Determining the Impact of Stream Nutrient Loading on Metaphyton in Littoral

Areas of Conesus Lake

Peter D’Aiuto

Department of Biological Sciences

S.U.N.Y. Brockport

About Metaphyton: Defined as: littoral algae, neither strictly attached to substrata nor truly

suspended In Conesus Lake, metaphyton exists in close association with Eurasian

Water MilfoilZygnema and Spirogyra make up the metaphyton incubated throughout

study

                                    

Eurasian Water Milfoil Zygnema & Spirogyra

Aerial Photographs:Aircraft: Ultra light Pilot: Jim Raffa Altitude: 900-1400 ft.

Camera: Cannon EOS Rebel, 35 mm, Polarizing Filter

Eel GrassEel Grass

Water MilfoilWater Milfoil

MetaphytonMetaphyton

Hypothesis: High Nutrient Stream Loading Contributes to Increased Metaphyton BiomassI. Feed Stream Effluent (Experiment)

and Lake Water (Control) into Incubation Chambers

Containing Metaphyton.

II. Determine Biomass of Metaphyton Before and After a 3-day Incubation Period.

III. Sample Stream and Lake Water During Periods of Incubation and Analyze for NO3 and SRP.

IV. Conduct Enrichment Experiments Using various Concentrations of SRP and NO3

Surface of Lake

-

Bilge Pump-Filter Apparatus

B

Incubation Chambers

D

+

The incubation chambers are placed in shallow lake water allowing the top 20 cm of the chambers to extend above the water. B – Vinyl tubing (L = 6.1m), D – Electrical Wire, E – Deep cycle battery12 V.

Metaphyton Incubation ChambersThree Components of Experimental Unit:

1. Incubation Chambers 2. Bilge Pump - Filter Apparatus 3. Deep Cycle batteries

E

The experiment was conducted 9 times during the summers of 2001 and 2002.

Nested ANOVA was used to determine significant differences in growth.

Experimental Design:

1 km

Conesus Lake

Cottonwood Creek

Sand Point Gully

N. McMillan Creek

Hanna’s Creek

Graywood GullyWilkins Creek

Densmore Creek

II. Determination of Change in Biomass

1. Metaphyton was collected near experimental sites and placed in bucket of lake water.

2. Transported to SUNY Geneseo lab (~8mi. away)

3. Centrifuged with a salad spinner for 2 minutes.

4. Weighed and placed in brown bottles filled with lake water.

5. Algae was introduced into incubation chambers with the use of a funnel.

6. After three days, similar procedure was used to determine a change in biomass.

Comparison of Spun Weight to Dry Weight of Filamentous Algae

R2 = 0.99480

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20

Sp

un

Weig

ht

(mg

)

Dry Weight (mg)

III. Determination of nitrate and soluble reactive phosphorous: 1. Water samples were collected in front of

intake filters of the control and experimental sites.

2. Samples were then filtered through .45-m membrane filters and placed on ice until transported to the SUNY Brockport Water Quality Lab.

3. Samples were kept at 4ºC until analysis.

4. SRP Determination: Automated Ascorbic Acid Method (APHA 4500-P F)

5. NO3 Determination: Automated Cadmium Reduction Method (APHA 4500- NO3 F)

INCUBATION CHAMBER RESULTS:

Graywood Gully 6/18/2002 NO3 SRPAlgae Bef. Algae After Difference % Growth SD mg/L ug/L pH T(C)

St 1 0.62 2.32 1.71 277.80 35 6/18 18.43 176.2 7.69 18St 2 1.23 4.69 3.46 282.33 6/19 17.60 196.7 7.48 18St 3 0.94 2.90 1.96 208.46 6/20 17.05 144.0 7.45 21St 4 1.37 5.10 3.73 272.30 6/21 15.53 70.9 7.51

AVG: 260.22 17.15 146.95 7.53Lk 5 0.92 2.02 1.09 118.03 50 6/18 0.05 12.3 8.16 21Lk 6 0.96 2.81 1.85 191.94 6/19 0.09 4.9 7.81 20Lk 7 0.85 2.67 1.82 213.30 6/20 0.06 3.7 7.91 21Lk 8 0.64 2.63 1.98 308.36 6/21 0.11 3.4 7.60

AVG: 174.42 0.08 6.08 7.87

9 Experiments Were Run During the Summers of 2001 & 2002

Locations: Hanna’s Creek, Graywood Gully, Sand Point, Cottonwood, Densmore Creek, N. McMillan, Wilkins Creek (3).

Ch

amb

ers

INCUBATION CHAMBER RESULTS:Applied Nested ANOVA:

Stream Loading Contributes to Increased Biomass.Stream Loading Contributes to Increased Biomass.

Ho:There is no difference among the stream and lake water in affecting biomass of metaphyton. Reject Ho. .05 > P > .025

Gre

yw

ood

Sand P

oin

t

Cottonw

ood

Densm

ore

Wilk

ins

Wilk

ins

Hanna's

Wilk

ins

N. M

cM

illan

050

100150200250300350400450

% G

row

th

% Growth Stream Sites vs % Growth of Lake Sites

Lake Sites

Stream Sites

Gra

ywoo

d

INCUBATION CHAMBER RESULTS:

Wilk

ins

Den

smor

e

Wilk

ins

Cot

tonw

ood

San

d P

oint

Gre

ywoo

d

Han

na's

0

5

10

15

20

25

Cha

nge

in

Con

cent

ratio

n (m

g/L

or u

g/L)

Change in SRP and NO3 Concentrations Between Stream and Lake Water

Nitrate

SRP

All Experiments That Showed an Increase in Biomass of Stream Fed Metaphyton, Had Higher SRP Levels In the Stream Effluent Compared to Lake Water

(To 140)

Gra

ywoo

d

INCUBATION CHAMBER RESULTS:% Growth STREAM % Growth LAKE Change in % Growth

Densmore 415.06 168.8 246.26Wilkins 449.01 288.55 160.46

Cottonwood 413.49 271.69 141.80Wilkins 344.44 207.45 136.99

Sand Point 299.04 208.78 90.26Graywood 260.22 174.42 85.80

Hanna's 69.38 45.55 23.83N. McMillan 104.84 102.65 2.19

Change in % Growth vs. Location

0

50

100

150

200

250

Ch

an

ge

in

% G

row

th

To Compare Stream Effluent Growth Potential Amongst Sites, (% Growth Lake) was subtracted from (% Growth Stream)

One Way ANOVA Shows Highly Significant Difference Between Sites. (P = .000002)

Tukey Multiple Comparison Test Used To Compare Means

Gra

ywoo

d

INCUBATION CHAMBER RESULTS:

%Growth of Metaphyton Increased as pH Decreased

All 14 Data Points Three Data Points Left Out1) Cottonwood Creek Stream 2) Cottonwood Creek Lake3) Densmore Creek Lake

% Growth vs. pH

R2 = 0.1988

0

100

200

300

400

500

6.00 6.50 7.00 7.50 8.00 8.50 9.00

pH

% G

row

th

% Growth vs. pH

R2 = 0.7177

0

100

200

300

400

500

6.00 6.50 7.00 7.50 8.00 8.50 9.00

pH

% G

row

th

StreamStream LakeLake

C

D E F G

B

A

C

•For clarity, only four incubation chambers and four carboys are shown. •Actual experiments were run with eight incubation chambers ect.

A – Tygon tubing (90 cm), B – Tygon tubing (300 cm), C – 1ml pipet, D – Carboys ( 4 L), E – Peristaltic pump, F – Incubation chambers, G – Filter / bilge pump assembly, H – Deep cycle battery.

Enrichment Experiment

To To BatteryBattery

SRP ug/l 0 0 0 0 16 16 16 16NO3 mg/L 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1

TARGET ENRICHMENT CONCENTRATIONS

Enrichment Experiment

171

143

7658

10691

151

61

-0.2

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2

-3 2 7 12 17 22

ug SRP/L

mg

NO

3/L

%%

%%

%%

%%

%%

%%

%%%%

Results:Results:

* Red Values Represent % Growth of Metaphyton

Conclusion And Summary:1. Experimental results show metaphyton

growth increased with elevated levels of SRP.

• In Conesus Lake, metaphyton may be limited by phosphorous and not nitrate.

• Metaphyton growth increased as pH decreased.

• Growth potential was significantly different amongst the experimental sites around the lake.

• Stream Effluent Enhances Metaphyton Biomass in Conesus Lake.

Acknowledgements: Dr. Joseph Makarewicz

Dr. Isidro Bosch

Dr. Christopher Norment

Theodore Lewis

These Results Offer a Benchmark to Measure the Effectiveness of Watershed BMPs on the Metaphyton of Conesus Lake