A data base of the algae of Arkansas ecoregions has been established by the use of a relational data base management system (dBase III plus). The system was chosen to be readily available for a variety of microcomputers using MS- and PC-DOS. The data base contains taxonomic fields from division through variety, synonymy, authors, initial description, date and definitive descriptive source. The data are cross-referenced by ecoregion, Round\u27s community and subcommunity designations. The data base contains approximately 1,500 taxonomic records in all divisions and classes of freshwater algae. The data are sortable by any of the included parameters. The data have been used to initiate the publication of the algal flora of Arkansas. The listing of the Cyanophyta/Cyanobacteria or blue-green algae is presently available. Other taxonomic lists are in preparation

Meyer, Richard L.

English

UARK (University of Arkansas )

University of Arkansas, Fayetteville ScholarWorks@UARK Technical Reports Arkansas Water Resources Center 6-1-1987 Qualitative and Quantitative Aquatic Algal Data Compilation to Determine Macrotrends- III Richard L. Meyer University of Arkansas, Fayetteville Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uark.edu/awrctr  Part of the Fresh Water Studies Commons, and the Water Resource Management Commons Citation Meyer, Richard L.. 1987. Qualitative and Quantitative Aquatic Algal Data Compilation to Determine Macrotrends- III. Arkansas Water Resources Center, Fayetteville, AR. PUB 126. 12 https://scholarworks.uark.edu/awrctr/227 This Technical Report is brought to you for free and open access by the Arkansas Water Resources Center at ScholarWorks@UARK. It has been accepted for inclusion in Technical Reports by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UARK. For more information, please contact scholar@uark.edu. QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE AQUATIC ALGAL DATA COMPILATION TO DETERMINE MACROTRENDS-IIIRichard L. MeyerDepartment of Botany & MicrobiologyUniversity of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR 72701Publication No. 126 June, 1987Technical Completion Report Research Project G-1212-32Arkansas Water Resources Research Center University of Arkansas Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701Arkansas Water Resources Research CenterPrepared forUnited States Department of the InteriorQUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE AQUATIC ALGAL DATA COMPILATION TO DETERMINE MACROTRENDS -  I I IR ichard  L. MeyerDepartment o f  Botany & M ic ro b io lo g y  U n iv e r s i t y  o f  Arkansas F a y e t t e v i l l e ,  AR 72701Research P ro je c t  Techn ica l Completion Report P ro je c t  G-1212-32The research  on wh ich t h i s  r e p o r t  i s  based was f in a n c e d  in  p a r t  by the  U n ited  S ta tes  Department o f  the  I n t e r i o r  as a u th o r iz e d  by the Water Research and Development A c t  o f  1978 (P .L .  95 -46 7 ).Arkansas Water Resources Research Center U n iv e r s i t y  o f  Arkansas 112 Ozark H a ll  F a y e t t e v i l l e ,  AR 72701P u b l ic a t io n  No. 126June, 1987Contents o f  t h i s  p u b l i c a t io n  do n o t  n e c e s s a r i ly  r e f l e c t  th e  v iews and p o l i c i e s  o f  the  U .S .  Department o f  the  I n t e r i o r ,  no r does m ention o f  t ra d e  names o r  commercial p rodu c ts  c o n s t i t u t e  t h e i r  endorsement o r  r e ­commendation f o r  use by the  U.S. Government.The U n iv e r s i t y  o f  A rkansas, in  com pliance w i th  fe d e ra l  and s ta te  laws and r e g u la t io n s  gove rn ing  a f f i r m a t i v e  a c t io n  and n o n d is c r im in a t io n ,  does n o t  d is c r im in a te  in  the  re c ru i tm e n t ,  adm iss ion  and employment o f  s tu d e n ts ,  f a c u l t y  and s t a f f  in  the  o p e ra t io n  o f  any o f  i t s  e d u ca t iona l programs and a c t i v i t i e s  as d e f in e d  by la w . A c c o rd in g ly ,  n o th in g  in  t h i s  p u b l i c a t io n  shou ld  be viewed as d i r e c t l y  o r  i n d i r e c t l y  exp ress ing  any l i m i t a t i o n ,  s p e c i f i c a t io n  o r  d i s c r im in a t io n  as to  ra c e ,  r e l i g i o n ,  c o lo r  o r  n a t io n a l  o r i g i n ;  o r  t o  hand icap , age, sex , o r  s ta tu s  as a d is  ab led  V ie tnam -era  v e te ra n ,  excep t as p rov id ed  by law . I n q u i r i e s  con­ce rn in g  t h i s  p o l i c y  may be d i r e c te d  to  the  A f f i r m a t i v e  A c t io n  O f f i c e r .ABSTRACTQUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE AQUATIC ALGAL DATA COMPILATION TO DETERMINE MACROTRENDS -  I I IA data  base o f  th e  a lgae o f  Arkansas ecoreg ions has been e s ta b ­l is h e d  by the  use o f  a r e la t i o n a l  da ta  base management system (dBase I I I  p lu s ) .  The system was chosen to  be r e a d i l y  a v a i la b le  f o r  a va ­r i e t y  o f  m icrocom puters us ing  MS- and PC-DOS. The data base co n ta in s  taxonomic f i e l d s  from  d i v i s i o n  th rough  v a r i e t y ,  synonymy, a u th o rs ,  i n i t i a l  d e s c r ip t i o n ,  da te  and d e f i n i t i v e  d e s c r ip t i v e  sou rce . The da­ta  are c ro s s - re fe re n c e d  by e c o re g io n ,  Round's community and subcom­m un ity  d e s ig n a t io n s .The data  base co n ta in s  a p p ro x im a te ly  1,500 taxonomic records in  a l l  d i v i s io n s  and c lasses  o f  f re s h w a te r  a lg a e . The data are s o r ta b le  by any o f  the  in c lu d e d  param eters . The data  have been used to  i n i ­t i a t e  the  p u b l i c a t io n  o f  the  a lg a l  f l o r a  o f  A rkansas. The l i s t i n g  o f  the  C yanophyta /Cyanobacter ia  o r  b lue -g reen  a lgae i s  p re s e n t ly  a v a i la b le .  O ther taxonomic l i s t s  are in  p re p a ra t io n .R ichard  L. MeyerCompletion Report to  the  U.S. Department o f  the  I n t e r i o r ,  G eo log ica l Survey, Reston, VA, June 1987.Keywords - -  A lg a e /T a x o n o m y /C la s s i f ic a t io n /H a b i ta t /L a k e s /R e s e rv o i rs /  StreamsiTABLE OF CONTENTSPageA bstrac t ..........................................................................................................  iAcknowledgements ..........................................................................................  i i iIn tro d u c tio n  ..................................................................................................  1A. Purpose and O bjectives .........................................................  2B. Related Research o r A c t iv i t ie s  .........................................  3Methods and Procedures .............................................................................. 4P rinc ipa l Findings and S ign ificance  .................................................  4Conclusions ..................................................................................................  5L ite ra tu re  C ited .......................................................................................... 7i  iACKNOWLEDGEMENTSThe c o n s u l t a t i o n ,  h e lp fu l  suggestions  and ab le  a s s is ta n ce  o f  Ms. C h r is t in a  L a u r in  was v a lu a b le  in  c o n t in u in g  t h i s  resea rch .Spec ia l a p p re c ia t io n  is  expressed to  Ms. S h e i la  Harmon f o r  her c a re fu l  e n t r y  o f  the  data and c ro s s - re fe re n c in g  numerous source m a te r ia ls .The supp o r t  o f  the  U.S. Department o f  the  I n t e r i o r ,  G eo log ica l Survey, who p rov id ed  the  fu n d s ,  and D r. L e s l ie  E. Mack, D i r e c to r ,  Arkansas Water Resources Research C e n te r,  i s  g r e a t ly  acknowledged.i i iINTRODUCTIONThe association of algae with geological formations and the re­sultant lake and stream types was in it ia te d  by the 1906 and 1909 studies of West and West on the d is tribu tion  of desmids. The use of algal indicators, p a rticu la rly  the desmids, remains a classic in the study of algal ecology. In 1932, Pearsall contributed the chemical and limnological information which substantiated the use of the in ­dicator organism concept. The d is trib u tio n  of algae in association with specific  lakes, reservoirs and streams is presented in the re­cent lite ra tu re . Particu lar emphasis has been given to the occur­rence of nuisance taxa in water supplies. The application of algae as trophic indicators and po llu tion -to le ran t taxa was la s t summarized by Palmer (1969).The research in Europe and northwestern Asia strongly suggests that the d is tr ib u tio n  of organisms is associated with the geological substrate (Hutchinson, 1967). In streams, i t  is well established that the upstream conditions, as well as the in s itu  conditions, have a major influence on which algae successfully established res­idence. Within a c lim atic  zone, the primary influencing parameters under natural condition are the substrate of the locale and the leachate drainage basin.Arkansas is influenced by a generally temperate climate with strong seasonal va ria tion . Summer water temperatures may atta in  temporary maxima of 42° while winter a ir  temperatures may be as low as -25°. Lakes and reservoirs typ ica lly  have surface temperatures1f ive  to seven degrees cooler than the spring, summer and fa l l  a ir  temperatures. Also, portions of reservoirs, lakes, ponds and streams may be ice covered fo r one to four weeks in January and/or February. The d ive rs ity  in stream temperature is associated with the stream orig in  (spring or runoff) and slope.Six "ecoregions" have been delimited by Meyer (1985) based upon the in tegration of chemical, physical and biological parameters as­sociated with the geological substrata, generalized so il types and typical surface vegetation. These include the oak-hickory forest in the Ozark Highlands and Boston Mountains, the a llu v ia l Arkansas River Valley, the pine with scattered hardwoods covered Ouachita Mountains, the p ra ir ie - lik e  Mississippi de lta , the beech-maple forest along Crowley's Ridge, and the southern pine forest of the gu lf coastal p la in .A. Purpose and ObjectivesThe diverse ecoregions of Arkansas have had sporadic sampling except fo r the northwest region of the Ozark Highlands and selected research s ites . From these diverse sources of information, approx­imately 1,500 taxa are known. Certain taxa are known to be widely d is tribu ted while others are restric ted  to a single s ite .The objective of th is  research is  to assemble the existing data in to a cohesive body of information from which d is tribu tiona l and ecological questions are addressed. The data base can then be cor­re lated, sorted, and the ubiquitous and rare taxa removed. Those taxa of intermediate frequency can be sorted by ecoregion and se-2quentia lly  by community and subcommunity characteristics. These reg ionally, community or subcommunity sorted data can be used fo r environmental assessment and fo r the selection of best management practices.The increase in sophistication of microprocessor and software has allowed the development of data summaries and bases. The f i r s t  phase of the research included the selection of appropriate hard- and software, the development of record format, and the entry of a t r ia l  taxonomic data set. The present phase expands the size of the taxonomic data, updates, ve rifie s  the f i le s ,  and includes the devel­opment of additional para lle l data sets. The para lle l data f i le s  include not only the source author and date but usually available references sources from which other researchers can id e n tify  the organism. Additional f i le s  contain the description of the ecoregion, community type and subcommunity in which the alga exists.B. Related Research or A c tiv itie sA search of the lite ra tu re  and personal contacts with other phycologists indicates that the research program and protocol rep­resents in i t ia l  e ffo rts  in to forming quickly retrievable and sortable statewide data bases fo r microprocessors. Our protocol w ill permit the re trieva l of a ll or portions of the information via modem with commonly available computer hardware and software. Other known data bases are hardware and program unique and not easily exported or im­ported. The data base uses commonly designated f ie ld  names and standard lite ra tu re  base designations rather than numeric codes or3other cryptographic techniques.METHODS AND PROCEDURESThe selection of the hardware and software has been outlined by Meyer (1985). The hardware is based upon the IBM-type microcom­puter so that numerous compatible machines can use the data base.The software selected was a re la tiona l data base management system. The software has been upgraded to dBase I I I  plus (Aston-Tate). This software is compatible with word processing and reporting programs.The data entry has expanded the in i t ia l  taxonomic f i le  to in ­clude additional records. Additional f i le s  fo r taxonomic reference by author and reference source have been established. A habitat f i l e  has been in it ia te d  to record the characteristics of the locale in which the alga has been collected. Also, taxonomic designations have been updated as new lite ra tu re  becomes available.PRINCIPAL FINDINGS AND SIGNIFICANCEThe taxonomic f i le  included w ith in the data base has the algae c lass ified  to Class, Order, Genus, Species, and where appropriate, variety and form. Family epithets are not given because of the dy­namics of phylogenetic research in progress at the present time; a l­though new class and order level designations have been entered, i . e . ,  Synurophyceae. The taxonomic levels assigned are based upon commonly available systematic lite ra tu re  and may d if fe r  from the other recent recommendations. However, a new f i le  has been devel­oped which includes alternate higher taxonomic category assignment (e ither new or previous designations).4The present data set also includes m ultip le secondary f i le s  including an id e n tifica tio n  f i le  and a habitat f i l e .  The id e n ti­f ica tio n  f i le  contains the generic and specific  names, the author(s) name and orig ina l date of description. The la tte r  f i l e  includes the references source(s) from which an i l lu s tra t io n ,  a word descrip­tion  and a key are available. The habitat f i l e  contains the generic and specific  name plus information concerning the ecoregion, com­munity and subcommunity. Temporal and spatial information are in a separate f i le .The software data base management program used allows sorting and merging of the various f i le s  to produce customized reports fo r specific  needs. To date, a customized lis t in g  of the Cyanophyta/ Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) has been published which includes the complete complement of taxonomic c ita tio n . This flo ra  has been supplied to the Arkansas Academy of Science fo r d is trib u tio n  with its  Arkansas Flora and Fauna series. Additional f lo r is t ic  lis tin g s  are in preparation and w ill be released period ica lly .A copy of a ll or part o f the "to date" data base is available from the author. Period ica lly updated copies w ill be deposited with the Phycology Laboratory at the University of Arkansas.CONCLUSIONSThe selection of hardware and software compliment have been shown to be applicable in developing a "fr ie n d ly " data base fo r the taxonomy, id e n tifica tio n  and d is trib u tio n  of the freshwater algae. The data base design permits the re trieva l of complexes of informa-5t io n  from several f i le s  so th a t customized output requests can be addressed. The management system allows fo r  the development o f new inpu t f i le s  and the merging o f these f i le s  or po rtion  o f these f i le s  w ith  a l l  o r pa rt o f e x is tin g  f i le s .At the present tim e , the f i le s  contain in fo rm ation  concerning approximately 1,500 taxa o f algae from a l l  ecoregions, communities and subcommunities o f Arkansas. The new taxa and associated in fo r ­mation continues to  be entered and v e r if ie d .  The data base is  a r­chived w ith  the Phycology Laboratory a t the U n ive rs ity  o f Arkansas a t F a y e tte v ille .6LITERATURE CITEDHutchinson, G.E. 1967. A T rea tise  on Limnology. V o l. I I .  In t ro ­duction to  Lake B iology and Limnoplankton. J . Wiley and Sons. New York. 1115p.Meyer, R.L. 1985. Q u a lita tiv e  and Q uan tita tive  Aquatic A lgal Data Compilation to  Determine Macrotrends. Arkansas Water Resources Research Center. P ub lica tion  No. 114. 7p.Palmer, M.C. 1969. A Composite Rating o f Algae T o le ra ting  Organic P o llu tio n . J. Phycol. 5(1):78-82.P ea rsa ll, W.H. 1932. Phytoplankton o f the English Lake D is t r ic t .I I .  The Composition o f the Phytoplankton in  Relation to  D is­solved Substances. J . E co l. 20:241-262.West W. and G.S. West. 1906. A Comparative Study o f the Plankton o f Some I r is h  Lough. Proc. Roy. I r .  Acad., B, 32:77-116.West, W. and G.S. West. 1909. The B r it is h  Freshwater Phytoplankton, w ith  Special Reference to  the Desmid-plankton and the D is tr ib u ­t io n  o f B r it is h  Desmids. Proc. R. Soc., (B) 81:164-206.7

Qualitative and Quantitative Aquatic Algal Data Compilation to Determine Macrotrends- III

ScholarWorks@UARK

University of Arkansas, FayettevilleScholarWorks@UARKTechnical Reports Arkansas Water Resources Center6-1-1987Qualitative and Quantitative Aquatic Algal DataCompilation to Determine Macrotrends- IIIRichard L. MeyerUniversity of Arkansas, FayettevilleFollow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.uark.edu/awrctrPart of the Fresh Water Studies Commons, and the Water Resource Management CommonsThis Technical Report is brought to you for free and open access by the Arkansas Water Resources Center at ScholarWorks@UARK. It has beenaccepted for inclusion in Technical Reports by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UARK. For more information, please contactscholar@uark.edu, ccmiddle@uark.edu.Recommended CitationMeyer, Richard L.. 1987. Qualitative and Quantitative Aquatic Algal Data Compilation to Determine Macrotrends- III. ArkansasWater Resources Center, Fayetteville, AR. PUB 126. 12QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE AQUATIC ALGAL DATA COMPILATION TO DETERMINE MACROTRENDS-IIIRichard L. MeyerDepartment of Botany & MicrobiologyUniversity of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR 72701Publication No. 126 June, 1987Technical Completion Report Research Project G-1212-32Arkansas Water Resources Research Center University of Arkansas Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701Arkansas Water Resources Research CenterPrepared forUnited States Department of the InteriorQUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE AQUATIC ALGAL DATA COMPILATION TO DETERMINE MACROTRENDS -  I I IR ichard  L. MeyerDepartment o f  Botany & M ic ro b io lo g y  U n iv e r s i t y  o f  Arkansas F a y e t t e v i l l e ,  AR 72701Research P ro je c t  Techn ica l Completion Report P ro je c t  G-1212-32The research  on wh ich t h i s  r e p o r t  i s  based was f in a n c e d  in  p a r t  by the  U n ited  S ta tes  Department o f  the  I n t e r i o r  as a u th o r iz e d  by the Water Research and Development A c t  o f  1978 (P .L .  95 -46 7 ).Arkansas Water Resources Research Center U n iv e r s i t y  o f  Arkansas 112 Ozark H a ll  F a y e t t e v i l l e ,  AR 72701P u b l ic a t io n  No. 126June, 1987Contents o f  t h i s  p u b l i c a t io n  do n o t  n e c e s s a r i ly  r e f l e c t  th e  v iews and p o l i c i e s  o f  the  U .S .  Department o f  the  I n t e r i o r ,  no r does m ention o f  t ra d e  names o r  commercial p rodu c ts  c o n s t i t u t e  t h e i r  endorsement o r  r e ­commendation f o r  use by the  U.S. Government.The U n iv e r s i t y  o f  A rkansas, in  com pliance w i th  fe d e ra l  and s ta te  laws and r e g u la t io n s  gove rn ing  a f f i r m a t i v e  a c t io n  and n o n d is c r im in a t io n ,  does n o t  d is c r im in a te  in  the  re c ru i tm e n t ,  adm iss ion  and employment o f  s tu d e n ts ,  f a c u l t y  and s t a f f  in  the  o p e ra t io n  o f  any o f  i t s  e d u ca t iona l programs and a c t i v i t i e s  as d e f in e d  by la w . A c c o rd in g ly ,  n o th in g  in  t h i s  p u b l i c a t io n  shou ld  be viewed as d i r e c t l y  o r  i n d i r e c t l y  exp ress ing  any l i m i t a t i o n ,  s p e c i f i c a t io n  o r  d i s c r im in a t io n  as to  ra c e ,  r e l i g i o n ,  c o lo r  o r  n a t io n a l  o r i g i n ;  o r  t o  hand icap , age, sex , o r  s ta tu s  as a d is  ab led  V ie tnam -era  v e te ra n ,  excep t as p rov id ed  by law . I n q u i r i e s  con­ce rn in g  t h i s  p o l i c y  may be d i r e c te d  to  the  A f f i r m a t i v e  A c t io n  O f f i c e r .ABSTRACTQUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE AQUATIC ALGAL DATA COMPILATION TO DETERMINE MACROTRENDS -  I I IA data  base o f  th e  a lgae o f  Arkansas ecoreg ions has been e s ta b ­l is h e d  by the  use o f  a r e la t i o n a l  da ta  base management system (dBase I I I  p lu s ) .  The system was chosen to  be r e a d i l y  a v a i la b le  f o r  a va ­r i e t y  o f  m icrocom puters us ing  MS- and PC-DOS. The data base co n ta in s  taxonomic f i e l d s  from  d i v i s i o n  th rough  v a r i e t y ,  synonymy, a u th o rs ,  i n i t i a l  d e s c r ip t i o n ,  da te  and d e f i n i t i v e  d e s c r ip t i v e  sou rce . The da­ta  are c ro s s - re fe re n c e d  by e c o re g io n ,  Round's community and subcom­m un ity  d e s ig n a t io n s .The data  base co n ta in s  a p p ro x im a te ly  1,500 taxonomic records in  a l l  d i v i s io n s  and c lasses  o f  f re s h w a te r  a lg a e . The data are s o r ta b le  by any o f  the  in c lu d e d  param eters . The data  have been used to  i n i ­t i a t e  the  p u b l i c a t io n  o f  the  a lg a l  f l o r a  o f  A rkansas. The l i s t i n g  o f  the  C yanophyta /Cyanobacter ia  o r  b lue -g reen  a lgae i s  p re s e n t ly  a v a i la b le .  O ther taxonomic l i s t s  are in  p re p a ra t io n .R ichard  L. MeyerCompletion Report to  the  U.S. Department o f  the  I n t e r i o r ,  G eo log ica l Survey, Reston, VA, June 1987.Keywords - -  A lg a e /T a x o n o m y /C la s s i f ic a t io n /H a b i ta t /L a k e s /R e s e rv o i rs /  StreamsiTABLE OF CONTENTSPageA bstrac t ..........................................................................................................  iAcknowledgements ..........................................................................................  i i iIn tro d u c tio n  ..................................................................................................  1A. Purpose and O bjectives .........................................................  2B. Related Research o r A c t iv i t ie s  .........................................  3Methods and Procedures .............................................................................. 4P rinc ipa l Findings and S ign ificance  .................................................  4Conclusions ..................................................................................................  5L ite ra tu re  C ited .......................................................................................... 7i  iACKNOWLEDGEMENTSThe c o n s u l t a t i o n ,  h e lp fu l  suggestions  and ab le  a s s is ta n ce  o f  Ms. C h r is t in a  L a u r in  was v a lu a b le  in  c o n t in u in g  t h i s  resea rch .Spec ia l a p p re c ia t io n  is  expressed to  Ms. S h e i la  Harmon f o r  her c a re fu l  e n t r y  o f  the  data and c ro s s - re fe re n c in g  numerous source m a te r ia ls .The supp o r t  o f  the  U.S. Department o f  the  I n t e r i o r ,  G eo log ica l Survey, who p rov id ed  the  fu n d s ,  and D r. L e s l ie  E. Mack, D i r e c to r ,  Arkansas Water Resources Research C e n te r,  i s  g r e a t ly  acknowledged.i i iINTRODUCTIONThe association of algae with geological formations and the re­sultant lake and stream types was in it ia te d  by the 1906 and 1909 studies of West and West on the d is tribu tion  of desmids. The use of algal indicators, p a rticu la rly  the desmids, remains a classic in the study of algal ecology. In 1932, Pearsall contributed the chemical and limnological information which substantiated the use of the in ­dicator organism concept. The d is trib u tio n  of algae in association with specific  lakes, reservoirs and streams is presented in the re­cent lite ra tu re . Particu lar emphasis has been given to the occur­rence of nuisance taxa in water supplies. The application of algae as trophic indicators and po llu tion -to le ran t taxa was la s t summarized by Palmer (1969).The research in Europe and northwestern Asia strongly suggests that the d is tr ib u tio n  of organisms is associated with the geological substrate (Hutchinson, 1967). In streams, i t  is well established that the upstream conditions, as well as the in s itu  conditions, have a major influence on which algae successfully established res­idence. Within a c lim atic  zone, the primary influencing parameters under natural condition are the substrate of the locale and the leachate drainage basin.Arkansas is influenced by a generally temperate climate with strong seasonal va ria tion . Summer water temperatures may atta in  temporary maxima of 42° while winter a ir  temperatures may be as low as -25°. Lakes and reservoirs typ ica lly  have surface temperatures1f ive  to seven degrees cooler than the spring, summer and fa l l  a ir  temperatures. Also, portions of reservoirs, lakes, ponds and streams may be ice covered fo r one to four weeks in January and/or February. The d ive rs ity  in stream temperature is associated with the stream orig in  (spring or runoff) and slope.Six "ecoregions" have been delimited by Meyer (1985) based upon the in tegration of chemical, physical and biological parameters as­sociated with the geological substrata, generalized so il types and typical surface vegetation. These include the oak-hickory forest in the Ozark Highlands and Boston Mountains, the a llu v ia l Arkansas River Valley, the pine with scattered hardwoods covered Ouachita Mountains, the p ra ir ie - lik e  Mississippi de lta , the beech-maple forest along Crowley's Ridge, and the southern pine forest of the gu lf coastal p la in .A. Purpose and ObjectivesThe diverse ecoregions of Arkansas have had sporadic sampling except fo r the northwest region of the Ozark Highlands and selected research s ites . From these diverse sources of information, approx­imately 1,500 taxa are known. Certain taxa are known to be widely d is tribu ted while others are restric ted  to a single s ite .The objective of th is  research is  to assemble the existing data in to a cohesive body of information from which d is tribu tiona l and ecological questions are addressed. The data base can then be cor­re lated, sorted, and the ubiquitous and rare taxa removed. Those taxa of intermediate frequency can be sorted by ecoregion and se-2quentia lly  by community and subcommunity characteristics. These reg ionally, community or subcommunity sorted data can be used fo r environmental assessment and fo r the selection of best management practices.The increase in sophistication of microprocessor and software has allowed the development of data summaries and bases. The f i r s t  phase of the research included the selection of appropriate hard- and software, the development of record format, and the entry of a t r ia l  taxonomic data set. The present phase expands the size of the taxonomic data, updates, ve rifie s  the f i le s ,  and includes the devel­opment of additional para lle l data sets. The para lle l data f i le s  include not only the source author and date but usually available references sources from which other researchers can id e n tify  the organism. Additional f i le s  contain the description of the ecoregion, community type and subcommunity in which the alga exists.B. Related Research or A c tiv itie sA search of the lite ra tu re  and personal contacts with other phycologists indicates that the research program and protocol rep­resents in i t ia l  e ffo rts  in to forming quickly retrievable and sortable statewide data bases fo r microprocessors. Our protocol w ill permit the re trieva l of a ll or portions of the information via modem with commonly available computer hardware and software. Other known data bases are hardware and program unique and not easily exported or im­ported. The data base uses commonly designated f ie ld  names and standard lite ra tu re  base designations rather than numeric codes or3other cryptographic techniques.METHODS AND PROCEDURESThe selection of the hardware and software has been outlined by Meyer (1985). The hardware is based upon the IBM-type microcom­puter so that numerous compatible machines can use the data base.The software selected was a re la tiona l data base management system. The software has been upgraded to dBase I I I  plus (Aston-Tate). This software is compatible with word processing and reporting programs.The data entry has expanded the in i t ia l  taxonomic f i le  to in ­clude additional records. Additional f i le s  fo r taxonomic reference by author and reference source have been established. A habitat f i l e  has been in it ia te d  to record the characteristics of the locale in which the alga has been collected. Also, taxonomic designations have been updated as new lite ra tu re  becomes available.PRINCIPAL FINDINGS AND SIGNIFICANCEThe taxonomic f i le  included w ith in the data base has the algae c lass ified  to Class, Order, Genus, Species, and where appropriate, variety and form. Family epithets are not given because of the dy­namics of phylogenetic research in progress at the present time; a l­though new class and order level designations have been entered, i . e . ,  Synurophyceae. The taxonomic levels assigned are based upon commonly available systematic lite ra tu re  and may d if fe r  from the other recent recommendations. However, a new f i le  has been devel­oped which includes alternate higher taxonomic category assignment (e ither new or previous designations).4The present data set also includes m ultip le secondary f i le s  including an id e n tifica tio n  f i le  and a habitat f i l e .  The id e n ti­f ica tio n  f i le  contains the generic and specific  names, the author(s) name and orig ina l date of description. The la tte r  f i l e  includes the references source(s) from which an i l lu s tra t io n ,  a word descrip­tion  and a key are available. The habitat f i l e  contains the generic and specific  name plus information concerning the ecoregion, com­munity and subcommunity. Temporal and spatial information are in a separate f i le .The software data base management program used allows sorting and merging of the various f i le s  to produce customized reports fo r specific  needs. To date, a customized lis t in g  of the Cyanophyta/ Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) has been published which includes the complete complement of taxonomic c ita tio n . This flo ra  has been supplied to the Arkansas Academy of Science fo r d is trib u tio n  with its  Arkansas Flora and Fauna series. Additional f lo r is t ic  lis tin g s  are in preparation and w ill be released period ica lly .A copy of a ll or part o f the "to date" data base is available from the author. Period ica lly updated copies w ill be deposited with the Phycology Laboratory at the University of Arkansas.CONCLUSIONSThe selection of hardware and software compliment have been shown to be applicable in developing a "fr ie n d ly " data base fo r the taxonomy, id e n tifica tio n  and d is trib u tio n  of the freshwater algae. The data base design permits the re trieva l of complexes of informa-5t io n  from several f i le s  so th a t customized output requests can be addressed. The management system allows fo r  the development o f new inpu t f i le s  and the merging o f these f i le s  or po rtion  o f these f i le s  w ith  a l l  o r pa rt o f e x is tin g  f i le s .At the present tim e , the f i le s  contain in fo rm ation  concerning approximately 1,500 taxa o f algae from a l l  ecoregions, communities and subcommunities o f Arkansas. The new taxa and associated in fo r ­mation continues to  be entered and v e r if ie d .  The data base is  a r­chived w ith  the Phycology Laboratory a t the U n ive rs ity  o f Arkansas a t F a y e tte v ille .6LITERATURE CITEDHutchinson, G.E. 1967. A T rea tise  on Limnology. V o l. I I .  In t ro ­duction to  Lake B iology and Limnoplankton. J . Wiley and Sons. New York. 1115p.Meyer, R.L. 1985. Q u a lita tiv e  and Q uan tita tive  Aquatic A lgal Data Compilation to  Determine Macrotrends. Arkansas Water Resources Research Center. P ub lica tion  No. 114. 7p.Palmer, M.C. 1969. A Composite Rating o f Algae T o le ra ting  Organic P o llu tio n . J. Phycol. 5(1):78-82.P ea rsa ll, W.H. 1932. Phytoplankton o f the English Lake D is t r ic t .I I .  The Composition o f the Phytoplankton in  Relation to  D is­solved Substances. J . E co l. 20:241-262.West W. and G.S. West. 1906. A Comparative Study o f the Plankton o f Some I r is h  Lough. Proc. Roy. I r .  Acad., B, 32:77-116.West, W. and G.S. West. 1909. The B r it is h  Freshwater Phytoplankton, w ith  Special Reference to  the Desmid-plankton and the D is tr ib u ­t io n  o f B r it is h  Desmids. Proc. R. Soc., (B) 81:164-206.7

https://scholarworks.uark.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1226&amp;context=awrctr

Qualitative and Quantitative Aquatic Algal Data Compilation to Determine Macrotrends- III

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

UARK (University of Arkansas )

ScholarWorks@UARK