Digital Commons Network^™

Disruptions Of The Supratemporal Canal In The Snubnose Darter (Etheostoma Simoterum), Chauntelle Bryauna Williams

Masters Theses

It has been hypothesized that environmental degradation, specifically from chemical pollution, may cause darters of the subgenus Ulocentra (Family Percidae) to develop interrupted supratemporal canals (part of the cephalic sensory system) as individuals mature. Preserved museum specimens of Etheostoma simoterum exhibit uninterrupted and interrupted supratemporal canals. The objectives of my study were to observe the Etheostoma simoterum and their supratemporal canal, document if the supratemporal canals are interrupted or uninterrupted, and to determine whether frequency of canal interruptions s vary based on geographical location and source of aquatic impairment.

The specimens (N ~720) were collected by the Tennessee Valley Authority …

Characterizing The Concentration, Duration, And Frequency Of Turbid Events In Tennessee Streams: Potential For Macroinvertebrate Impairment, Robert Ryan Woockman

Masters Theses

The impairment of lotic systems due to siltation is one of the most common factors leading to a stream being placed on the 303d list. Once a stream reach is placed on the 303d list, a state’s environmental regulatory agency must then develop sediment total maximum daily loads (TMDLs). However, a deficiency exists in available methods for assessing biotic response to siltation, creating the inability to set TMDLs functionally related to cause of impairment. Water quality sondes can collect voluminous amounts of turbidity data and stage data at intervals that can be used to characterize concentration, duration, and frequency (CDF) …

Correlating Suspended Sediment And Biological Metrics In East Tennessee Streams, Jeremy Robert Mefford

Masters Theses

Excessive suspended sediment is a major cause of pollution in US streams, as reported by the USEPA. Also known as siltation, having excessive sediment in a stream harms the biology of a stream through directly affecting living organisms, but also through harming natural habitats. Too much excessive sediment leads to a stream being declared impaired. Testing for suspended sediment levels is difficult and time consuming, so indirect methods of testing for total suspended solids (TSS) are desirable. While turbidity has been an oft used TSS surrogate in the past, this study takes the next step of looking at potential relationships …