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Browsing by Author "Tucker, Paul"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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    A Comparison of Macroinvertebrate Communities, Habitat, and Water Chemistry Along the Length of Miller Creek
    (University of Minnesota Duluth, 1992) Richards, Carl; Tucker, Paul; Kutka, Frank
    Biological communities in streams can serve as useful monitors of habitat and chemical conditions. Recently, the use of biomonitoring to examine water resource quality has become a popular alternative, or addition to standard water assessment protocols for the purposes of management and planning, problem prioritization, and documentation of recovery following remediation efforts. A general theoretical framework for the development of biosurveys has been discussed by Karr (1991). The advantages of using biosurveys for monitoring and assessment purposes include: 1) biological communities reflect overall ecological integrity and therefore may be the most accurate status of a waterbody, 2) biological communities integrate the effects of different pollutant stressors and thus provide a measure of aggregate impact, 3) biological communities integrate stresses over time and provide an ecological measure of fluctuating environmental conditions 4) routine biological monitoring can be relatively inexpensive compared to the costs of detailed chemical and toxicity testing, 5) biological communities are often of direct interest to the public as an indicator of a pollution free environment. Macroinvertebrate communities in streams are effective biomonitors in streams that are relatively stable in time and reflect subtle differences in environmental conditions (Richards and Minshall 1992). Furthermore, general guidelines towards development and use of these communities for biomonitoring have been published widely (Plafkin et al. 1989, OHIO EPA 1987). These approaches follow the suggestions of Karr (1991) in that they utilize multiple community metrics to evaluate instream biological impairment. This approach consists of analyzing different components of the structure and function of macroinvertebrate communities. Each metric contributes ecological information on the integrity of the community in question. Several studies have reported the use of the metric approach with macroinvertebrates in streams (Barbour et al. 1992). Since many aspects of biological communities are dependant on regional and local characteristics, it is necessary to interpret biomonitoring data in light of unique regional characteristics. The purpose of the present study was to examine macroinvertebrate communities at several locations along Miller Creek to determine if biomonitoring techniques indicate significant problems along the watercourse, to compare various techniques for assessment, and to provide a preliminary database for future comparison.
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    Crayfish and Baitfish Culture in Wild Rice Paddies
    (University of Minnesota Duluth, 1995-09) Richards, Carl; Gunderson, Jeffrey; Tucker, Paul; McDonald, Michael E
    The objectives of the report are to identify the influence of time of capture, crayfish size, sex, and eyestalk ablation on soft shell crayfish production; to examine crayfish harvest in production-sized wild rice paddies under simulated commercial harvesting; to examine the influence of crayfish densities on wild rice depredation; to asses sucker production potential in wild rice paddies; to assess the potential of aeration for influencing the growth and survival of baitfish and crayfish in wild rice paddies; to assess the commercial viability of softshell crayfish production; to transfer results of this research to potential entrepreneurs, fish farmers, and other interested persons,
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    A Winter Survey of Fishes in the Vicinity of the WLSSD Sewage Treatment Plant: November 1991-April 1992
    (University of Minnesota Duluth, 1992) Richards, Carl; Kutka, Frank; Tucker, Paul
    The Western Lake Superior Sanitation District’s (WLSSD) waste treatment facility on the shore of the St. Louis River estuary contributes a large volume of warm effluent to the St. Louis River on a continuous basis. The effluent mixes with the river in a relatively shallow embayment adjacent to the treatment facility and forms an area approximately 0.5 kilometer in diameter in which water temperatures and conductivities may be considerably different than surrounding river waters. This mixing zone can also have chemical characteristics that contrast significantly with unmixed river water. During winter conditions, elevated temperatures within the mixing zone may provide a potential refuge for fish species that are unable to exist in the cold waters of the river, and, some native species may seek warmer temperatures during winter when they are available. Alternatively, fish species may avoid the elevated temperatures or water chemistry characteristics of the mixing zone. Either of these situations could result in altered fish community characteristics during winter months. The purpose of this study was to provide preliminary data on the types and relative abundances of fish that inhabit the mixing zone during several winter months. Surveys were only conducted within 0.3 km of the outfall pipe; results were compared to other winter fish abundance data from the St. Louis River estuary.