#bioindicators

[newspeciespodcast]

Why you SHOULD flip over rocks in streams and rivers

If you've ever nudged over a big rock and seen a cricket-looking alien with seemingly too many legs, you've encountered a stonefly! For scientist Anna Eichert, standing waist-deep in a river looking for these critters is the best part of her job, and something she feels should be important to everyone. "We kind of joke around here in my lab that ‘insects don't have rights’" she explains, "because like when you study other groups of animals and biology, it's much harder to be able to obtain samples and specimens and et cetera. And so I think it's just super important to just have them on your mind and educate other people of their ecological importance and educate your children so that they can love and not fear insects. You know, even that makes a difference."

Stoneflies, or Plecoptera, are an order of insects with around 4,000 species. But that’s about to change. In her paper “Stonefly systematics: past, present, and future,” Anna and her colleagues from around the world map out the way stoneflies have changed as a group over time, some of the factors that shape our current understanding of stoneflies, and what can change in the future to make sure our knowledge of stonefly diversity continues to grow. Learn from Anna’s account of her experiences and her passion for stoneflies in this episode, and next time you encounter a stream, flip over a rock or two.

Anna Eichert’s paper “Stonefly systematics: past, present, and future” is in volume 9, issue 4 of Insect Systematics and Diversity.  It can be found here: https://doi.org/10.1093/isd/ixaf026

Listen to the episode here, or wherever you get your podcasts

Photo credit: Anna Eichert

[currentsinbiology]

Moss may prove cheap city pollution monitor, study finds

Delicate mosses found on rocks and trees in cities around the world can be used to measure the impact of atmospheric change and could prove a low-cost way to monitor urban pollution, according to Japanese scientists.

Moss, a “bioindicator”, responds to pollution or drought-stress by changing shape, density or by disappearing, allowing scientists to calculate atmospheric alterations, said Yoshitaka Oishi, associate professor at Fukui Prefectural University.

He said: “This method is very cost effective and important for getting information about atmospheric conditions.

“Mosses are a common plant in all cities so we can use this method in many countries ... they have a big potential to be bioindicators,” said Oishi, who analysed nearly 50 types of moss for the stud

Scientists studied the effect of nitrogen pollution, air quality and drought stress on moss in a 1.9 sq mile area of north-western Tokyo. Photograph: John Steele/Alamy Stock Photo

[oaresearchpaper]

Anthropogenic activities are increasingly impacting the biological, physical, and chemical conditions of aquatic ecosystems. This descriptive research aimed to determine the water quality of estuaries in the municipality of Manuel A. Roxas, Zamboanga del Norte, Philippines by utilizing the Biological Monitoring Working Party and Average Species Per Taxon (BMWP-ASPT) Index. BMWP-ASPT is used to evaluate water quality using families of macroinvertebrates as biological indicators since aquatic invertebrates have different tolerance to pollution. Data were collected through field sampling and were analyzed using descriptive statistical tools. A total of twelve families were recorded. Eight (8) of the twelve families were identified as indicator species which include Atyidae, Penaeidae, Coenagrionidae, Gerridae, Simullidae, Lumbriculidae, Lymnaeidae, Neritidae. Pachychilidae has the highest relative abundance value of 51.40% while Coenagrionidae has the lowest relative abundance value of 0.22%. The BMWP-ASPT index indicated that the estuaries of Piao, Dohinob Daku, and Dohinob Diut have scored 4.16, 4.2, and 4.5 respectively which is interpreted as good water quality. Langatian estuary scored 3.0, interpreted as moderate. The water quality and abundance of macroinvertebrates in Langatian are impacted by the domestic waste and sewage disposal since the River traverses the town’s urban barangay. It is recommended that regular monitoring of the sampling sites will be conducted to sustain and protect those estuaries with good water quality and improve the water quality of Langatian considering population expansion.

[oaresearchpaper]

Environmental drivers of zooplankton community structure and bacterial load in Rajasthan’s freshwater ecosystems: A global perspective

Freshwater ecosystems face numerous environmental challenges, including climate change, eutrophication, and pollution. These factors can significantly influence zooplankton community structure and bacterial loads. This review highlights the ecological factors influencing zooplankton community structure and bacterial loads in Rajasthan’s freshwater ecosystems, offering a global perspective. Zooplanktons are essential components of aquatic food chains and serve as effective bioindicators of environmental health. They are sensitive to changes in physical-chemical conditions and climatic variations. Eutrophic conditions often reflect species composition that indicates pollution levels and anthropogenic impacts. Various studies reported high levels of bacterial content during the rainy season, particularly coliforms, fecal coliforms, and Escherichia coli. This condition is due to poor sanitation and surface runoff. Various researchers identified that Salmonella, Shigella, Vibrio cholerae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa often coincided with water-borne diseases such as diarrhea and typhoid. The increased bacterial loads in water bodies during the monsoon season intensify public health risks. Our analysis reveals that environmental factors such as temperature, pH, nutrient levels, and land use patterns can significantly impact zooplankton community composition and bacterial loads. We also explore global patterns and trends related to these communities and discuss the implications for freshwater management and conservation efforts. This review highlights the need for more comprehensive integrated management strategies that include zooplankton analysis alongside measurements of bacterial abundance. Such approaches are essential for developing effective protection measures and health policies.

[oaresearchpaper]

Freshwater ecosystems face numerous environmental challenges, including climate change, eutrophication, and pollution. These factors can significantly influence zooplankton community structure and bacterial loads. This review highlights the ecological factors influencing zooplankton community structure and bacterial loads in Rajasthan’s freshwater ecosystems, offering a global perspective. Zooplanktons are essential components of aquatic food chains and serve as effective bioindicators of environmental health. They are sensitive to changes in physical-chemical conditions and climatic variations. Eutrophic conditions often reflect species composition that indicates pollution levels and anthropogenic impacts. Various studies reported high levels of bacterial content during the rainy season, particularly coliforms, fecal coliforms, and Escherichia coli. This condition is due to poor sanitation and surface runoff. Various researchers identified that Salmonella, Shigella, Vibrio cholerae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa often coincided with water-borne diseases such as diarrhea and typhoid. The increased bacterial loads in water bodies during the monsoon season intensify public health risks. Our analysis reveals that environmental factors such as temperature, pH, nutrient levels, and land use patterns can significantly impact zooplankton community composition and bacterial loads. We also explore global patterns and trends related to these communities and discuss the implications for freshwater management and conservation efforts. This review highlights the need for more comprehensive integrated management strategies that include zooplankton analysis alongside measurements of bacterial abundance. Such approaches are essential for developing effective protection measures and health policies.

[oaresearchpaper]

Environmental drivers of zooplankton community structure and bacterial load in Rajasthan’s freshwater ecosystems: A global perspective

Freshwater ecosystems face numerous environmental challenges, including climate change, eutrophication, and pollution. These factors can significantly influence zooplankton community structure and bacterial loads. This review highlights the ecological factors influencing zooplankton community structure and bacterial loads in Rajasthan’s freshwater ecosystems, offering a global perspective. Zooplanktons are essential components of aquatic food chains and serve as effective bioindicators of environmental health. They are sensitive to changes in physical-chemical conditions and climatic variations. Eutrophic conditions often reflect species composition that indicates pollution levels and anthropogenic impacts. Various studies reported high levels of bacterial content during the rainy season, particularly coliforms, fecal coliforms, and Escherichia coli. This condition is due to poor sanitation and surface runoff. Various researchers identified that Salmonella, Shigella, Vibrio cholerae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa often coincided with water-borne diseases such as diarrhea and typhoid. The increased bacterial loads in water bodies during the monsoon season intensify public health risks. Our analysis reveals that environmental factors such as temperature, pH, nutrient levels, and land use patterns can significantly impact zooplankton community composition and bacterial loads. We also explore global patterns and trends related to these communities and discuss the implications for freshwater management and conservation efforts. This review highlights the need for more comprehensive integrated management strategies that include zooplankton analysis alongside measurements of bacterial abundance. Such approaches are essential for developing effective protection measures and health policies.

[oaresearchpaper]

Terrestrial snails as bioindicators of environmental degradation

The snails are very important part of the food chain and excellent source of calcium in the ecosystem for the birds during their breeding season. They are intermediate hosts of many parasites. This study was conducted to estimate the species relative abundance, the effects of abiotic factors on different snail species, which led us to the finding of the indicator species in the agro ecosystem of Faisalabad,. Total of 19,290 snails were collected from crop lands of 24 villages. The species were identified with the help of recent identification keys and RAPD markers. Three snail species i.e. Physa fontinalis, Zooctecus insularis and Ceciliodes acicula were found completely absent from most of the villages except a few, indicating that the possible cause may be presence of arsenic. Other abiotic factors i.e. Cd, Pb, pH and Electrical conductivity are within the permissible limits. These species can be considered extremely important for biomonitoring. This study can be used as a predictive model to estimate environmental degradation.

[paulfarmerartist]

That’s a lot of Usnea strigosa . #lichen #indicatorspecies #bioindicators (at Cashiers, North Carolina) https://www.instagram.com/p/CTheVcar6oy/?utm_medium=tumblr