Effects of Surface Runoff From a Landfill Containing Coal Ash on Water Chemistry in Adjacent Surface Water in Perry County, Alabama
Coal ash is a combustion residue that is a major byproduct of coal-powered electricity generation. Coal ash often contains contaminants including arsenic, boron, chromium, and sulfide. In 2008, Perry County’s Arrowhead landfill became the recipient of 2.3 million m3 of coal ash removed from the Emory and Clinch Rivers after a rupture of TVA Kingston Fossil Plant’s coal ash containment site. This landfill is adjacent to several residences and the upstream of small tributaries that run through fields of cattle and into local creeks. We surveyed surface water around the landfill in the summer of 2013 and January 2014 to determine if the water quality was affected by the landfill. The conductivity, total dissolved solids, and arsenic concentration of the water directly running off and adjacent to the landfill were significantly higher than a control stream that does not interact with the landfill (P < 0.01). Arsenic levels were higher than EPA drinking water, but not surface water, guidelines. Concentrations of other indicators of coal ash such as boron, chromium, and sulfide were not significantly different from the control. This preliminary evidence indicates that the landfill has an effect on the water quality in tributaries of Chilatchee Creek.
Dept of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Samford University, Birmingham, AL.
P116 • Donna Saylor, William Ensign
Growth Rate of Tipulidae on Ligustrum sinense And Liriodendron tulipifera
Ligustrum sinense (Chinese Privet) becomes more common in stream riparian zones as urbanization increases. As native deciduous species are replaced and privet takes over, the proportion of privet in the leaf litter increases, changing the food source of invertebrate shredders in the stream. The main purpose of this study was to determine if invertebrates in the family Tipulidae, a main shredder of leaf litter, will utilize L. sinense as a food source. We hypothesize that tipulids will prefer a diet of native Liriodendron tulipifera (Tulip Poplar) over a diet of L. sinense.To test this hypothesis, we compared the relative growth rates of tipulids on diets of L. sinense and L. tulipifera . Our prediction was that the growth rate of tipulids on L. sinense would be less than the growth rate of tipulids on L. tulipifera . Tipulids were maintained in laboratory mesocosms for six weeks and fed an ad libitum diet of either preconditioned L. sinense or L. tulipifera leaves. Leaves were preconditioned by placing leaf packs into a stream to allow colonization by microbes and fungi. Weights were obtained weekly and any mortalities recorded. There were no significant differences in growth rates between the treatments, but overall mortality was higher on the L. sinense diet.
Dept of Biology and Physics, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA
P117 • Michael Schooling, William Ensign
Urbanization and Gut Length in Campostoma oligolepis
Urbanization can dramatically alter watersheds resulting in shifts in autochthonous and allocthonous contributions to trophic pathways. Differences in food quality and algal or periphyton nutritional content have been linked to differences in the gut lengths of herbivorous freshwater fishes. The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a relationship between stream urbanization levels and gut length in Campostoma oligolepis, an herbivorous minnow. Campostoma oligolepis were obtained from 12 sites in tributaries to the Etowah River in northwest Georgia. Urbanization levels for the sites ranged from heavily impacted by urban development to fully forested. Watershed area also varied at the twelve sites, ranging from 3.6 km2 to 133.1 km 2. Twenty individuals were obtained from each site, preserved and returned to the lab where the entire gastrointestinal tract was removed and measured. Standard length of each individual was also measured and a gut length/fish length ratio (Qg) established. There were significant differences in Q g among sites (ANOVA p < 0.05) with fish from sites with higher levels of urbanization exhibiting lower Qg ratios. Also, in watersheds with high levels of urbanization Qg increased with decreasing stream size while the pattern was reversed in watersheds with lower urbanization levels. These patterns are consistent with the expected increase in quantity and quality of periphyton that should be found in urbanized watersheds.
Dept of Biology and Physics, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA
P118 • Rachel Schomaker, Molly Klinepeter, Celina Bellanceau, Gabriel Herrick
Habitat Distribution and Ecology of Dragonfly and Damselfly Naiads
Predation plays a key role in sustaining the overall community structure of an ecosystem. Dragonfly and damselfly naiads (order Odonata) are predators in aquatic habitats; they contribute to the control of prey populations, which has the potential to affect both the aquatic and the surrounding terrestrial ecosystems. We investigate the relationship between Odonata naiad abundance and habitat structure. Odonata naiads were collected from four habitat types in a lake in Florida to investigate the distribution and abundance of the naiads in each different habitat. We hypothesized that the naiads would be distributed in higher abundances for habitats with vegetation present. Further, we expected differences in Odonata naiad abundances between habitats to correlate with differences in the community structures. We found that habitat type does have a significant affect (p<0.01) on the abundance of Odonata naiads. Furthermore, naiad abundance differed among sites with different types of vegetation, indicating that vegetation type is important to naiad distribution. An avenue for future research includes investigating the effects of naiad abundance on community structure.
