Eutrophic

The silent invaders are here to stay, the impact of the zebra mussel The positive impacts of the zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) and its beneficial effects it has to human health and improving water quality. To biologists, alien species are of great interest, a wonder of “biological invasions” (Cox, 2004), by moving species beyond their native geographic range into an area in which it does not naturally occur have rapidly revealed alien species and how they react when introduced into an ‘alien’

Memorandum To: Town of Framingham From: Michael Baldwin Date: October 17, 2015 Subject: Farm Pond water quality testing Introduction: My name is Michael Baldwin, I am a senior at Framingham State University where I am studying environmental science. The ecology class at the university was recently tasked with collecting water quality data on Farm Pond. This memo intends to inform the town of Framingham of the data that was collected, and how it might be analyzed to better understand the water quality

Introduction: Invasive species have caused losses in biodiversity and shifts in ecosystem function (Lovell et al. 2006). Under the Executive Order 13112, species are considered invasive if they are “an alien species whose introduction does or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health.” Aquatic invasive species have been intentionally and unintentionally introduced to other parts of the world through the transportation and release of ballast water, pet trade and aquaculture

Pollution is undeniably a problem for both humans and the environment, on both a global and local scale. One of the major problems facing our waters, both fresh and saltwater, is non-point source pollution. Point source is defined in section 502(14) of the Clean Water Act as “any discernible, confined and discrete conveyance... from which pollutants are or may be discharged.” Point-source pollution can be targeted by lowered emissions standards and less harmful waste disposal methods. Nonpoint source

Since the introduction of plastics in the early 20th century, waste production inland has accumulated at an ever-increasing rate. Improperly disposing of waste washes through inland waterways, which eventually carries the waste into the ocean. The north pacific garbage gyre spans the majority of the area. The physical gyre stretches from the coast of Japan to California. Four different currents maintain the circular motion of the gyre, which encapsulates large amounts of debris in the center of the

places all over the world. Their habitats even stretch across Europe and Asia. The most preferred habitat for this species is muddy freshwater and ditches with a lot of weeds (i.e. lakes, ponds, streams, and marshes). Hirudo prefer water that is eutrophic, meaning it is high in nutrients (Fields, 1991). In various countries around the world, Hirudo are used for medical purposes. Leeches have been used for treatment for illnesses such as “benign tumors,

Introduction Being the essential part of earth’s microbiota and their involvement in chemical, physical and biological transformations, bacteria are considered as a very important group of microorganisms. Those bacteria which cannot be grown easily on artificial nutrient media are referred as unculturables. The evidence for the presence of yet to be cultivated bacteria came from the molecular data. The capability to obtain DNA sequence information from an environmental sample by PCR manipulations

The Blood Sucking Behavior of Hirudo Miguel Soto Professor Folkerts Pepperdine University 23 April 2014   Abstract Hirudo are well known for their blood sucking, fluid feeding behavior. The purpose of this experiment was to get a better understanding of Hirudo’s blood feeding behavior; more specifically, the study was designed to answer the question: how do different volumes of blood affect Hirudo’s thirst? By soaking a sponge with different volumes of cow blood and measuring the time it took for

Negative impacts of Dinoflagellate algae: economic, ecologic, and human health hazards ABSTRACT Increasing pollution both atmospheric and oceanic are encouraging algal growth and increasing the frequency and geographic range of high density dinoflagellate blooms. Public health and economic impacts, as well as negative ecological effects of the aquatic environment are increasing the scientific research done on toxic dinoflagellate species. Contaminated bivalves are causing paralytic shellfish

Long Island Sound (LIS) is a major urban estuary located along the east coast of the United States. It is semi-enclosed by states and islands in all directions. LIS is bordered by the State of Connecticut to the north and Long Island, New York (NY) on its southern shore. To its west it connects to the NY metropolitan area and to the east it is closed off by Block Island and Fishers Island Sounds. Due to the restricted transport and dispersal of contaminants, LIS is susceptible to enhanced anthropogenic