Digital Commons Network^™

Chemoorganotrophic Bacteria Isolated From Biodeteriorated Surfaces In Cave And Catacombs, Filomena De Leo, Agnese Iero, Gabrielle Zammit, Clara E. Urzi

International Journal of Speleology

The main objective of this work was the comparative analysis of a large number of bacterial strains isolated from biodeteriorated surfaces in three different sites, namely the catacombs of St. Callistus in Rome, Italy, the catacombs dedicated to St. Agatha in Rabat, Malta and the Cave of Bats in Zuheros, Spain. Our results showed that even considering only culturable chemoorganotrophic bacteria the variability is very high, reflecting the great variety of microhabitats present. Hence any strategies to prevent, control or eliminate the biofilm-embedded microbiota from an archeological surface should take into account a number of considerations as stipulated in our …

Chemical Defense In The Cave-Dwelling Millipede Brachydesmus Troglobius Daday, 1889 (Diplopoda, Polydesmidae), Slobodan E. Makarov, Ljubodrag V. Vujisić, Božidar P. M. Ćurčić, Bojan S. Ilić, Vele V. Tešević, Vlatka E. Vajs, Ivan M. Vučković, Bojan M. Mitić, Luka R. Lučić, Iris Ž. Đorđević

International Journal of Speleology

The troglomorphic millipede Brachydesmus troglobius Daday, 1889 (Polydesmida: Polydesmidae) secretes allomones from glands on both lateral surfaces of its body segments. The secretion was identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis with electron and chemical ionization, and was shown to be composed of a mixture of benzaldehyde, benzyl alcohol, benzoylnitrile, benzoic acid and mandelonitrile benzoate. Hydrogen cyanide was qualitatively identified by the picric acid test. This is the first identification of these compounds in a cave-dwelling polydesmid.

Bacterial Community Survey Of Sediments At Naracoorte Caves, Australia, Eric M. Adetutu, Krystal Thorpe, Esmaeil Shahsavari, Steven Bourne, Xiangsheng Cao, Ramin Mazaheri Nezhad Fard, Greg Kirby, Andrew S. Ball

International Journal of Speleology

Bacterial diversity in sediments at UNESCO World Heritage listed Naracoorte Caves was surveyed as part of an investigation carried out in a larger study on assessing microbial diversity in caves. Cave selection was based on tourist accessibility; Stick Tomato and Alexandra Cave (> 15000 annual visits) and Strawhaven Cave was used as control (no tourist access). Microbial analysis showed that Bacillus was the most commonly detected microbial genus by culture dependent and independent survey of tourist accessible and inaccessible areas of show (tourist accessible) and control caves. Sediment bacterial groups were assigned to the Firmicutes, Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria. The survey …

Duality Of Terrestrial Subterranean Fauna, Tone Novak, Matjaž Perc, Saška Lipovšek, Franc Janžekovič

International Journal of Speleology

Terrestrial animals in subterranean habitats are often classified according to their degree of morphological or ecological specialization to the subterranean environment. The commonly held view is that, as distance into a cave increases, the frequency of morphologically specialized, i.e., troglomorphic, species or ecological specialization will increase. We tested this hypothesis for the fauna in 54 caves in Slovenia–the classical land for subterranean biology. We found that there exist two ecologically well separated terrestrial subsurface faunas: one shallow and one deep. 1) The shallow subterranean fauna, adapted to the terrestrial shallow subterranean habitats (SSHs) in the upper 10 m of subsurface …

Distribution Survey Of Cyanobacteria In Three Greek Caves Of Peloponnese, Vasiliki Lamprinou, Daniel B. Danielidis Associate Professor, Athena Economou-Amilli Professor, Adriani Pantazidou Assistant Professor

International Journal of Speleology

Caves and hypogean environments host various phototrophic microorganisms, with Cyanobacteria constituting the major group. The spatial and temporal distribution of Cyanobacteria (156 taxa in total) from three Greek caves, located in the limestone arc of Peloponnese and differing in morphology, was studied. The community patterns in different ecological niches were analyzed in relation to environmental parameters (Photosynthetically Active Radiation, Temperature, and Relative Humidity). Cyanobacterial communities were found to thrive in patchy biofilms and showed known protective strategies against desiccation and irradiation. The nMDS analysis of the cumulative seasonal samples per sampling site showed no general pattern of distribution, with a …

Corrosion Of Limestone Tablets In Sulfidic Ground-Water: Measurements And Speleogenetic Implications, Sandro Galdenzi

International Journal of Speleology

The measurement of the weight loss in limestone tablets placed in the Grotta del Fiume (Frasassi, Italy) provided data on the rate of limestone dissolution due to the sulfidic water and on the influence of local environmental conditions.

A linear average corrosion rate of 24 mm ka^-1 was measured in stagnant water, while the values were higher (68-119 mm ka^-1) where the hydrologic conditions facilitate water movement and gas exchanges. In these zones the increase in water aggressivity is due to mixing with descending, O₂-rich, seepage water and is also favored by easier gas exchange …

Speleothem Microstructure/Speleothem Ontogeny: A Review Of Western Contributions, William B. White

International Journal of Speleology

Mineral ontogeny is the study of the growth and development of mineral deposits in general and, in the present context, speleothems in particular. Previous researchers, mainly in Russia, have developed a nomenclatural hierarchy based on the forms and habits of individual crystals and the assembly of individual crystals into both monomineralic and polymineralic aggregates (i.e. speleothems). Although investigations of the growth processes of speleothems are sparse, there is a large literature on growth processes of speleothem minerals and related crystals in the geochemical and materials science literature. The purpose of the present paper is to sort through the various concepts …

The World’S Deepest Subterranean Community - Krubera-Voronja Cave (Western Caucasus), Alberto Sendra, Ana Sofia P.S. Reboleira

International Journal of Speleology

Subsurface biota extends over a wide variety of habitats that can be spatially interconnected. The largest communities of this subsurface biota inhabit cavities and are well known mainly in caves where biologists are able to have access. Data about deep subterranean communities and arthropods living under one thousand meters was unknown.

An expedition to world’s deepest cave, Krubera-Voronja in Western Caucasus, revealed an interesting subterranean community, living below 2000 meters and represented by more than 12 species of arthropods, including several new species for science. This deep cave biota is composed of troglobionts and also epigean species, that can penetrate …

Management In A Neotropical Show Cave: Planning For Invertebrates Conservation, Thais Giovannini Pellegrini, Rodrigo Lopes Ferreira

International Journal of Speleology

Lapa Nova is a dolomitic cave about 4.5 km long located in northwestern Minas Gerais state, Brazil. The cave experiences intense tourism, concentrated over a single period of the year, during the Feast of Our Lady of Lapa. In order to evaluate the impacts felt by the invertebrate community from this tourism, a new methodology was proposed. Four types of areas (intense visitation area, outlying visitation areas, moderate visitation areas and no-visitation areas) were sampled for invertebrates. There was one sampling prior and another on the last day of the 128^th feast, to evaluate the effects of visitation on …

Shelf-Scale Mapping Of Fish Distribution Using Active And Passive Acoustics, Carrie Christy Wall

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Fish sound production has been associated with courtship and spawning behavior. Acoustic recordings of fish sounds can be used to identify distribution and behavior. Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) can record large amounts of acoustic data in a specific area for days to years. These data can be collected in remote locations under potentially unsafe seas throughout a 24-hour period providing datasets unattainable using observer-based methods. However, the instruments must withstand the caustic ocean environment and be retrieved to obtain the recorded data. This can prove difficult due to the risk of PAMs being lost, stolen or damaged, especially in highly …

Something Is Askew In Florida's Water: Arguing For A Better Descriptive Statistic For Positively Skewed Water-Quality Data, Amie October West

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

It may be of no surprise that water quality data is right-skewed, but what appears to be overlooked by some is that the arithmetic mean and standard deviation most often fail as measures of central tendency in skewed data. When using the arithmetic mean and arithmetic standard deviation with nutrient data, one standard deviation about the arithmetic mean can capture nearly all of the data and extend into negative values. Representing nutrient data this way can be misleading to viewers who are using the statistics, and making assumptions, to understand the characteristics of those waters. Through an in-depth statistical …

Variability In Hydrology And Ecosystem Properties And Their Role In Regulating Soil Organic Matter Stability In Wetlands Of West-Central Florida, Sharon Jean Feit

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Soil organic matter (SOM) provides many ecosystem services that are necessary for continued ecosystem function. The accumulation of SOM in an ecosystem is a function of its persistence time which can range from days to thousands of years. Ecosystem properties including dominant vegetation type, soil texture, and soil moisture in various habitats can regulate the persistence time of SOM.

Wetlands, because of their associated ecosystem properties, promote SOM accumulation, but little has been done to determine the ecosystem properties that regulate its persistence over time. In west-central Florida, urbanization and increased water demands have suppressed water tables in isolated wetland …

Stable Isotope Analysis Of Busycon Sinistrum To Determine Fort Walton-Period Seasonality At St. Joseph Bay, Northwest Florida, Ryan Michael Harke

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Recent archaeological investigations indicate that coastal Fort Walton cultures in the St. Joseph Bay region of northwest Florida emphasized marine and estuarine foraging. These late prehistoric (A.D. 1000-1500) peoples collected fish, shellfish, and other aquatic resources. At the Richardson's Hammock site (8Gu10), radiocarbon-dated to about A.D. 1300, as at dozens of other shell middens around this salty bay, large gastropods were a major subsistence component. This adaptation is in sharp contrast with that of contemporaneous inland Fort Walton societies, who relied on maize agriculture. It is unknown whether coastal groups represent separate hunter-gatherer-fisher populations or seasonal migrations by inland …

Remote Sensing Of Whitings In The Bahamas, Ryan Allen Lloyd

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Whitings on both the Great Bahama Bank (GBB) and Little Bahama Bank (LBB) were evaluated using data collected from 2000-2010 by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instruments onboard the Terra and Aqua satellites. A semi-objective method was developed to classify whiting patches from other look-alike features using the recently developed Floating Algae Index (FAI) algorithm, an empirical cloud masking algorithm, and a gradient analysis from the 250-m resolution MODIS data. A total of 1,500 images with minimal cloud cover was used to calculate long-term and seasonal trends as well as an average daily coverage for both banks. Annual and …

Impact Of Vegetation On Land-Atmosphere Coupling Strength And Its Implication For Desertification Mitigation Over East Asia, Boksoon Myoung, Yong-Sang Choi, Suk-Jin Choi, Seon Ki Park

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Desertification of the East Asian drylands and the consequent dust transport have been serious concerns for adjacent Asian countries as well as the western United States. Tree planting has been considered one applicable strategy to mitigate the desertification. However, the desired effect of the tree planting would not be brought to fruition unless the newly planted trees change the coupling characteristics between the land and the atmosphere. Based on this perception, we attempt to clarify the effects of vegetation on the coupling strength between the atmosphere and land surface, and we suggest the most efficient areas of tree planting for …

A New Phase Speciation Leaching Procedure For The Determination Of Metals In Oxic And Anoxic Sediments, Brandon R. Gipson

OES Theses and Dissertations

Toxic trace elements such as cadmium, lead, chromium, and arsenic released by human activities can accumulate in marine and estuarine sediments, where these metals are often sequestered until local environmental changes (e.g., redox, salinity, and/or pH) allow these elements to be reintroduced into the food web. In order to assess the extent of toxic trace element contamination in sediment, numerous leaching schemes have been developed that separate sediment-bound trace metals into operationally defined geochemical phases. These "phase speciation" leaching schemes are typically designed with the purpose of being used on either oxic or anoxic sediments. However, natural sediments often contain …

Evaluation Of Single-Step Steam Pyrolysis-Activated Carbons From Lesotho Agro-Forestry Residues, I. Hapazari, V. Ntuli, W. Parawira

Tanzania Journal of Science

Activated carbon has been widely used worldwide as an effective filtration or adsorption material for removing biological and chemical contaminants from drinking water. The potential of producing activated carbon (AC) from local agroforestry residues by single-step steam pyrolysis processes was investigated. The research aims to promote innovative use of local raw materials and relatively low-cost techniques in production of activated carbon. Four varieties of activated carbons from four different agroforestry residues, pine (Pinus contorta) cones (PC), Abies (Abies cilicica) seeds (AS), maple (Acer ginnala) seeds (MS) and peach (Prunus persica) stones (PS), were prepared and evaluated. The ACs were evaluated …

Landsat Remote Sensing Data As An Alternative Approach For Geological Mapping In Tanzania: A Case Study In The Rungwe Volcanic Province, South-Western Tanzania, E. E. Mshiu

Tanzania Journal of Science

Rungwe Volcanic Province (RVP) is mostly covered by extrusive rocks that overlain the Precambrian basement. The use of Landsat data in this area has revealed the need of effective use of these data in geological mapping programs in Tanzania. Landsat band ratios 5/1, 3/7, 5/7 and 5/4 as well as R: G: B composite images 7:4:1, 7:5:4, 1/3:5/7:3/5 and 4/5:6/7:4/6 played an important role in identifying different rock types in the study area. Ratio images managed clearly to distinguish between mafic and felsic rocks whereby two lithological blocks were identified, Block 1 covers a combination of intrusive and metamorphic rocks …

Host-Parasites Relationship For Lake Victoria Clariid Fishes And Their Parasite Fauna, C. J. Mwita

Tanzania Journal of Science

Host-parasite co-evolutionary relationships for the clariid fish species of the Lake Victoria basin and their parasite fauna was inferred by cytochrome b gene and the 18S rDNA using ‘a strict coevolutionary’ constrained tree method, the results of which revealed a phylogenetic incongruence between the fish hosts and their parasite fauna. The present study further indicated that the sympatric association between the clariid hosts and non-clariid fishes in Lake Victoria makes it possible for the parasites to switch from one host to another and hence the large number of shared parasites observed. The specificity of some of the parasites, e.g. Diplostomum …

Quantitative Field Testing Rotylenchulus Reniformis Dna From Metagenomic Samples Isolated Directly From Soil., Kurt Showmaker, Gary W. Lawrence, Shien Lu, Clarissa Balbalian, Vincent P. Klink

CALS Publications

A quantitative PCR procedure targeting the ?-tubulin gene determined the number of Rotylenchulus reniformis Linford & Oliveira 1940 in metagenomic DNA samples isolated from soil. Of note, this outcome was in the presence of other soil-dwelling plant parasitic nematodes including its sister genus Helicotylenchus Steiner, 1945. The methodology provides a framework for molecular diagnostics of nematodes from metagenomic DNA isolated directly from soil.

Hydrological Parameter Estimations From A Conservative Tracer Test With Variable-Density Effects At The Boise Hydrogeophysical Research Site, B. Dafflon, Warren Barrash, Michael Cardiff, T. C. Johnson

CGISS Publications and Presentations

Reliable predictions of groundwater flow and solute transport require an estimation of the detailed distribution of the parameters (e.g., hydraulic conductivity, effective porosity) controlling these processes. However, such parameters are difficult to estimate because of the inaccessibility and complexity of the subsurface. In this regard, developments in parameter estimation techniques and investigations of field experiments are still challenging and necessary to improve our understanding and the prediction of hydrological processes. Here we analyze a conservative tracer test conducted at the Boise Hydrogeophysical Research Site in 2001 in a heterogeneous unconfined fluvial aquifer. Some relevant characteristics of this test include: variable-density …

Vulnerability Of High Latitude Soil Organic Carbon In North America To Disturbance, Guido Grosse, Jennifer Harden, Merritt Turetsky, David A. Mcguire, Philip Camill, Charles Tarnocai, Steve Frolking, Edward A.G. Schuur, Torre Jorgenson, Sergei Marchenko, Vladimir Romanovsky, Kimberly P. Wickland, Nancy H. F. French, Mark Waldrop, Laura Bourgeau-Chavez, Robert G. Striegl

Michigan Tech Research Institute Publications

This synthesis addresses the vulnerability of the North American high-latitude soil organic carbon (SOC) pool to climate change. Disturbances caused by climate warming in arctic, subarctic, and boreal environments can result in significant redistribution of C among major reservoirs with potential global impacts. We divide the current northern high-latitude SOC pools into (1) near-surface soils where SOC is affected by seasonal freeze-thaw processes and changes in moisture status, and (2) deeper permafrost and peatland strata down to several tens of meters depth where SOC is usually not affected by short-term changes. We address key factors (permafrost, vegetation, hydrology, paleoenvironmental history) …

Surface Water Characteristics Of The Weaber Plain And Lower Keep River Catchments: Data Review And Preliminary Results, D L. Bennett, Richard J. George Dr

Resource management technical reports

In 2008, the Ord Irrigation Expansion Project was approved by the Western Australian Government to develop irrigated agriculture on the Weaber Plain.

An important concern is the effect the Weaber Plain agricultural development may have on the water quality of the downstream Border Creek and Keep River

This report assembles and reviews all available physico-chemical water quality data for the lower Keep River and Border Creek systems and presents data from the initial year of a targeted baseline monitoring program (June 2010 – June 2013).

Three-Dimensionally Preserved Integument Reveals Hydrodynamic Adaptations In The Extinct Marine Lizard Ectenosaurus (Reptilia, Mosasauridae), Johan Lindgren, Michael J. Everhart, Michael W. Caldwell

Sternberg Museum of Natural History Faculty Publications

The physical properties of water and the environment it presents to its inhabitants provide stringent constraints and selection pressures affecting aquatic adaptation and evolution. Mosasaurs (a group of secondarily aquatic reptiles that occupied a broad array of predatory niches in the Cretaceous marine ecosystems about 98-65 million years ago) have traditionally been considered as anguilliform locomotors capable only of generating short bursts of speed during brief ambush pursuits. Here we report on an exceptionally preserved, long-snouted mosasaur (Ectenosaurus clidastoides) from the Santonian (Upper Cretaceous) part of the Smoky Hill Chalk Member of the Niobrara Formation in western Kansas, USA, that …

Relating Land Cover And Channel Morphology To Stream Flow Function In The Lower Pee Dee Watershed, South Carolina, Zachary Smoot

All Theses

The South Carolina Pee Dee Project (SCPDP) aims to develop a method for the determination of Minimum Allowable Flows (MAFs) in streams in the Pee Dee region. This study is a portion of the larger SCPDP, focusing primarily upon analyses of geomorphic and hydrologic processes, as well as landscape and habitat analyses. Specific objectives include: 1) To distinguish the effect of various land cover classes and scales of analyses on components of stream flow function; 2) To determine trends in hydraulic geometry (regional curves) for the SCPDP region; and 3) To determine what measures of stream flow function, stream geomorphology, …

Assessment Of Corrosion Potential Of Coarse Backfill Aggregates For Mechanically Stabilized Earth Walls, Anita Thapalia, David M. Borrok, Soheil Nazarian, Jose Garibay

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The service life of mechanically stabilized earth walls depends on the rate of corrosion of the metallic reinforcements used in their construction. The assessment of corrosion potential requires an accurate evaluation of pH, resistivity, and sulfate and chloride concentrations of aqueous solutions in contact with the surrounding aggregate. Highway agencies tend to use larger aggregates that contain only a small amount of fine material (passing the Number 40 sieve) in the backfill. Evaluation of the electrochemical parameters of coarse aggregates is challenging because traditional evaluation methods call for the use of fine material. In this study, the suitability of traditional …

Spring Migration Of Mallards From Arkansas As Determined By Satellite Telemetry, David George Krementz, Kwasi Asante, Luke W. Naylor

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

We used satellite telemetry to document spring migration phenology, routes, stopover regions, and nesting sites of mallards Anas platyrhynchos marked in Arkansas during the winters of 2004–2007. Of the 143 marked mallards that migrated from Arkansas, they did so, on average, by mid-March. Mallards flew over the Missouri Ozarks and 42% made an initial stopover in Missouri, where they used areas that had larger rivers (Mississippi River, Missouri River) embedded in an agricultural landscape. From this stopover region they either migrated directly to the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) or they migrated north to Minnesota where they either moved next to …

Temporal And Spatial Analysis Of Stream And Groundwater Interactions, Ryan Eugene Warden

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Water chemistry and ecology of streams are impacted by the amount of water that exchanges between the surface water system and the adjacent saturated area, called the hyporheic zone, a dynamic area of stream channel sediments, which undergoes down-welling or up-welling of stream water. The rate and volume of water exchange between the surface water and the hyporheic zone are primary controls on stream ecology, but are challenging to assess. A common approach is to model the exchange rate with a one-dimensional advection-dispersion equation that includes solute exchange with transient storage zones, which is referred to as a transient storage …

Environmental Impact Of The Three Kids Mine Tailings, Henderson, Nv, Ji Hye Park

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This research focused on the distribution of the Three Kids Mine tailings in surface soils in and around the mine in Henderson, Nevada. It is situated next to the communities of Calico Ridge and Lake Las Vegas Resort, and, just the west of the Lake Mead Recreation area. Even though the mine has been inactive for almost 50 years (1917-1961), tailing piles and other sources of contamination on the mine are currently exposed to the atmosphere. In this study, surface soil samples were collected along eight transects emanating from the center of Three Kids Mine tailing piles up to five …

Age, Stratigraphy And Depositional Environment Of The Pliocene Copper Canyon Formation, Death Valley, California, Torrey Nyborg

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The Copper Canyon Formation, a fluvial-lacustrine deposit exposed within the Black Mountains of Death Valley National Park, has only previously been broadly included in regional tectonic and depositional analyses. The formation is significant because it preserves numerous shoreline-playa features including highly abundant and diverse mammal and bird tracks. The formation represents a basin fill sequence consisting of approximately 1800 m of conglomerates, basalt flows, and lacustrine deposits. A measured type section along with x-ray diffraction, isotopic analysis, and thin section petrography shows an evolution of the ancient Copper Canyon lake from an hypersaline evaporative lake to a perennial saline lake …