Author Institution: Department of Biology, Bowling Green State UniversityThe North Branch of the Portage River was sampled by means of artificial substrates in order to determine the effect of sewage-treatment-plant effluent on the diatom communities. The effluent appears to be a source of nitrogen and phosphorus for the river. Diatom-community composition appears to be affected by the effluent; Gomphonema parvulum, in particular, was especially abundant at stations with a high content of Poe Ditch effluent. A total of 111 diatom taxa was observed in this study; 24 of these taxa were previously unreported from Ohio

Lowe, Rex L.

McCullough, J. Michael

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154 R. MITCHELL, ET AL. Vol. 74THE EFFECT OF SEWAGE-TREATMENT-PLANT EFFLUENTON DIATOM COMMUNITIES IN THE NORTH BRANCH OFTHE PORTAGE RIVER, WOOD COUNTY, OHIO1REX L. LOWE AND J. MICHAEL McCULLOUGHDepartment of Biology, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio 43403ABSTRACTThe North Branch of the Portage River was sampled by means of artificial substratesin order to determine the effect of sewage-treatment-plant effluent on the diatom com-munities. The effluent appears to be a source of nitrogen and phosphorus for the river.Diatom-community composition appears to be affected by the effluent; Gomphonemaparvulum, in particular, was especially abundant at stations with a high content of PoeDitch effluent. A total of 111 diatom taxa was observed in this study; 24 of these taxawere previously unreported from Ohio.INTRODUCTIONThe diatom floras of the streams of Ohio are incompletely known. Weber andMoore (1967) and Patrick (1961) investigated diatoms in the Little Miami andOttawa Rivers, respectively. Collins and Kalinski (in press) recently reviewedxManuscript received August 10, 1973.THE OHIO JOURNAL OF SCIENCE 74(3): 154, May, 1974No. 3 PORTAGE RIVER DIATOM COMMUNITIES 155the Ohio diatom literature, including an extensive study of some southern Ohiostreams. Diatom communities of streams draining into Lake Erie from northwestOhio have largely been neglected. The objectives of this study were to describethe diatom community in a portion of the North Branch of the Portage River andto determine the effect of Poe Ditch, a tributary carrying sewage treatment planteffluent, on that community. Marks (1970) has already described the communityof macroscopic bottom invertebrates from this habitat. This is the second of whatis hoped to be series of studies on the effect of Poe Ditch on the Portage Riverecosystem.MATERIALS AND METHODSStudy AreaThe Portage River drains northward from the Defiance Moraine in northwestOhio and into Lake Erie. The North Branch of the Portage River, which makesup the western portion of that river's drainage system, is the longest tributary ofthe system, but has the least gradient—only about three feet per mile (Kaatz, 1955).The study area was restricted to section 22 of Center Township in WoodCounty (fig. 1), where the North Branch receives the discharge of Poe Ditch. PoeDitch contains both field-tile drainage and effluent from the Bowling Green munici-pal sewage-treatment plant. Owing to combined sanitary and storm sewers inBowling Green, Poe Ditch may be a source of raw sewage after heavy localprecipitation.FIGURE 1. Locations of sampling Stations 1, 2, 3, and 4 in the North Branch of the PortageRiver and Poe Ditch near the intersection of Poe Road and Ohio Route 105. Mapis one-half mile square.15(3 R E X L. LOWE A N D J. M I C H A E L M c C U L L O U G H Vol. 74Sampling and AnalysisFour stations (fig. 1) were established on the North Branch of the PortageRiver and on Poe Ditch as follows: Station 1, in North Branch approximately 100meters upstream from the confluence of Poe Ditch and the North Branch; Station2, at the confluence of Poe Ditch and the North Branch; Station 3, in NorthBranch approximately 100 meters downstream from the confluence of Poe Ditchand the North Branch; Station 4, approximately 50 meters back into Poe Ditchfrom its confluence with the river. Each station was studied from October 15,1970, through February 4, 1971.The following chemical and physical parameters were monitored weekly onsurface-water grab samples: alkalinity, chloride, nitrate nitrogen, nitrite nitrogen,orthophosphate, pH, sulfate, and turbidity. A direct-reading portable engineers'laboratory (Hach Chemical Company's DR-EL) was employed. Water samplesat each station were tested on the same day of each week for comparative purposes.All tests were performed in the laboratory except field-conducted pH checks.Diatoms were collected biweekly at all four stations by means of a modifiedCatherwood diatometer like that first described by Patrick, Hohn, and Wallace(1954). Glass microscope slides placed in the diatometer served as a substratefor diatom attachment and growth. Each slide was exposed in the diatometer fortwo weeks, the exposure period recommended by Patrick, Hohn, and Wallace(1954).It is recognized that not all members of a natural diatom community willcolonize a diatometer (Hohn and Hellerman, 1954). However, many do, and useof such a substrate provided consistent and readily obtained results. In addition,this device helped standardize several physical parameters, including current, sub-strate, and water depth, among stations. Because of vandalism, high water, andice destruction, Station 1 was eliminated from the study on January 7, 1971, aswas Station 2 on February 4, 1971.Diatom collections were cleaned according to the method described by VanDer Werff (1955). A portion of each cleaned sample was mounted on a micro-scope slide employing Hyrax Mounting Medium (R.I. = 1.65).A slide from each collection was examined and 500 specimens were randomlycounted. In all cases, the starting point for the count was the same for each slide.One full field under oil immersion was scanned, beginning at the top left-handcorner of the slide. Additional fields were then viewed until 500 valves had beencounted and recorded.RESULTSChemicalWater chemistry at all stations varied throughout the sampling period, but thefour stations can best be contrasted by comparing averages of measurements (table1). Values for alkalinity and pH were typical for northwest Ohio streams,averages for the stations ranging from 188 to 222 ppm and from 7.5 to 8.1, re-spectively. Average concentrations of nitrate nitrogen, nitrite nitrogen, andorthophosphate increased downstream, but with Poe Ditch having the greatestconcentrations.BiologicalA total of 111 diatom taxa was observed from the collections. The distributionand relative abundances of these taxa were quite different among the four stations(table 2). Diatoms were placed into one of four general categories depending ontheir average relative abundance in the community, as follows: rare—diatomspecies comprising less than 1%; uncommon—species comprising from 1 to 5%;common—species comprising from 5 to 10%; and abundant—species making upmore than 10%. Table 2 lists 24 taxa not previously reported from Ohio (CollinsNo. 3 PORTAGE RIVER DIATOM COMMUNITIES 157and Kalinski, in press). A representative specimen of each taxon is on depositin the Bowling Green State University diatom collection.During the study period, 53 diatom taxa were observed at Station 1. Only5 of these were present in large enough numbers to average at least 5% of thecommunity (fig. 2A). Navicula cryptocephala and Surirella ovata were most abun-dant, both generally increasing in relative abundance during the sampling period.Other taxa consistently present in large numbers were Navicula crypotcephala var.veneta, Nitzschia acicularis, and Ar. palea. All other diatoms recorded at this sta-tion were uncommon or rare.TABLE 1Minimum, average, and maximum concentrations of chemical parametersin parts per millionTotal alkalinity (ppm CO;i)pHNitrate nitrogen (ppm)Nitrite nitrogen (ppm)Orthophosphate (ppm)Sulfate (ppm)11902223107.58.18.42.07.914.00.030.190.990.21.24.6210359490S ta tions21201982707.37.88.42.58.315.00.170.511.450.15.310.020028240031101882707.57.88.34.08.815.00.230.811.453.27.311.621028242041301882807.07.58.03.09.418.00.560.911.494.87.811.0180239310min.ave.max.min.ave.max.min.ave.max.min.ave.max.min.ave.max.min.ave.max.The attached diatom community at Station 2, at the confluence of Poe Ditchand the Portage River, consisted of 64 taxa over the study period. The onlycommon or abundant members were Gomphonema parvulum, Navicula crypto-cephala, N. cryptocephala var. veneta, Nitzschia palea, and Surirella ovata (fig. 2B).Surirella ovata increased steadily in relative abundance over the sampling period,and attained its greatest relative abundance, 58%, on January 20.A total of 72 taxa, only 5 of which were common or abundant, was observed atStation 3: Gomphonema parvulum, Navicula cryptocephala, Nitzschia accomodata,N. palea, and Surirella ovata (fig. 2C). As at Station 2, S. ovata increased in rela-tive abundance through the sampling period and became the most abundantdiatom from December 23 through February 4.At Station 4, in Poe Ditch, 83 taxa of diatoms were observed during the courseof the study. Only 2 species were present in large enough numbers to be consideredcommon or abundant (fig. 2D): Gomphonema parvulum, which showed no seasonalpreference, and Nitzschia palea, which was most abundant in October andNovember.DISCUSSIONOf the 111 taxa of diatoms observed in this study, less than 30% were commonto all four stations. This was probably due in part to differences in the physical158 REX L. LOWE AND J. MICHAEL McCULLOUGH Vol. 74TABLE 2Diatoms observed at sampling stations during study1Diatom taxa1RR—R———R——R—R———RRURR—.———RRUR———AA————U—R—RR———R—————Stations2RR—RR——RRRRR———RRR—UCRR———RURR————AC———RU—R—RR—R—RR——R——3RRR—R——RR——R———R——RUARRRR—RU—R——RRCURR—RR—RRRRRRRRR——R—R—R4RRRRR—R————RURRR——RRCARR—.:—RRURR—R—RURR—RRRRRRRRRRRRRRR——RRRAchnanthes affinis Grun. var. affinis*A. lanceolata (Breb.) Grun. var. lanceolate.A. lanceolata var. dubia Grun.Amphora ovalis Kutz. var. ovalisA. submontana Hust. var. submontanaA. veneta Kutz. var. venetaCaloneis bacillum (Grun.) Cl. var. bacillumCocconeis pediculus Ehr. var. pediculusC. placentula Ehr. var. placentulaC. placentula var. euglypta (Ehr.) Grun.Cyclotella atomus Hust. var. atomusC. comta (Ehr.) Kiitz. var. comtaC. meneghiniana Kutz. var. meneghinianaCymbella sinuata Greg. var. sinuataC. spp. No. 1C. turgida Greg. var. turgidaC. ventricosa Kiitz. var. ventricosaDiatoma hiemale (Roth) Heib. var. hiemale*Fragilaria construens (Ehr.) Grun. var. construensF. construens var. binodis (Ehr.) Grun.*Gomphonema olivaceum (Lyngbye) Kiitz. var. olivaceumG. parvulum (Kiitz.) Grun. var. parvulumGyrosigma acuminatum (Kiitz.) Rabh. var. acuminatumG. macrum (W. Sm.) Griff & Henfr. var. macrum*G. obtusatum (Sulliv. & Wormley) Boyer var. obtusatumG. scalproides (Rabh.) Cl. var. scalproidesHantzschia amphioxys (Ehr.) Grun. var. amphioxysMeridion circulare Ag. var. circulareNavicula accomoda Hust. var. accomodaN. atomus (Naeg.) Grun. var. atomusN. capitata Ehr. var. capitataN. capitata var. hungarica (Grun.) RossN. capitata var. luneburgensis (Grun) Patr.*N. cincta (Ehr.) Kiitz. var. cinctaN. contenta var. biceps Arn.N. cryptocephala Kiitz. var. cryptocephalaN. cryptocephala var. veneta (Kiitz.) Grun.N. cuspidata Kiitz. var. cuspidataN. cuspidata var. ambigua (Ehr.) Cl.N. gastrum Ehr. var. gastrumN. heufleri Grun. var. heufleri*N. heufleri var. leptocephala (Breb. ex Grun.) Patr.*N. insociabilis Krasske var. insociabilis*N. lanceolata (Ag.) Kutz. var. lanceolataN. luzonensis Hust. var. luzonensisN. menisculus Schumann var. menisculusN. menisculus var. upsaliensis (Grun.) Grun.N. minima Grun. var. minimaN. minuscula Grun. var. minusculaN. muralis Grun. var. muralis*N. mutica Kutz. var. muticaN. mutica var. tropica Hust.*N. mutica var. undulata (Hilse) Grun.*N. pelliculosa (Breb.) Hilse var. pelliculosaN. peregrina (Ehr.) Kiitz. var. peregrina*N. placentula (Ehr.) Grun. var. placentula*N. pupula Kiitz. var. pupulaN. pupula var. elliptica Hust.N. pygmea Kiitz. var. pygmeaNo. 3 PORTAGE RIVER DIATOM COMMUNITIES 159TABLE 2. ContinuedDiatom taxaN. rhynchocephala Kutz. var. rhynchocephala*N. salinarum Grun. var. salinarumN. salinarum var. intermedia (Grun.) Cl.N. seminulum Grun. var. seminulumN. seminulum var. hustedtii Patr.*N. spp. No. 1N. spp. No. 2N. spp. No. 3N. tripunctata (O. F. Mull.) Bory var. tripunctataN. tripunctata var. schizonemoides (V. H.) Patr.N. viridula var. avenacea (Breb.) Grun.*Nitzschia accomodata Hust. var. accomodata*N. acicularis W. Sm. var. acicularisN. acuminata (W. Sm.) Grun. var. acuminata*N. amphibia Grun. var. amphibiaN. angustata (W. Sm.) Grun. var. angustataN. angustata var. acuta Grun.N. apiculata (Greg.) Grun. var. apiculataN. baccata Hust. var. baccata*N. capitellata Hust. var. capitellataN. communis Rabh. var. communis*N. commutata Grun. var. commutataN. denticula Grun. var. denticula*N. dissipata (Kutz.) Grun. var. dissipataN.filiformis (W. Sm.) Hust. var. filiformisN. fonticola Grun. var. fonticolaN. frustulum Kutz. var.frustulumN. frustulum var. subsalina Hust.*N. hungarica Grun. var. hungaricaN. linearis W. Sm. var. linearisN. palea (Kutz.) W. Sm. var. paleaN. palea var. tropica Hust.*N. sigma (Kutz.) W. Sm. var. sigmaN. sigmoidea (Ehr.) W. Sm. var. sigmoideaN. thertnalis Kutz. var. thermalisN. thermalis var. minor HilseN. tryblionella Hantzsch var. tryblionellaN. tryblionella var. levidensis (W. Sm.) Grun.N. spp. No. 1Pinnularia brebissonii Kutz. var. brebissonii*P. spp. No. 1Rhoicosphenia curvata Kutz. var. curvataStauroneis anceps Ehr. var. ancepsS. anceps f. linearis (Ehr.) Hust.*5. spp. No. 1Stephanodiscus astrea (Ehr.) Grun. var. astreaS. astrea var. minutula (Kutz.) Grun.Surirella ovata Kutz. var. ovataS. ovata var. crumena (Breb) V. H.S. ovata var. pinnata W. Sm.Synedra fasciculata (Ag.) Kutz. var. fasciculataS. ulna (Nitzsch) Ehr. var. ulnaA = abundant, ave. relative abundance >10%C = common, ave. relative abundance 5-10%U = uncommon, ave. relative abundance 1-5%R = rare, ave. < 1 %— = not observed* = new Ohio record1uR—RRR——RR—UA———R—RR—R.—U—RRRUUCRRUU—R—U———.—————ARRRRStations2R——RRR——RR—UuRRR—RRRR—RR—RR—Uuc—uRU—R————R—————ARRRR3RR—RRRRRRRRCU—u——RRR——RRRRU—UUARRUU—RRRR—R——.R.—.ARR—4R.__RRRRRRURURRRRRRURUARURURRRRRRRRRRRURRU160 REX L. LOWE AND J. MICHAEL McCULLOUGH Vol. 74500 -iSamplingDatesGomphonema parvuiumNavicula cryptocephalaNitzschia accomodataNavicula cryptocephala var. venetaNitzschia acicularisNitzschia paleaSurirella ovataFIGURE 2. Seasonal relative distribution of seven most abundant species of diatoms at sta-tions in the North Branch of the Portage River and in Poe Ditch.nature of the stream bed. At Station 1, upstream from the outfall of Poe Ditch,the stream bed is somewhat gravelly, in contrast to a more silty bed at downstreamStations 2 and 3, which are influenced by the outfall of Poe Ditch. This certainlycould have affected the composition of local natural diatom species colonizing thediatometers.The most obvious chemical differences among stations were the increased con-centrations of nitrite nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen, and orthophosphate downstream.The sewage effluent in Poe Ditch undoubtedly had many other undocumentedeffects on the chemical environment of the river, but changes in the diatom com-munities are difficult to associate with individual chemical parameters in an un-controlled situation.No. 3 PORTAGE RIVER DIATOM COMMUNITIES 161The only diatoms common or abundant at Station 4 (in Poe Ditch) wereGomphonema parvulum and Nitzschia palea. These organisms have been con-sidered by several authors (Butcher, 1947; Cholnoky, 1968; and Lowe, 1972) tobe tolerant of (or stimulated by) organic enrichment. It is interesting to notethat G. parvulum was present in large numbers only in Poe Ditch and at thosePortage River stations below its outfall and was uncommon at Station 1, indicatingthat this species is probably affected positively by Poe Ditch effluent. Nitzschiapalea appears to be more tolerant of, rather than dependent upon, the high nutrientconcentrations of Poe Ditch. This species was abundant in Poe Ditch, but wascommon at all other stations, including Station 1, which is free of the chemicalinfluence of Poe Ditch.Surirella ovata was the most abundant diatom from the winter Portage Rivercollections. It was uncommon in Poe Ditch, suggesting a lack of tolerance by thespecies for concentrated sewage effluent. Its appearance at downstream stationssuggests that it may be tolerant of the effects of diluted sewage effluent.The length of the river that is affected by Poe Ditch effluent was not deter-mined, but nutrient enrichment from the Bowling Green sewage-treatment plantappears to play a significant role in determining relative abundances of diatomcommunity members in the portion of the Portage River studied.LITERATURE CITEDButcher, R. W. 1947. Studies in the ecology of rivers. IV. The algae of organically enrichedwater. J. Ecol. 35: 186-191.Cholnoky, B. J. 1968. Die Okologic der Diatomcen in Binnengewasser. J. Cramer, Lehre.699 p.Collins, G. B., and R. G. Kalinski. In press. An introduction to Ohio riverine diatoms. OhioBiol. Surv.Hohn, M. H., and Joan Hellerman. 1963. The taxonomy and structure of diatom populationsfrom three eastern North American rivers using three sampling methods. Amer. Mic. Soc.Trans. 87: 250-329.Kaatz, M. R. 1955. The Black Swamp: a study in historical geography. Annals Assoc. Amer.Geog. 45: 1-35.Lowe, R. L. 1972. Diatom population dynamics in a central Iowa drainage ditch. IowaState J. Res. 47(1): 7-59.Marks, J. R. 1970. The effects of the discharge from Poe Ditch on macroscopic bottom in-vertebrates in the North Branch of the Portage River. Unpubl. M.A. thesis. BowlingGreen State University. 58 p.Patrick, Ruth. 1961. A study of the numbers and kinds of species found in rivers in the easternUnited States. Nat. Acad. Sci. Proc. 113(10): 215-258.Patrick, Ruth, M. H. Hohn, and J. Wallace. 1954. A new method for determining the patternof the diatom flora. Notulae Natural 259: 1-12.Van Der Werff, A. 1955. A new method for concentrating and cleaning diatoms and otherorganisms. Intern. Assoc. Theoret. Appl. Limnol. 12: 276-277.Weber, C. K., and D. R. Moore. 1967. Phytoplankton, seston and dissolved organic carbon inthe Little Miami River at Cincinnati, Ohio. Limnol. and Oceanogr. 12(2): 311-318.The Armillary Sphere. Designed by Seymour Robins. Universe Books, New York, (bookletand folding paper model). 1973. 16 p. $2.95.This booklet and paper model are available in a package which also contains an attractiveenvelope and seal for gift mailing. The folding paper sculpture is ingeniously constructed toopen into a free-standing representation of an armillary sphere. The booklet contains a conciseaccount of the history of the armillary sphere as an astronomical measuring, computing, andteaching device. There are twelve illustrations of representative armillary spheres from thetime of Ptolemy to the late 18th century. There is one slightly confusing typographical errorin the caption to Figure 12, in which Ptolemy's system, rather than Johann Miiller, is referredto as Regiomontanus.The Robins' Armillary Sphere is intended primarily as an interesting and unusual ornamentalgift, but the booklet provides additional instructive commentary. My only criticism is thelack of bibliography or references to which an interested recipient of this gift might turn forfurther enlightenment.PAUL L. BYARD

The Effect of Sewage-Treatment-Plant Effluent on Diatom Communities in the North Branch of the Portage River, Wood County, Ohio

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The Effect of Sewage-Treatment-Plant Effluent on Diatom Communities in the North Branch of the Portage River, Wood County, Ohio

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