Multiscale Drivers of Water Chemistry of Boreal Lakes and Streams

The variability in surface water chemistry within and between aquatic ecosystems is regulated by many factors operating at several spatial and temporal scales. The importance of geographic, regional-, and local-scale factors as drivers of the natural variability of three water chemistry variables representing buffering capacity and the importance of weathering (acid neutralizing capacity, ANC), nutrient concentration (total phosphorus, TP), and importance of allochthonous inputs (total organic carbon, TOC) were studied in boreal streams and lakes using a method of variance decomposition. Partial redundancy analysis (pRDA) of ANC, TP, and TOC and 38 environmental variables in 361 lakes and 390 streams showed the importance of the interaction between geographic position and regional-scale variables. Geographic position and regional-scale factors combined explained 15.3% (streams) and 10.6% (lakes) of the variation in ANC, TP, and TOC. The unique variance explained by geographic, regional, and local-scale variables alone was <10%. The largest amount of variance was explained by the pure effect of regional-scale variables (9.9% for streams and 7.8% for lakes), followed by local-scale variables (2.9% and 5.8%) and geographic position (1.8% and 3.7%). The combined effect of geographic position, regional-, and local-scale variables accounted for between 30.3% (lakes) and 39.9% (streams) of the variance in surface water chemistry. These findings lend support to the conjecture that lakes and streams are intimately linked to their catchments and have important implications regarding conservation and restoration (management) endeavors

Effective monitoring of freshwater fish

Freshwater ecosystems constitute only a small fraction of the planet’s water resources, yet support much of its diversity, with freshwater fish accounting for more species than birds, mammals, amphibians, or reptiles. Fresh waters are, however, particularly vulnerable to anthropogenic impacts, including habitat loss, climate and land use change, nutrient enrichment, and biological invasions. This environmental degradation, combined with unprecedented rates of biodiversity change, highlights the importance of robust and replicable programmes to monitor freshwater fish assemblages. Such monitoring programmes can have diverse aims, including confirming the presence of a single species (e.g. early detection of alien species), tracking changes in the abundance of threatened species, or documenting long-term temporal changes in entire communities. Irrespective of their motivation, monitoring programmes are only fit for purpose if they have clearly articulated aims and collect data that can meet those aims. This review, therefore, highlights the importance of identifying the key aims in monitoring programmes, and outlines the different methods of sampling freshwater fish that can be used to meet these aims. We emphasise that investigators must address issues around sampling design, statistical power, species’ detectability, taxonomy, and ethics in their monitoring programmes. Additionally, programmes must ensure that high-quality monitoring data are properly curated and deposited in repositories that will endure. Through fostering improved practice in freshwater fish monitoring, this review aims to help programmes improve understanding of the processes that shape the Earth's freshwater ecosystems, and help protect these systems in face of rapid environmental change

Enzymatic hydrolysis of sodium starch octenylsuccinate in continuous recycle membrane reactor

Preparaty soli sodowej oktenylobursztynianu skrobiowego E 1450 zyskują coraz większe zastosowanie w przemyśle dzięki zdolności emulgowania produktów spożywczych. Najczęściej są stosowane w postaci niskolepkich produktów hydrolizy. Jednak tradycyjny dwuetapowy proces enzymatyczny jest czasochłonny i mało efektywny. Zasadnym wydaje się więc poszukiwanie alternatywnych metod prowadzenia hydrolizy, np. z wykorzystaniem reaktora membranowego. Celem pracy było zbadanie możliwości wykorzystania recyrkulacyjnego reaktora membranowego, z modułem ultrafiltracyjnym, do hydrolizy enzymatycznej soli sodowej oktenylobursztynianu skrobiowego. W badaniach użyto dwóch otrzymanych laboratoryjnie produktów soli sodowej oktenylobursztynianu skrobiowego, zawierającego 0,5 i 2,5% grup oktenylobursztynowych oraz wykorzystywano dwa preparaty enzymatyczne produkowane przez firmę Novozymes, BAN 480 L i FUNGAMYL 800 L. Hydrolizę prowadzono w recyrkulacyjnym reaktorze membranowym z ceramicznym modułem ultrafiltracyjnym. W otrzymanych próbach oznaczano zawartość suchej substancji, stopień scukrzenia (DE), lepkość, badano widmo w podczerwieni otrzymanych substancji, zawartość poszczególnych sacharydów oraz wyznaczono parametry hydrodynamiczne układu. Stwierdzono, że zastosowanie reaktora membranowego umożliwia efektywną hydrolizę soli sodowej oktenylobursztynianu skrobiowego, przy czym użycie preparatu enzymatycznego BAN 480 L pozwala na uzyskanie wyższej wydajności reaktora, w porównaniu z reakcją prowadzoną z preparatem FUNGAMYL 800 L, co przejawia się wyższą zawartością suchej masy we frakcjach permeatów oraz wyższymi wartościami strumienia permeatu. Hydrodynamiczne właściwości układu reaktora membranowego są uwarunkowane przede wszystkim właściwościami reologicznymi frakcji retentatu. Frakcje permeatu i retentatu różnią się zawartością grup oktenylobursztynowych, co spowodowane jest zatrzymywaniem przez zastosowaną membranę ultrafiltracyjną cząsteczek podstawionych grupami modyfikującymi.Sodium starch octenylsuccinate preparations are attracting growing attention of food technologists as potential additives thanks to their emulsifying properties. Technologically, they can be applied as low viscous hydrolysis products. Unfortunately, the traditional two-step enzymatic process is very timeconsuming and inefficient. Thus, it seems reasonable to search for alternative methods of hydrolysis process e.g. using a membrane reactor. The aim of the paper was to study the possibility of the application of a continuous recycle membrane reactor with ultrafiltration module for the sodium starch octenylsuccinates enzymatic hydrolysis. Two laboratory preparations of sodium starch octenylsuccinate containing 0.5% and 2.5% of octenylsuccinate groups respectively, and two enzyme preparations produced by Novozymes, BAN 480 L and FUNGAMYL 800 L were used in the study. The hydrolyses were conducted in the continuous recycle membrane reactor with ceramic ultrafiltration module. Membrane performance and reactor stability, as well as dry matter content, dextrose equivalent (DE), individual saccharides content and viscosity of permeate and retentate fractions were determined. Infrared spectra of the obtained products were also detected. It was found that the application of the membrane reactor enables an efficient hydrolysis of sodium starch octenylsuccinate. The application of enzyme preparation BAN 480 L provides higher efficiency of the reactor, in terms of higher levels of dry matter content in permeate fractions and higher values of permeate flux, in comparison with FUNGAMYL 800 L. Membrane performance and reactor stability are determined primarily by the rheological properties of retentate fractions. Permeate and retentate fractions differ from each other in terms of octenylsuccinate groups content. It is caused by the retention of molecules which contain modifying groups by the ultrafiltration membrane

Local habitat is a strong determinant of spatial and temporal patterns of macrophyte diversity and composition in boreal lakes

Macrophyte species and trait assemblages from 104 minimally disturbed boreal forest lakes, covering broad environmental and geographic gradients were analysed to identify associations with environmental variables at different spatial scales: geographic context (GEO) and catchment (CATCH) and lake (LOCAL) characteristics.Constrained ordination and variation partitioning were used to quantify variation in species (canonical correspondence analysis [CCA] and pCCA) and trait (redundancy analysis [RDA] and pRDA) compositions that could be explained by environmental variables, and to rank the main environmental factors associated with spatial and temporal patterns.Diversity and assemblage composition correlated with spatial context and variables related to the length of the growing season, catchment forest type and with lake characteristics such as ecosystem size, lake productivity and alkalinity.Variation partitioning showed that lake characteristics alone explained 53% (species) and 73.5% (traits) of the variability in macrophyte assemblages. Contrary to predictions, the shared variance component between latitude and catchment forest type (GEO&CATCH 0.05, paired t-test). Ordination showed that among-year variability in macrophyte assemblage composition was also negligible (0.3%) compared to the variability explained by GEO, CATCH and LOCAL variables. Combined, these findings indicate low species turnover in the boreal lakes of our study.Responses of macrophyte species and trait assemblages and the TMI index were predictable and significantly correlated with lake characteristics associated with nutrient enrichment (Chl a, nutrients) and alkalinity supporting their use in monitoring eutrophication of boreal lakes

Circumpolar patterns of Arctic freshwater fish biodiversity : A baseline for monitoring

1. Climate change, biological invasions, and anthropogenic disturbance pose a threat to the biodiversity and function of Arctic freshwater ecosystems. Understanding potential changes in fish species distribution and richness is necessary, given the great importance of fish to the function of freshwater ecosystems and as a resource to humans. However, information gaps limit large-scale studies and our ability to determine patterns and trends in space and time. This study takes the first step in determining circumpolar patterns of fish species richness and composition, which provides a baseline to improve both monitoring and conservation of Arctic freshwater biodiversity. 2. Information on species presence/absence was gathered from the Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program's Freshwater Database and used to examine patterns of freshwater fish γ-, α-, and β-diversity across 234° of longitude in the Arctic. The metrics of diversity provided information on species richness and composition across hydrobasins, ecoregions, and Arctic zones. 3. Circumpolar patterns of fish species biodiversity varied with latitude, isolation, and coarse ecoregion characteristics; patterns were consistent with historic and contemporary barriers to colonisation and environmental characteristics. Gamma-diversity was lower in the high Arctic compared to lower latitude zones, but α-diversity did not decrease with increasing latitude below 71°N, reflecting glacial history. Alpha-diversity was reduced to a single species, Arctic charr Salvelinus alpinus, in ecoregions above 71°N, where γ-diversity was the lowest. Beta-diversity indicated little variation in the composition and richness of species across the High Arctic; at lower latitudes, ecoregions contained more species, although species composition turned over across large spatial extents. 4. In an analysis of five ecoregions in the circumpolar Arctic, physical isolation, and ecoregion area and topography were identified as strong drivers of γ-, α-, and β-diversity. Physical isolation reduced the γ- and α-diversity, and changes in β-diversity between adjacent locations were due mainly to losses in species richness, rather than due to differences in species composition. Heterogeneity of habitats, environmental gradients, and geographic distance probably contributed to patterns of fish dissimilarity within and across ecoregions. 5. This study presents the first analysis of large-scale patterns of freshwater fish biodiversity in the circumpolar Arctic. However, information gaps in space, time, and among taxonomic groups remain. Future inclusion of extensive archive and new data will allow future studies to test for changes and drivers of the observed patterns of biodiversity. This is important given the potential impacts of ongoing and accelerating climate change, land use, and biotic exchange on Arctic fish biodiversity