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Shoemaker A, Maritan A, Cosar S, Nupp S, Menchaca A, Jackson T, Dang A, Baxter BK, Colman DR, Dunham EC, Boyd ES. Wood-Ljungdahl pathway encoding anaerobes facilitate low-cost primary production in hypersaline sediments at Great Salt Lake, Utah. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2024; 100:fiae105. [PMID: 39054286 PMCID: PMC11287216 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiae105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2024] [Revised: 07/03/2024] [Accepted: 07/24/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Little is known of primary production in dark hypersaline ecosystems despite the prevalence of such environments on Earth today and throughout its geologic history. Here, we generated and analyzed metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) organized as operational taxonomic units (OTUs) from three depth intervals along a 30-cm sediment core from the north arm of Great Salt Lake, Utah. The sediments and associated porewaters were saturated with NaCl, exhibited redox gradients with depth, and harbored nitrogen-depleted organic carbon. Metabolic predictions of MAGs representing 36 total OTUs recovered from the core indicated that communities transitioned from aerobic and heterotrophic at the surface to anaerobic and autotrophic at depth. Dark CO2 fixation was detected in sediments and the primary mode of autotrophy was predicted to be via the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway. This included novel hydrogenotrophic acetogens affiliated with the bacterial class Candidatus Bipolaricaulia. Minor populations were dependent on the Calvin cycle and the reverse tricarboxylic acid cycle, including in a novel Thermoplasmatota MAG. These results are interpreted to reflect the favorability of and selectability for populations that operate the lowest energy requiring CO2-fixation pathway known, the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway, in anoxic and hypersaline conditions that together impart a higher energy demand on cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Shoemaker
- Department of Earth Sciences, Montana State University, P.O. Box 173480, Bozeman, MT 59717, United States
| | - Andrew Maritan
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Montana State University, P.O. Box 173520, Bozeman, MT 59717, United States
| | - Su Cosar
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Montana State University, P.O. Box 173520, Bozeman, MT 59717, United States
| | - Sylvia Nupp
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Montana State University, P.O. Box 173400, Bozeman, MT 59717, United States
| | - Ana Menchaca
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Montana State University, P.O. Box 173520, Bozeman, MT 59717, United States
| | - Thomas Jackson
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Montana State University, P.O. Box 173520, Bozeman, MT 59717, United States
| | - Aria Dang
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Montana State University, P.O. Box 173400, Bozeman, MT 59717, United States
| | - Bonnie K Baxter
- Great Salt Lake Institute, Westminster University, 1840 South 1300 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84105, United States
| | - Daniel R Colman
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Montana State University, P.O. Box 173520, Bozeman, MT 59717, United States
| | - Eric C Dunham
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Montana State University, P.O. Box 173520, Bozeman, MT 59717, United States
| | - Eric S Boyd
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Montana State University, P.O. Box 173520, Bozeman, MT 59717, United States
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Rohal CB, Duncan B, Follstad Shah J, Veblen KE, Kettenring KM. Targeted grazing reduces a widespread wetland plant invader with minimal nutrient impacts, yet native community recovery is limited. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2024; 362:121168. [PMID: 38823302 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.121168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2023] [Revised: 05/06/2024] [Accepted: 05/10/2024] [Indexed: 06/03/2024]
Abstract
Targeted grazing to control undesirable plant species is increasingly of interest across a diversity of ecosystems, particularly as an alternative or complement to widely used herbicides. However, there are limited comprehensive evaluations of targeted grazing that evaluate both invasive species management effectiveness and potential negative effects on the ecosystem. Phragmites australis, a tall-statured, dense perennial invasive grass from Eurasia, is a pervasive problem in wetlands across the North American continent. As with many invasive species where management has historically relied on herbicides and resistance is a growing concern, land managers seek viable alternatives that have minimal negative ecosystem impacts. Grazing has been used for millennia to manage native Phragmites in Europe. Similarly, in its invasive range within North America, small-scale studies suggest Phragmites may be suppressed by grazers. Yet, the effectiveness of grazing at large scales and its effects on broader ecosystem properties remain largely unknown. We evaluated the influence of targeted grazing on vegetation, soil nutrients, and water nutrients over two years in large plots (∼300x the size of previous studies). We also tested the effects of mowing, a treatment that can be used to facilitate grazer access to large, dense Phragmites stands. In line with our predictions, we found that cattle grazing effectively suppressed invasive Phragmites over two years. Mowing reduced litter, and moderately reduced standing dead Phragmites, both of which suppress native plant germination in this system. However, these reductions in Phragmites were not accompanied by indications of native plant community recovery, as we had optimistically predicted. Despite the potential for grazing to reduce nutrient sequestration by plants and fertilize soils, we were surprised to find no clear negative effects of grazing on nutrient mobilization to groundwater or floodwater. Taken together, our findings indicate that targeted grazing, when implemented at broad scales over short time frames, is effective at achieving invasive plant management goals without sizable nutrient impacts. However, additional steps will be needed to achieve the restoration of diverse, robust native plant communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine B Rohal
- Department of Environmental Horticulture and Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA; Department of Watershed Sciences and Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT, 84322, USA.
| | - Brittany Duncan
- Department of Watershed Sciences and Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT, 84322, USA; Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, Taylorsville, UT, 84129, USA
| | - Jennifer Follstad Shah
- School of the Environment, Society & Sustainability, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA
| | - Kari E Veblen
- Department of Wildland Resources and Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT, 84322, USA
| | - Karin M Kettenring
- Department of Watershed Sciences and Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT, 84322, USA
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Jung J, Loschko T, Reich S, Rassoul-Agha M, Werner MS. Newly identified nematodes from the Great Salt Lake are associated with microbialites and specially adapted to hypersaline conditions. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20232653. [PMID: 38471558 PMCID: PMC10932707 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.2653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Extreme environments enable the study of simplified food-webs and serve as models for evolutionary bottlenecks and early Earth ecology. We investigated the biodiversity of invertebrate meiofauna in the benthic zone of the Great Salt Lake (GSL), Utah, USA, one of the most hypersaline lake systems in the world. The hypersaline bays within the GSL are currently thought to support only two multicellular animals: brine fly larvae and brine shrimp. Here, we report the presence, habitat, and microbial interactions of novel free-living nematodes. Nematode diversity drops dramatically along a salinity gradient from a freshwater river into the south arm of the lake. In Gilbert Bay, nematodes primarily inhabit reef-like organosedimentary structures built by bacteria called microbialites. These structures likely provide a protective barrier to UV and aridity, and bacterial associations within them may support life in hypersaline environments. Notably, sampling from Owens Lake, another terminal lake in the Great Basin that lacks microbialites, did not recover nematodes from similar salinities. Phylogenetic divergence suggests that GSL nematodes represent previously undescribed members of the family Monhysteridae-one of the dominant fauna of the abyssal zone and deep-sea hydrothermal vents. These findings update our understanding of halophile ecosystems and the habitable limit of animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Jung
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Tobias Loschko
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
- Max Planck Institute for Biology, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Shelley Reich
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Maxim Rassoul-Agha
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Michael S. Werner
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
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Bring Horvath ER, Brazelton WJ, Kim MC, Cullum R, Mulvey MA, Fenical W, Winter JM. Bacterial diversity and chemical ecology of natural product-producing bacteria from Great Salt Lake sediment. ISME COMMUNICATIONS 2024; 4:ycae029. [PMID: 38524762 PMCID: PMC10960970 DOI: 10.1093/ismeco/ycae029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Revised: 01/20/2024] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024]
Abstract
Great Salt Lake (GSL), located northwest of Salt Lake City, UT, is the largest terminal lake in the USA. While the average salinity of seawater is ~3.3%, the salinity in GSL ranges between 5% and 28%. In addition to being a hypersaline environment, GSL also contains toxic concentrations of heavy metals, such as arsenic, mercury, and lead. The extreme environment of GSL makes it an intriguing subject of study, both for its unique microbiome and its potential to harbor novel natural product-producing bacteria, which could be used as resources for the discovery of biologically active compounds. Though work has been done to survey and catalog bacteria found in GSL, the Lake's microbiome is largely unexplored, and little to no work has been done to characterize the natural product potential of GSL microbes. Here, we investigate the bacterial diversity of two important regions within GSL, describe the first genomic characterization of Actinomycetota isolated from GSL sediment, including the identification of two new Actinomycetota species, and provide the first survey of the natural product potential of GSL bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elijah R Bring Horvath
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, United States
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, United States
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, United States
| | - William J Brazelton
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, United States
| | - Min Cheol Kim
- Center for Marine Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California at San Diego, CA 92093, United States
| | - Reiko Cullum
- Center for Marine Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California at San Diego, CA 92093, United States
| | - Matthew A Mulvey
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, United States
- Henry Eyring Center for Cell and Genome Science, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, United States
| | - William Fenical
- Center for Marine Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California at San Diego, CA 92093, United States
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California at San Diego, CA 92093, United States
- Moores Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California at San Diego, CA 92037, United States
| | - Jaclyn M Winter
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, United States
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Shi C, Mahadwar G, Dávila-Santiago E, Bambakidis T, Crump BC, Jones GD. Nontarget Chemical Composition of Surface Waters May Reflect Ecosystem Processes More than Discrete Source Contributions. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:18296-18305. [PMID: 37235730 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c08540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
We investigated environmental, landscape, and microbial factors that could structure the spatiotemporal variability in the nontarget chemical composition of four riverine systems in the Oregon Coast Range, USA. We hypothesized that the nontarget chemical composition in river water would be structured by broad-scale landscape gradients in each watershed. Instead, only a weak relationship existed between the nontarget chemical composition and land cover gradients. Overall, the effects of microbial communities and environmental variables on chemical composition were nearly twice as large as those of the landscape, and much of the influence of environmental variables on the chemical composition was mediated through the microbial community (i.e., environment affects microbes, which affect chemicals). Therefore, we found little evidence to support our hypothesis that chemical spatiotemporal variability was related to broad-scale landscape gradients. Instead, we found qualitative and quantitative evidence to suggest that chemical spatiotemporal variability of these rivers is controlled by changes in microbial and seasonal hydrologic processes. While the contributions of discrete chemical sources are undeniable, water chemistry is undoubtedly impacted by broad-scale continuous sources. Our results suggest that diagnostic chemical signatures can be developed to monitor ecosystem processes, which are otherwise challenging or impossible to study with existing off-the-shelf sensors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng Shi
- Department of Biological & Ecological Engineering, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331-4501, United States
| | - Gouri Mahadwar
- Department of Biological & Ecological Engineering, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331-4501, United States
| | - Emmanuel Dávila-Santiago
- Department of Biological & Ecological Engineering, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331-4501, United States
| | - Ted Bambakidis
- Department of Microbiology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331, United States
| | - Byron C Crump
- College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331, United States
| | - Gerrad D Jones
- Department of Biological & Ecological Engineering, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331-4501, United States
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Ekrami J, Nemati Mansour S, Mosaferi M, yamini Y. Environmental impact assessment of salt harvesting from the salt lakes. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCE & ENGINEERING 2021; 19:365-377. [PMID: 34150241 PMCID: PMC8172734 DOI: 10.1007/s40201-020-00609-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2020] [Accepted: 12/29/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Urmia Saline Lake, USL which is registered as an international park by the United Nations, has suffered hypersalinity and serious dryness in recent years. Increasing the dryness trend has been led to a great tendency, especially by private sectors to harvest salt from different parts of the bed sediments. During this study the four- step process was used for environmental impact assessment of such a large scale salt harvesting activities with specialized Folchi matrix and enriched by data on heavy metal concentrations in the limited number of sediment samples. Impact analysis using matrix showed that the most significant impacts were on environmental components, namely "land use", "gradient and topography of the lake bed" and "hydrology and lake water quality" with score values of 73.22, 73.21 and 72.45, respectively. The mean concentrations of As, Cd, Cr, Hg, Pb, Ni and Zn in salt and sediment samples were 15.2±8.8, 0.05±0.047, 15±8.2, 0.54±0.3, 11.9±6.28, 15.4±9.56 and 22.3±13.66 mg/kg, respectively. The higher concentration of arsenic and lead in comparison with earth crust averages, warns that dispersion of salt particles from storage piles may affect local people's health. This study provides readers and authorities with environmental impacts of salt harvesting from unique saline Lake of Iran, presents effective management options such as stopping any unlicensed and unrestrained salt harvesting activities on the USL bed, avoiding deep excavations, minimizing accumulation of piles to prevent the diffusion of salt particles etc. and also specialized the Folchi matrix for application in similar projects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jahangir Ekrami
- Health Faculty, Student Research Committee, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Sepideh Nemati Mansour
- Health Faculty, Student Research Committee, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
- Health and Environment Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Mohammad Mosaferi
- Health and Environment Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
- Tabriz Health Services Management Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Yadollah yamini
- Department of Chemistry, Tarbiat Modares University, P.O. Box 14115-175, Tehran, Iran
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7
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Wright J, Yang S, Johnson WP, Black FJ, McVey J, Epler A, Scott AF, Trentman MP, Martin AR, Pandey G, Piskadlo AM. Temporal correspondence of selenium and mercury, among brine shrimp and water in Great Salt Lake, Utah, USA. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 749:141273. [PMID: 32836114 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.141273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2020] [Revised: 07/22/2020] [Accepted: 07/24/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The specific source of high burdens of selenium (Se) and mercury (Hg) in several bird species at Great Salt Lake (GSL) remain unknown. Frequent co-located water and brine shrimp samples were collected during 2016 through 2017 to identify potential correlations of element concentrations among brines and brine shrimp, a keystone species in the GSL. Like many aquatic systems, GSL is characterized by elevated methylmercury (MeHg) in deep waters. However, in contrast to thermally-stratified aquatic systems, biota in the salinity-stratified GSL do not reside in its deep waters, obscuring the presumed relationship between elevated MeHg in biota and in the deep brine. Brine shrimp and water column (shallow and deep, filtered and unfiltered) samples were collected from six sites spanning the South Arm of GSL approximately every other month. Mercury concentrations in brine shrimp (on average 89% of which is MeHg) were correlated only with total mercury in surface filtered water, and displayed little spatial variability, but consistent seasonal trends across the two sampled years. In contrast to Hg, temporal correspondence was observed between Se concentrations in brine shrimp and those in all water samples regardless of filtering and depth, with maxima and minima at higher-than-seasonal frequency. The data suggest a spatially diffuse source of bioavailable mercury to the shallow brine that responds to seasonal influences, for which the underlying deep brine, surficial sediments, and overlying atmosphere were evaluated in terms of potential temporal correspondence to shallow brine and brine shrimp Hg concentrations, as well as potential to mix across the extent of the shallow brine. Bioaccumulation factors were at the low end of those reported for marine systems, and decreased at higher trace element concentrations in water.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob Wright
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Shu Yang
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - William P Johnson
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA.
| | - Frank J Black
- Department of Chemistry, Westminster College, Salt Lake City, UT 84105, USA.
| | - James McVey
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Austin Epler
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Abigail F Scott
- Department of Chemistry, Westminster College, Salt Lake City, UT 84105, USA
| | | | | | - Gaurav Pandey
- Department of Chemistry, Westminster College, Salt Lake City, UT 84105, USA
| | - Andrew M Piskadlo
- Department of Chemistry, Westminster College, Salt Lake City, UT 84105, USA
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Ellis KS, Larsen RT, Koons DN. Dependence of spatial scale in landscape associations with cause‐specific predation of snowy plover nests. Ecosphere 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Kristen S. Ellis
- Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology Colorado State University Fort Collins Colorado80523USA
| | - Randy T. Larsen
- Department of Plant and Wildlife Sciences Brigham Young University Provo Utah84602USA
| | - David N. Koons
- Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, and Graduate Degree Program in Ecology Colorado State University Fort Collins Colorado80523USA
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Redón S, Vasileva GP, Georgiev BB, Gajardo G. Exploring parasites in extreme environments of high conservational importance: Artemia franciscana (Crustacea: Branchiopoda) as intermediate host of avian cestodes in Andean hypersaline lagoons from Salar de Atacama, Chile. Parasitol Res 2020; 119:3377-3390. [PMID: 32638100 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-020-06768-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2020] [Accepted: 06/10/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
The hypersaline lagoons located in evaporation basins or salars (salt flats) in the Atacama Desert are extreme environments harbouring a specialised biota able to survive harsh conditions for life. The knowledge of the parasitic biodiversity of these extreme habitats is still scarce despite their functional importance in regulating relevant non-economic services like habitats of waterbirds. The present study is the first report on the cestode infection of Artemia franciscana Kellogg in Salar de Atacama lagoons in northern Chile. A total of 23 parasite larvae were isolated and identified as belonging to five cestode taxa of the order Cyclophyllidea: two species of the family Hymenolepididae, i.e. Flamingolepis sp. 1 and Flamingolepis sp. 2 (adults parasitic in flamingos); two species of Dilepididae, i.e. Fuhrmannolepis averini (adults parasitic in phalaropes) and Eurycestus avoceti (adult parasitic in charadriforms birds); and one species of Progynotaeniidae, i.e. Gynandrotaenia (?) stammeri (adult parasitic in flamingos). The cysticercoids of each species are described and figured. The study represents the first geographical record of the genera Eurycestus, Gynandrotaenia and Fuhrmannolepis in South America and the first report of Gynandrotaenia and Flamingolepis in A. franciscana in its native range. This survey also contributes to the knowledge of cestodes of Phoenicopteriformes and Charadriiformes and their life cycles in the Neotropical Region. A review of cestodes recorded in brine shrimps of the genus Artemia in the world is provided. Further studies on cestode fauna of aquatic birds and their intermediate hosts in hypersaline habitats of the Neotropical Region are needed to understand their functional role in such extreme and unique ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stella Redón
- Laboratory of Genetics, Aquaculture & Biodiversity, Universidad de Los Lagos, Avda. Fuchslocher, 1305, Osorno, Chile. .,Biological Station of Doñana, CSIC, Américo Vespucio 26, 41092, Seville, Spain.
| | - Gergana P Vasileva
- Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 2 Gagarin Street, 1113, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Boyko B Georgiev
- Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 2 Gagarin Street, 1113, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Gonzalo Gajardo
- Laboratory of Genetics, Aquaculture & Biodiversity, Universidad de Los Lagos, Avda. Fuchslocher, 1305, Osorno, Chile
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Unexpected Abundance and Diversity of Phototrophs in Mats from Morphologically Variable Microbialites in Great Salt Lake, Utah. Appl Environ Microbiol 2020; 86:AEM.00165-20. [PMID: 32198176 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00165-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2020] [Accepted: 03/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Microbial mat communities are associated with extensive (∼700 km2) and morphologically variable carbonate structures, termed microbialites, in the hypersaline Great Salt Lake (GSL), Utah. However, whether the composition of GSL mat communities covaries with microbialite morphology and lake environment is unknown. Moreover, the potential adaptations that allow the establishment of these extensive mat communities at high salinity (14% to 17% total salts) are poorly understood. To address these questions, microbial mats were sampled from seven locations in the south arm of GSL representing different lake environments and microbialite morphologies. Despite the morphological differences, microbialite-associated mats were taxonomically similar and were dominated by the cyanobacterium Euhalothece and several heterotrophic bacteria. Metagenomic sequencing of a representative mat revealed Euhalothece and subdominant Thiohalocapsa populations that harbor the Calvin cycle and nitrogenase, suggesting they supply fixed carbon and nitrogen to heterotrophic bacteria. Fifteen of the next sixteen most abundant taxa are inferred to be aerobic heterotrophs and, surprisingly, harbor reaction center, rhodopsin, and/or bacteriochlorophyll biosynthesis proteins, suggesting aerobic photoheterotrophic (APH) capabilities. Importantly, proteins involved in APH are enriched in the GSL community relative to that in microbialite mat communities from lower salinity environments. These findings indicate that the ability to integrate light into energy metabolism is a key adaptation allowing for robust mat development in the hypersaline GSL.IMPORTANCE The earliest evidence of life on Earth is from organosedimentary structures, termed microbialites, preserved in 3.481-billion-year-old (Ga) rocks. Phototrophic microbial mats form in association with an ∼700-km2 expanse of morphologically diverse microbialites in the hypersaline Great Salt Lake (GSL), Utah. Here, we show taxonomically similar microbial mat communities are associated with morphologically diverse microbialites across the lake. Metagenomic sequencing reveals an abundance and diversity of autotrophic and heterotrophic taxa capable of harvesting light energy to drive metabolism. The unexpected abundance of and diversity in the mechanisms of harvesting light energy observed in GSL mat populations likely function to minimize niche overlap among coinhabiting taxa, provide a mechanism(s) to increase energy yield and osmotic balance during salt stress, and enhance fitness. Together, these physiological benefits promote the formation of robust mats that, in turn, influence the formation of morphologically diverse microbialite structures that can be imprinted in the rock record.
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11
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Widespread global increase in intense lake phytoplankton blooms since the 1980s. Nature 2019; 574:667-670. [PMID: 31610543 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-019-1648-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 434] [Impact Index Per Article: 86.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2018] [Accepted: 08/06/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Freshwater blooms of phytoplankton affect public health and ecosystem services globally1,2. Harmful effects of such blooms occur when the intensity of a bloom is too high, or when toxin-producing phytoplankton species are present. Freshwater blooms result in economic losses of more than US$4 billion annually in the United States alone, primarily from harm to aquatic food production, recreation and tourism, and drinking-water supplies3. Studies that document bloom conditions in lakes have either focused only on individual or regional subsets of lakes4-6, or have been limited by a lack of long-term observations7-9. Here we use three decades of high-resolution Landsat 5 satellite imagery to investigate long-term trends in intense summertime near-surface phytoplankton blooms for 71 large lakes globally. We find that peak summertime bloom intensity has increased in most (68 per cent) of the lakes studied, revealing a global exacerbation of bloom conditions. Lakes that have experienced a significant (P < 0.1) decrease in bloom intensity are rare (8 per cent). The reason behind the increase in phytoplankton bloom intensity remains unclear, however, as temporal trends do not track consistently with temperature, precipitation, fertilizer-use trends or other previously hypothesized drivers. We do find, however, that lakes with a decrease in bloom intensity warmed less compared to other lakes, suggesting that lake warming may already be counteracting management efforts to ameliorate eutrophication10,11. Our findings support calls for water quality management efforts to better account for the interactions between climate change and local hydrological conditions12,13.
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12
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Ellis KS, Larsen RT, Koons DN. The importance of functional responses among competing predators for avian nesting success. Funct Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kristen S. Ellis
- Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology Colorado State University Fort Collins CO USA
| | - Randy T. Larsen
- Department of Plant and Wildlife Sciences Brigham Young University Provo UT USA
| | - David N. Koons
- Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology Graduate Degree Program in Ecology Colorado State University Fort Collins CO USA
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Redón S, Vasileva GP, Georgiev BB, Gajardo G. First report of cestode infection in the crustacean Artemia persimilis from Southern Chilean Patagonia and its relation with the Neotropical aquatic birds. PeerJ 2019; 7:e7395. [PMID: 31403003 PMCID: PMC6688596 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.7395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2019] [Accepted: 07/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The brine shrimp genus Artemia Leach (Crustacea, Branchiopoda), a keystone group in hipersaline wetlands all over the world, offers an excellent model to study species interactions (parasitism) and to explore “hidden fauna” (avian endoparasites). The present study is the first report on the parasite infection of the South American species Artemia persimilis from the Southern Chilean Patagonia (50°S–53°S). Samples were collected in Los Cisnes and Amarga lagoons, the two most austral populations of this crustacean described to date, during two seasons (spring and autumn). A total of 98 larvae of cestodes of the family Hymenolepididae (Cestoda, Cyclophyllidea) were found and identified as belonging to the following taxa: Confluaria podicipina (adult parasitic in grebes), Flamingolepis sp. (a cestode parasite of flamingos), Fimbriarioides (?) sp. (adults of the species of this genus infect waterfowl and shorebirds) and Wardium sp. (definitive host unknown, most probably charadriiform birds). This is a new geographical record of C. podicipina and the genus Fimbriarioides for the Neotropical Region, the latter being the most widely distributed species at both localities and seasons surveyed, and the only species recorded in autumn (April). Cestode community composition in Los Cisnes population was characterised by dominance of Flamingolepis sp., representing more than 65% of the total cestode species recorded, whereas in the Amarga population the most abundant parasite (>83%) was Fimbriarioides (?) sp. Significant seasonal variations were detected in Los Cisnes lagoon for Flamingolepis sp. and C. podicipina, with exclusive presence of them in spring (November). Besides providing novel information on cestodes infection in A. persimilis, this study provides new data on the life cycle of cestodes of Neotropical aquatic birds such as South American flamingos and grebes. Our finding expands the knowledge on the biodiversity and population dynamics of extreme and unique environments from high latitudes (Patagonia) and makes evident the need of further taxonomical and ecological studies for better understanding the life cycles of avian helminth parasites in the Neotropics and the role of aquatic invertebrates in them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stella Redón
- Laboratory of Genetics, Aquaculture & Biodiversity, Universidad de Los Lagos, Osorno, Región de Los Lagos, Chile
| | - Gergana P Vasileva
- Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Boyko B Georgiev
- Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Gonzalo Gajardo
- Laboratory of Genetics, Aquaculture & Biodiversity, Universidad de Los Lagos, Osorno, Región de Los Lagos, Chile
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Belovsky GE, Perschon WC. A management case study for a new commercial fishery: brine shrimp harvesting in Great Salt Lake, Utah, USA. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2019; 29:e01864. [PMID: 30835951 DOI: 10.1002/eap.1864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2018] [Revised: 11/06/2018] [Accepted: 12/04/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
A fishery for brine shrimp (Artemia franciscana) cysts to supply the aquaculture industry considerably expanded in the late 1980s in the Great Salt Lake, Utah, USA. With this expansion, concerns emerged in the 1990s about the fishery's sustainability, especially its impact on the abundant western North American waterbirds that use the lake and feed on brine shrimp. We track the development of management strategies using adaptive management by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR), which focused on the biology of the system and development of biology-based harvesting models. The models and their rationale are presented, their success in forecasting is evaluated, and implications for managing the harvest and conserving waterbirds are examined. We view this as an interesting case study because it transpired over a short time in a relatively simple system. This permitted us to clearly track management from the onset of a harvest market, through realization that the harvest had to be managed in the absence of needed biological knowledge, to the adaptive development of management strategies as biological knowledge was accumulated. The outcome illustrates the success that harvest management can attain with careful monitoring of the resource and terminating the harvest when a necessary escapement stock is attained.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gary E Belovsky
- Department of Biological Sciences, Environmental Research Center, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, 46556, USA
| | - W Clay Perschon
- Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84114, USA
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Lindsay MR, Johnston RE, Baxter BK, Boyd ES. Effects of salinity on microbialite-associated production in Great Salt Lake, Utah. Ecology 2019; 100:e02611. [PMID: 30636291 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.2611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2018] [Revised: 11/19/2018] [Accepted: 12/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Microbialites, organosedimentary carbonate structures, cover approximately 20% of the basin floor in the south arm of Great Salt Lake, which ranges from ~12 to 15% salinity. Photosynthetic microbial mats associated with these benthic mounds contribute biomass that supports secondary production in the ecosystem, including that of the brine shrimp, Artemia franciscana. However, the effects of predicted increases in the salinity of the lake on the productivity and composition of these mats and on A. franciscana fecundity is not well documented. In the present study, we applied molecular and microcosm-based approaches to investigate the effects of changing salinity on (1) the primary productivity, abundance, and composition of microbialite-associated mats of GSL, and (2) the fecundity and survivability of the secondary consumer, A. franciscana. When compared to microcosms incubated closest to the in situ measured salinity of 15.6%, the abundance of 16S rRNA gene templates increased in microcosms with lower salinities and decreased in those with higher salinities following a 7-week incubation period. The abundance of 16S rRNA gene sequences affiliated with dominant primary producers, including the cyanobacterium Euhalothece and the diatom Navicula, increased in microcosms incubated at decreased salinity, but decreased in microcosms incubated at increased salinity. Increased salinity also decreased the rate of primary production in microcosm assays containing mats incubated for 7 weeks and decreased the number of A. franciscana cysts that hatched and survived. These results indicate that an increase in the salinity of GSL is likely to have a negative impact on the productivity of microbialite communities and the fecundity and survivability of A. franciscana. These observations suggest that a sustained increase in the salinity of GSL and the effects this has on primary and secondary production could have an upward and negative cascading effect on higher-trophic-level ecological compartments that depend on A. franciscana as a food source, including a number of species of migratory birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melody R Lindsay
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana 59717, USA
| | - Rachel E Johnston
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana 59717, USA
| | - Bonnie K Baxter
- Great Salt Lake Institute and Department of Biology, Westminster College, Salt Lake City, Utah 84105, USA
| | - Eric S Boyd
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana 59717, USA
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16
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Edwards EC, Null SE. The cost of addressing saline lake level decline and the potential for water conservation markets. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 651:435-442. [PMID: 30243163 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2018] [Revised: 08/29/2018] [Accepted: 09/01/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The world's saline lakes are shrinking and human water diversions are a significant contributor. While there is increased interest in protecting the ecosystem services provided by these lakes, the cost of protecting water levels has not been estimated. To explore this question we consider the case of Great Salt Lake (Utah, USA) where human diversions from three rivers have caused the lake level to decline during the last century. Recent work has suggested the restoration of inflows is necessary to maintain a target elevation consistent with well-functioning ecosystems. We construct cost estimates of increasing water inflows using conservation cost curves for each river basin. We then compare the cost of uniform cutbacks to cap-and-trade systems which allow intra- and inter-basin trading. The cost of water to permanently implement uniform water right cutbacks to increase inflows by 20% above current levels is $37.4 million. Costs and cost-savings are sensitive to alternative allocation, inflow, and cost assumptions, and we estimate significant cost reductions from intra-basin water conservation markets (5-54% cost decrease) and inter-basin water conservation markets (22-57% cost decrease).
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric C Edwards
- Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, North Carolina State University, Campus Box 8109, 2801 Founders Drive, Raleigh, NC 27695, United States of America.
| | - Sarah E Null
- Department of Watershed Sciences, Utah State University, 5210 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322-5210, United States of America.
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17
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Baxter BK. Great Salt Lake microbiology: a historical perspective. Int Microbiol 2018; 21:79-95. [PMID: 30810951 PMCID: PMC6133049 DOI: 10.1007/s10123-018-0008-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2018] [Revised: 05/07/2018] [Accepted: 05/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Over geologic time, the water in the Bonneville basin has risen and fallen, most dramatically as freshwater Lake Bonneville lost enormous volume 15,000-13,000 years ago and became the modern day Great Salt Lake. It is likely that paleo-humans lived along the shores of this body of water as it shrunk to the present margins, and native peoples inhabited the surrounding desert and wetlands in recent times. Nineteenth century Euro-American explorers and pioneers described the geology, geography, and flora and fauna of Great Salt Lake, but their work attracted white settlers to Utah, who changed the lake immeasurably. Human intervention in the 1950s created two large sub-ecosystems, bisected by a railroad causeway. The north arm approaches ten times the salinity of sea water, while the south arm salinity is a meager four times that of the oceans. Great Salt Lake was historically referred to as sterile, leading to the nickname "America's Dead Sea." However, the salty brine is teaming with life, even in the hypersaline north arm. In fact, scientists have known that this lake contains a diversity of microscopic lifeforms for more than 100 years. This essay will explore the stories of the people who observed and researched the salty microbiology of Great Salt Lake, whose discoveries demonstrated the presence of bacteria, archaea, algae, and protozoa that thrive in this lake. These scientists documented the lake's microbiology as the lake changed, with input from human waste and the creation of impounded areas. Modern work on the microbiology of Great Salt Lake has added molecular approaches and illuminated the community structures in various regions, and fungi and viruses have now been described. The exploration of Great Salt Lake by scientists describing these tiny inhabitants of the brine illuminate the larger terminal lake with its many facets, anthropomorphic challenges, and ever-changing shorelines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bonnie K Baxter
- Great Salt Lake Institute, Westminster College, 1840 South 1300 East, Salt Lake City, UT, 84105, USA.
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18
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Charpentier CL, Cohen JH. Kairomones from an estuarine fish increase visual sensitivity in brine shrimp (Artemia franciscana) from Great Salt Lake, Utah, USA. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2017; 204:197-208. [PMID: 29164331 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-017-1230-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2017] [Revised: 11/13/2017] [Accepted: 11/15/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Chemical cues from fish, or kairomones, often impact the behavior of zooplankton. These behavioral changes are thought to improve predator avoidance. For example, marine and estuarine crustacean zooplankton become more sensitive to light after kairomone exposure, which likely deepens their vertical distribution into darker waters during the day and thereby reduces their visibility to fish predators. Here, we show that kairomones from an estuarine fish induce similar behavioral responses in adult brine shrimp (Artemia franciscana) from an endorheic, hypersaline lake, Great Salt Lake, Utah, USA. Given downwelling light stimuli, kairomone-exposed A. franciscana induce a descent response upon dimmer light flashes than they do in the absence of kairomones. Using extracellular electroretinogram (ERG) recordings, we also find that kairomones induce physiological changes in the retina that may lead to increased visual sensitivity, suggesting that kairomone-induced changes to photobehavior are mediated at the photoreceptor level. However, kairomones did not induce structural changes within the eye. Although A. franciscana inhabit endorheic environments that are too saline for most fish, kairomones from an estuarine fish amplify photobehavior in these branchiopod crustaceans. The mechanism for this behavioral change has both similarities to and differences from that described in marine malacostracan crustaceans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corie L Charpentier
- School of Marine Science and Policy, College of Earth, Ocean and Environment, University of Delaware, 700 Pilottown Road, Lewes, DE, 19958, USA. .,Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Institute of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, Rutgers University, 71 Dudley Rd, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA.
| | - Jonathan H Cohen
- School of Marine Science and Policy, College of Earth, Ocean and Environment, University of Delaware, 700 Pilottown Road, Lewes, DE, 19958, USA
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19
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Essentials of Endorheic Basins and Lakes: A Review in the Context of Current and Future Water Resource Management and Mitigation Activities in Central Asia. WATER 2017. [DOI: 10.3390/w9100798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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20
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Valdes C, Black FJ, Stringham B, Collins JN, Goodman JR, Saxton HJ, Mansfield CR, Schmidt JN, Yang S, Johnson WP. Total Mercury and Methylmercury Response in Water, Sediment, and Biota to Destratification of the Great Salt Lake, Utah, United States. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2017; 51:4887-4896. [PMID: 28399629 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.6b05790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Measurements of chemical and physical parameters made before and after sealing of culverts in the railroad causeway spanning the Great Salt Lake in late 2013 documented dramatic alterations in the system in response to the elimination of flow between the Great Salt Lake's north and south arms. The flow of denser, more-saline water through the culverts from the north arm (Gunnison Bay) to the south arm (Gilbert Bay) previously drove the perennial stratification of the south arm and the existence of oxic shallow brine and anoxic deep brine layers. Closure of the causeway culverts occurred concurrently with a multiyear drought that resulted in a decrease in the lake elevation and a concomitant increase in top-down erosion of the upper surface of the deep brine layer by wind-forced mixing. The combination of these events resulted in the replacement of the formerly stratified water column in the south arm with one that was vertically homogeneous and oxic. Total mercury concentrations in the deep waters of the south arm decreased by approximately 81% and methylmercury concentrations in deep waters decreased by roughly 86% due to destratification. Methylmercury concentrations decreased by 77% in underlying surficial sediment, whereas there was no change observed in total mercury. The dramatic mercury loss from deep waters and methylmercury loss from underlying sediment in response to causeway sealing provides new understanding of the potential role of the deep brine layer in the accumulation and persistence of methylmercury in the Great Salt Lake. Additional mercury measurements in biota appear to contradict the previously implied connection between elevated methylmercury concentrations in the deep brine layer and elevated mercury in avian species reported prior to causeway sealing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla Valdes
- Department of Geology & Geophysics, University of Utah , Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, United States
| | - Frank J Black
- Department of Chemistry, Westminster College , Salt Lake City, Utah 84105, United States
| | - Blair Stringham
- Division of Wildlife Resources, Utah Department of Natural Resources , Salt Lake City, Utah 84114, United States
| | - Jeffrey N Collins
- Department of Chemistry, Westminster College , Salt Lake City, Utah 84105, United States
| | - James R Goodman
- Department of Chemistry, Westminster College , Salt Lake City, Utah 84105, United States
| | - Heidi J Saxton
- Department of Chemistry, Westminster College , Salt Lake City, Utah 84105, United States
| | | | - Joshua N Schmidt
- Department of Chemistry, Westminster College , Salt Lake City, Utah 84105, United States
| | - Shu Yang
- Department of Geology & Geophysics, University of Utah , Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, United States
| | - William P Johnson
- Department of Geology & Geophysics, University of Utah , Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, United States
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21
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Roberts AJ, Conover MR. Nutrient Recycling by Eared Grebes in the Great Salt Lake. WEST N AM NATURALIST 2016. [DOI: 10.3398/064.076.0304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Anthony J. Roberts
- Department of Wildland Resources, Utah State University, 5230 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322
- Present address: USFWS Division of Migratory Birds, 11510 American Holly Dr., Laurel, MD 20708
| | - Michael R. Conover
- Department of Wildland Resources, Utah State University, 5230 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322
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22
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Hand SC, Denlinger DL, Podrabsky JE, Roy R. Mechanisms of animal diapause: recent developments from nematodes, crustaceans, insects, and fish. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2016; 310:R1193-211. [PMID: 27053646 PMCID: PMC4935499 DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00250.2015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 140] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2015] [Accepted: 03/11/2016] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Life cycle delays are beneficial for opportunistic species encountering suboptimal environments. Many animals display a programmed arrest of development (diapause) at some stage(s) of their development, and the diapause state may or may not be associated with some degree of metabolic depression. In this review, we will evaluate current advancements in our understanding of the mechanisms responsible for the remarkable phenotype, as well as environmental cues that signal entry and termination of the state. The developmental stage at which diapause occurs dictates and constrains the mechanisms governing diapause. Considerable progress has been made in clarifying proximal mechanisms of metabolic arrest and the signaling pathways like insulin/Foxo that control gene expression patterns. Overlapping themes are also seen in mechanisms that control cell cycle arrest. Evidence is emerging for epigenetic contributions to diapause regulation via small RNAs in nematodes, crustaceans, insects, and fish. Knockdown of circadian clock genes in selected insect species supports the importance of clock genes in the photoperiodic response that cues diapause. A large suite of chaperone-like proteins, expressed during diapause, protects biological structures during long periods of energy-limited stasis. More information is needed to paint a complete picture of how environmental cues are coupled to the signal transduction that initiates the complex diapause phenotype, as well as molecular explanations for how the state is terminated. Excellent examples of molecular memory in post-dauer animals have been documented in Caenorhabditis elegans It is clear that a single suite of mechanisms does not regulate diapause across all species and developmental stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven C Hand
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana;
| | - David L Denlinger
- Departments of Entomology and Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
| | - Jason E Podrabsky
- Department of Biology, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon; and
| | - Richard Roy
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
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23
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Roberts AJ, Conover MR, Vest JL. Environmental Influences on Wintering Duck Abundance at Great Salt Lake, Utah. WEST N AM NATURALIST 2016. [DOI: 10.3398/064.076.0104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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24
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Sura SA, Belovsky GE. Impacts of harvesting on brine shrimp (Artemia franciscana) in Great Salt Lake, Utah, USA. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2016; 26:407-414. [PMID: 27209783 DOI: 10.1890/15-0776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Selective harvesting can cause evolutionary responses in populations via shifts in phenotypic characteristics, especially those affecting life history. Brine shrimp (Artemia franciscana) cysts in Great Salt Lake (GSL), Utah, USA are commercially harvested with techniques that select against floating cysts. This selective pressure could cause evolutionary changes over time. Our objectives are to (1) determine if there is a genetic basis to cyst buoyancy, (2) determine if cyst buoyancy and nauplii mortality have changed over time, and (3) to examine GSL environmental conditions over time to distinguish whether selective harvesting pressure or a trend in environmental conditions caused changes in cyst buoyancy and nauplii mortality. Mating crosses between floating and sinking parental phenotypes with two food concentrations (low and high) indicated there is a genetic basis to cyst buoyancy. Using cysts harvested from 1991-2011, we found cyst buoyancy decreased and nauplii mortality increased over time. Data on water temperature, salinity, and chlorophyll a concentration in GSL from 1994 to 2011 indicated that although water temperature has increased over time and chlorophyll a concentration has decreased over time, the selective harvesting pressure against floating cysts is a better predictor of changes in cyst buoyancy and nauplii mortality over time than trends in environmental conditions. Harvesting of GSL A. franciscana cysts is causing evolutionary changes, which has implications for the sustainable management and harvesting of these cysts. Monitoring phenotypic characteristics and life-history traits of the population should be implemented and appropriate responses taken to reduce the impacts of the selective harvesting.
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25
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Redon S, Berthelemy NJ, Mutafchiev Y, Amat F, Georgiev BB, Vasileva GP. Helminth parasites of Artemia franciscana (Crustacea: Branchiopoda) in the Great Salt Lake, Utah: first data from the native range of this invader of European wetlands. Folia Parasitol (Praha) 2015; 62. [PMID: 26040582 DOI: 10.14411/fp.2015.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2015] [Accepted: 03/19/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The present study is the first survey on the role of Artemia franciscana Kellogg as intermediate host of helminth parasites in its native geographical range in North America (previous studies have recorded nine cestode and one nematode species from this host in its invasive habitats in the Western Mediterranean). Samples of Artemia franciscana were collected from four sites in the Great Salt Lake (GSL), Utah, across several months (June-September 2009). A. franciscana serves as intermediate host of five helminth species in this lake. Four of them are cestodes: three hymenolepidids, i.e. Confluaria podicipina (Szymanski, 1905) (adults parasitic in grebes), Hymenolepis (sensu lato) californicus Young, 1950 (adults parasitic in gulls), Wardium sp. (definitive host unknown, probably charadriiform birds), and one dilepidid, Fuhrmannolepis averini Spassky et Yurpalova, 1967 (adults parasitic in phalaropes). In addition, an unidentified nematode of the family Acuariidae was recorded. Confluaria podicipina is the most prevalent and abundant parasite at all sampling sites, followed by H. (s. l.) californicus. The species composition of the parasites and the spatial variations in their prevalence and abundance reflect the abundance and distribution of aquatic birds serving as their definitive hosts. The temporal dynamics of the overall helminth infections exhibits the highest prevalence in the last month of study at each site (August or September). This native population of A. franciscana from GSL is characterised with higher prevalence, intensity and abundance of the overall cestode infection compared to the introduced populations of this species in the Palaearctic Region. The values of the infection descriptors in the native population of A. franciscana are slightly lower or in some cases similar to those of the Palaearctic species Artemia parthenogenetica Barigozzi (diploid populations) and Artemia salina (Linnaeus) in their native habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stella Redon
- Institute of Aquaculture Torre de la Sal, CSIC, Castellon, Spain
| | - Nicole J Berthelemy
- Department of Zoology, College of Science, Weber State University, Ogden, USA
| | - Yasen Mutafchiev
- Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria This article contains supporting information (Fig. S1, Tables S1-S3) online at http://folia.paru.cas.cz/suppl/2015-62-030.pdf
| | - Francisco Amat
- Institute of Aquaculture Torre de la Sal, CSIC, Castellon, Spain
| | - Boyko B Georgiev
- Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria This article contains supporting information (Fig. S1, Tables S1-S3) online at http://folia.paru.cas.cz/suppl/2015-62-030.pdf
| | - Gergana P Vasileva
- Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria This article contains supporting information (Fig. S1, Tables S1-S3) online at http://folia.paru.cas.cz/suppl/2015-62-030.pdf
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26
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Roberts AJ, Conover MR. Diet and body mass of ducks in the presence of commercial harvest of brine shrimp cysts in the Great Salt Lake, Utah. J Wildl Manage 2014. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Anthony J. Roberts
- Department of Wildland Resources; Utah State University; Logan UT 84322 USA
| | - Michael R. Conover
- Department of Wildland Resources; Utah State University; Logan UT 84322 USA
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27
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Wurtsbaugh WA. The Great Salt Lake Ecosystem (Utah, USA): long term data and a structural equation approach: Comment. Ecosphere 2014. [DOI: 10.1890/es13-00335.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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28
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Roberts AJ, Conover MR, Luft J, Neill J. Population fluctuations and distribution of staging Eared Grebes (Podiceps nigricollis) in North America. CAN J ZOOL 2013. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2013-0181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Eared Grebes (Podiceps nigricollis Brehm, 1831) use saline ecosystems throughout much of their life cycle, and greater than 90% of the North American population stage during fall at two hypersaline lakes. At one of these lakes, Great Salt Lake (GSL), Utah, a commercial harvest of brine shrimp (Artemia franciscana Kellogg, 1906) cysts occurs during fall and may impact Eared Grebe populations. We used photo surveys on the other hypersaline lake, Mono Lake, California, and on the GSL, as well as aerial counts on the GSL, to describe population fluctuations of Eared Grebes staging on these lakes. The long-term (1997–2012) Eared Grebe population was 1.4 million on the GSL and 1.0 million on Mono Lake. Populations changed on GSL and Mono Lake in synchrony, indicating population regulation is likely occurring at wintering, not staging, areas and is influenced by El Niño effects. Location of Eared Grebes on the GSL was influenced by brine shrimp densities and did not overlap with concentrations of commercial harvest boats. Spatial segregation of commercial harvesters and Eared Grebes reduces negative impacts of anthropogenic disturbance on Eared Grebes. Knowledge of population changes within and among staging areas will help managers monitor long-term abundances and reduce negative impacts between Eared Grebes and commercial harvesters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony J. Roberts
- Department of Wildland Resources, Utah State University, 5230 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322, USA
| | - Michael R. Conover
- Department of Wildland Resources, Utah State University, 5230 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322, USA
| | - John Luft
- Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, 4790 South 7500 West, Hooper, UT 84315, USA
| | - John Neill
- Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, 4790 South 7500 West, Hooper, UT 84315, USA
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Roberts AJ, Conover MR. Eared grebe diet on Great Salt Lake, Utah, and competition with the commercial harvest of brine shrimp cysts. J Wildl Manage 2013. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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Grace JB, Schoolmaster DR, Guntenspergen GR, Little AM, Mitchell BR, Miller KM, Schweiger EW. Guidelines for a graph-theoretic implementation of structural equation modeling. Ecosphere 2012. [DOI: 10.1890/es12-00048.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 346] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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