing source of drownings in 39 states. A safe shallow water maximum depth to wade and collect BMIs is proposed based on researcher height and gender, compared to human height means in a large database. Practical safety recommendations were presented to help protect the FW researcher avoid and survive hidden dangers

Observations on North Dakota Sponges (Haplosclerina: Spongillidae) and Sisyrids (Neuroptera: Sisyridae)

Factors influencing occurrence, distribution, and ecology of sponges and sisyrids are discussed, with emphasis on northeastern North Dakota. New state records for North Dakota sponges, Eunapius Jraguis Leidy and Ephydatia fluviatilis L. and the sisyrids, Sisyra vicaria (Hagen) and Climacia areolaris (Hagen), and new county records for C. areolaris in northwestern Minnesota and Eunapius fragilis in northeastern North Dakota are reported. A rare association of the parasite, S. vicaria with the host, Ephydatia fluviatilis is also reported. Some physicochcmical relations of Eunapius fragilis found in the Forest River, North Dakota, are discussed

Occurrence of the Brown Recluse Spider (Araneae: Loxoscelidae) in Iowa

Evidence for the extension in range of the brown recluse spider, Loxosceles reclusa Gertsch and Mulaik, to central Iowa is presented with comments on its biology and ecology