Progress 10/01/17 to 09/30/18
Outputs
Target Audience:The Center for Water and Air Quality strives to provide and promote stewardship information to protect and conserve water quality and quantity and reduce air quality problems through research education and outreach activities. Population growth and urban development continue to put pressure on water availability for drinking and domestic purposes and agriculture, industrial and recreational use. For example, in the U S recent demographic data show that the state of Florida with a population of 19.9 million has surpassed New York, to become the third largest state in the nation. In addition to providing adequate supply of clean water for these residents, it is necessary to provide water for production of food fiber and fuel (agriculture) and industrial purpose. Majority of Florida's water supply comes from ground water which is very close to the surface in some areas. This water resource which provide the drinking and domestic water supply for over 90 % of the states population. The demand as well as land use practices and climate change factors subject the water system to contamination and pollution from chemicals and fertilizers applied for crop production as well as pathogens, particulate matter and other infectious organisms in the environment. There are many issues and problems that confront our water supply almost on a daily basis. These include degradation from land use practices, nutrient loading of surface water bodies, impairment of ground and surface water due to leaching and runoff of fertilizers and other chemicals used in agriculture, landscaping and home gardening. Some of these problems are caused by human activities often through neglect or lack of knowledge. These problems will adversely affect the health and wellbeing of residents as well as being costly to correct. Activities / projects to be carried out under this program include: 1. Water and Nutrient Conservation, Water protection and Carbon Sequestration Through Biochar Technology 2. Removal of Arsenic from Drinking Water in the Presence of Natural Organic Matter, 3. Addressing Surface water Quality Issues Related to Algal growth: Understanding the Role of Nutrient and Dissolved Organic Carbon, and Microbial Activity, 4. Biological Assessment of Water Quality in North Florida Watersheds, and 5. Identification of Bacterial Sources in Impaired Surface waters in Northwest Florida Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?1. Experiential learning, research and laboratory analtyical skills to undergraduate and graduate students. 2. Professional development to undergraduate and graduate students in presenting research findings in regional and national conferences. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Brochures and visiting clientele. Gold course managers can apply treated waste water without the fear of polluting nearby surface water bodies. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Develop new projects
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Project 1: a. Develop an analytical technology that can sufficiently characterize biochar for research, production and utilization; b. Investigate the water and nutrient retention capabilities of biochar in soils c. Investigate the carbon sequestration potential of biochar in soil. Project 2: a. To determine the effect of diverse natural organic matter samples (Suwannee River NOM, Nordic Reservoir NOM, Nordic Reservoir fulvic acid, Suwannee River humic acid, Suwannee River fulvic acid, Pahokee peat humic acid, and commercial humic acid) on arsenic removal by Fe(III), Al(III), and mixed Fe+Al hydroxide phases and the influence of pH on these processes. b. To understand the reaction mechanism of the interaction of natural organic matter with arsenic, Fe and Al hydroxides c. To evaluate the effect of calcium, magnesium, silicate and other captions on the arsenic removal in the presence of natural organic matters. Project 3: a. The overall goal of this project is to gain a better understanding of the interactions between nutrients, organic carbon, and microbial community affecting water quality and algal growth in surface waters. Project 4: a. To investigate the biological diversity and health of surface waters in North Florida watersheds, with a focus on aquatic insect communities. Project 5: a. To assist the State (Florida Department of Environmental Protection) to identify the sources of bacterial pollution in impaired surface waters in northwest Florida b. To inform stakeholders (agricultural and rural) concerning ways to reduce risk of bacterial (fecal coliform) pollution..
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
1. Rasmussen, A.K., and J.C. Morse. 2018. Distributional Checklist of Nearctic Trichoptera (August 2018 Revision). Florida A&M University, Tallahassee. 506 pp. [Available at http://www.Trichoptera.org]
2.17. Rasmussen, A.K., and J.C. Morse. 2018. Distributional Checklist of Nearctic Trichoptera (January 2018 Revision). Florida A&M University, Tallahassee. 506 pp. [Available at http://www.Trichoptera.org].
3. 23. Ngatia L.W. , Y.P. Hsieh, D. Nemours, R. Fu, R.W. Taylor. 2017. Potential phosphorus eutrophication mitigation strategy: Biochar carbon composition, thermal stability and pH influence phosphorus sorption. Chemosphere 180, 201?211.
4. 4. Hsieh, Y.-P, Bugna, G. and Robertson, K., 2018. Thermochemical Properties of PM2.5 as Indicator of Combustion Phase of Fires. Atmosphere 9, 230-243; doi:10.3390/atmos9060230.
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Progress 10/01/16 to 09/30/17
Outputs
Target Audience:Project 1. Gardners, small farmers, scientists in plant snd soil sciences, and the general public in Florida. Project 2. Scientists, students, water treatment personnel, and the general public. Project 3. Extension agents and the general public of Wakulla Springs Basin. Project 4. Florida Department of Evironmental Protection (FDEP) and Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumers Services Managers. Project 5. The general public of Florida. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Experiential learning, research and laboratory analtyical skills to undergraduate and graduate students. Professional development to undergraduate and graduate students in presenting research findings in regional and national conferences. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Gold corse managers can apply treated waste water without the fear of polluting nearby surface water bodies. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Develop new projecta
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Project 1: The study explored the potential of biochar in phosphorus (P) eutrophication mitigation on farm. The focus of the study was on the biochar parameters that needs to be optimized in order to optimize the P sorption in sandy soils, keeping the P on farm for slow release to the plants and mitigating P translocation to the water bodies. Three different feedstocks were used for biochar production, which included Panicum virgatum (switchgrass), Pueraria montana (Lour.) Merr. (kudzu) and Triadica sebifera (chinese tallow). Biochar was produced at 200, 300, 400, 500, 550, 650 and 750oC under anaerobic condition. Biochar was produced anaerobically in small batches via slow pyrolysis in a Thermcraft S-Line Single Zone muffle furnace using a 2cm-diameter quartz tube fitted with airtight connectors as the pyrolysis chamber. Phosphorus sorption incubation was established using 10% biochar and 90% sandy soils. Sorbed and available P were determined at the end of the incubation. The study employed multi-element scanning thermal analysis (MESTA) to determine low and high thermal stable carbon (C). 13C NMR was used to determine the C composition/ C functional groups. Other basic biogeochemical parameters were determined. Results indicated a shift of thermal stability of C from low thermal stable C to high thermal stable C with increasing biochar pyrolysis temperature. The carbon composition also shifted from o-alkyl C dominance in the lower temperature to aromatic C dominance in the high temperature. The increased biochar high thermal stable C and aromatic C were consistent with increased P sorption. Biochar pH increased with biochar pyrolysis temperature, this was as a result of Ca and Mg dominance in the biochar feedstock. The alkaline pH related positively with P sorption. Biochar has potential for P eutrophication mitigation, however optimum biochar pyrolysis temperature for P sorption is feedstock specific and in some cases might be out of 300-500 oC temperature range commonly used for agronomic application. High thermal stable C dominated by aromatic C and alkaline pH seem to favor P sorption. This work was been submitted for publication with Chemosphere journal. Project 2. Batch experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of Suwannee River Natural Organic Matter (SRNOM) on arsenic removal from drinking water by iron and aluminum chloride. The effect of pH and various concentrations of SRNOM were investigated. The experiments were conducted by adding 70 µM of aluminum chloride or ferric chloride to a solution containing 500 µg L-1 (6.67 µM) arsenic and various concentrations of SRNOM (1, 2, 4, and 8 mg C L-1). The pH was adjusted to the desired value with the addition of KOH. The samples were equilibrated for 24 h. The final pH was measured and the samples were filtered using 0.20 µm pore size membrane filters. Arsenic and aluminum were analyzed using Inductively Coupled Plasma - Optical Emission Spectrometer (ICP-OES) and dissolved organic carbon using TOC-V analyzer. The results indicated that in the presence of 4 mg C L-1, arsenic removal decreased from 99.2 % (without SRNOM) to 76% at pH 6.5. The detrimental effect of SRNOM on arsenic removal increased with increasing pH from 6.0 to 8.5 reducing arsenic removal to 40%. The FT-IR spectra were recorded to understand the reaction mechanism of the effect of NOM on arsenic removal by iron and aluminum salts and are being interpreted. Project 3. The study area for this project was located in the Southwood area, Tallahassee, Florida. Several trips were made to the study area to select the potential sampling sites for water quality monitoring. During the trip to the study sites we met the Manager of the Southwood Golf Course which is owned by St. Joe company and discussed our research project. He agreed to collaborate with us on this project and provide information about their irrigation schedule and fertilizer program. GIS maps were created for the sampling sites. We selected ten surface water bodies and collected water samples from each sites to get baseline water quality data. The water samples were analyzed for a suite of water quality parameters including nutrients and trace metals in the water quality laboratory. The regular water quality sampling will started in January, 2017, on a biweekly basis for six months. There was no evidence of impairment of water quality in nearby surface water bodies due to application of treated waste water in surrounding golf courses. Student Training: An undergraduate agronomy student, Mr. Tristum Williams, was trained in the water quality sampling, preparation of samples, and water analysis analytical methods. We trained one more undergraduate student (Ryan Peltonen) in Spring and Summer semesters while they are working on this project. Project 4. A field survey of the Trichoptera of the Chipola River basin was completed and the results were published in the journal Check List. Aquatic Insect Taxonomy and Systematics focusing on Trichoptera (Caddisflies). A review of the Orthotrichia (Trichoptera:Hydroptilidae) of Florida was accepted for publication in the Proceedings of the 15th International Symposium on Trichoptera; A poster presentation was prepared on recent discoveries of Trichoptera biodiversity in Florida [to be presented at the International Congress of Entomology]; A state and provincial checklist of North American caddisfly species was updated with distributional records appearing in recently published scientific literature. Status Assessments of Five Species of Trichoptera (Caddisflies). Contractor: A.K. Rasmussen. US Fish and Wildlife Service. $20,000. (2015-2016). A final report was prepared and submitted (January 2016) to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This study assessed the conservation status of five caddisfly species for which the US Fish and Wildlife Service is conducting 12-month findings to determine if the species warrant listing as federally threatened or endangered under the US Endangered Species Act. The information provided in this study will be used by Fish and Wildlife to make this determination.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
1. Ngatia, L.W., Y.P. Hsieh, D. Nemours, R. Fu, R.W. Taylor, 2017. Potential phosphorus eutrophication mitigation strategy: Biochar carbon composition, thermal stability and pH influence phosphorus sorption. Chemosphere 180: 201-211
2. Rasmussen, A., R. Abad, and D. Ray. Chutes and ladders: recovery of the benthic macroinvertebrate community following restoration of an impounded steephead spring run in northern Florida. Florida Association of Benthologists Annual Meeting, November 7-9, 2017, Gainesville, Florida.
3. Rasmussen, A., R. Abad, and D. Ray. Chutes and ladders: recovery of the benthic macroinvertebrate community following restoration of an impounded steephead spring run in northern Florida. Invited speaker, FAMU College of Agriculture and Food Sciences Lecture Series, October 19, 2017, Perry Paige Auditorium, Tallahassee, Florida.
4. Denson, D. R., A.K. Rasmussen, and S.C. Harris. 2016. Caddisflies (Insecta: Trichoptera) of the Chipola River basin in Florida and southeast Alabama, USA: a faunistic survey. Check List, 12(4), 1936. http://www.biotaxa.org/cl/article/view/12.4.1936
5. Rasmussen, A.K., and J.C. Morse. 2016. Distributional Checklist of Nearctic Trichoptera (Summer 2016 Revision). Unpublished, Florida A&M University, Tallahassee. 498 pp. [Available at http://www.Trichoptera.org]
Harris, S.C., and A.K. Rasmussen. In Press. Review of the genus Orthotrichia (Trichoptera: Hydroptilidae) in Florida. Proceedings of the 15th International Symposium on Trichoptera.
6.Amita Jain. Influence of natural organic matter on the arsenic removal from drinking water by ferric and aluminum salts" at the 18th biennial research symposium of Association of 1890 Research Directors held during April 1-4, 2017 at Hyatt Regency, Atlanta, GA.
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Progress 10/01/15 to 09/30/16
Outputs
Target Audience:Project 1. Small farmers and general public in Florida. Project 2. Students, general public and water treatment workers. Project 3. The general public of the Wakulla Springs Basin. Project 4. Environmental agebcies and managers of Florida. Project 5. General public of Florida. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Experiantial research training/learning for undergraduate and graduate students. Sample collection, preparation, analysis and interpretation. Mentoring students. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?1. Projects results have been presented in professional meetings and workshops 2. Projects findings have been published in referred journals. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Project 1 accomplished the following: 1. EstablishEstablished the thermal stability of C in boichar pyrolysis temperature, 2. Establish sorption proprties of biorchar, 3. Biochar has potential for phosphorus (P) eutrophication mitigation. Project 2 accomplishment: 1. Aluminum chloride was more effective than ferric chloride to remove arsenic from water in the presence of natural orgaic matter. Project 3 was not initiated/implemented. Project 4 accomplished the following: 1. Collection of caddisflies in North Florida, 2. New species of caddisflies were discovered, 3.Upadate State records on aquatic insect communities Project 5 was not initiated/implemented.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
Nwaokorie, K.J., O.S. Mbuya and J.M. Grace III. 2016. Impact of Thinning on Soil Properties and Biomass in Apalachicola National Forest, Florida. In: Schweitzer, Callie J.; Clatter, Wayne K.; Oswalt, Christopher M., eds. 2016. Proceedings of the 18th biennial southern silvicultural research conference. E-Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-212. Ashville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station. 614 p
Hsieh, Y.P., G.C. Bugna and K.M. Robertson, 2016. Examination of two assumptions commonly used to determine PM2.5 emission factors for wild fires. Atmospheric Environment 147:274-283.
Sparda, A., R.O. Miller, G. Anderson and Y.P. Hsieh, 2016. Real-time Soil CO2 Respiration Rate Determination and the Comparison between the Infrared Gas Analyzer and Microrespirometer (MicroRes) Methods. Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis.
Hsieh, Y.P. and G. Bugna, 2016. Direct analysis of soil organic sulfur and inorganic reduced sulfur by multi-element scanning thermal analysis (MESTA) Agronomy Society of America Annual Meeting abstract No. 200-3.
Denson, D. R., A.K. Rasmussen, and S.C. Harris. 2016. Caddisflies (Insecta: Trichoptera) of the Chipola River basin in Florida and southeast Alabama, USA: a faunistic survey. Check List, 12(4), 1936. http://www.biotaxa.org/cl/article/view/12.4.1936
Rasmussen, A.K. and S.C. Harris. 2016. Status assessment of five species of Trichoptera. Final Report, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Panama City, Florida. 28 pp. [Available at: http://www.trichoptera.org/florida-trichoptera.html].
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Progress 10/01/14 to 09/30/15
Outputs
Target Audience:Project 1. Small farmers andgeneral public in Florida. Project 2. Students, general public and water treatmentworkers. Project 3. The general public of the Wakulla Springs Basin. Project 4. Environmental agebcies and managers of Florida. Project 5. General public of Florida. Changes/Problems:The objectives and methodology of Project 2, 3 and 5 need to be re-evaluated in terms of their significance and scientific soundness. We will form a review pannel to do this reviewing task. According to the review pannel recommendations, we will carry out them accordingly. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?1. We trained six undergraduate students and three graduate students in water, plant and soil sciences. 2. We provided facultyand staff members and students the opportunity to participate and present papers in technical conferences and worshops. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?1. Published research results as journal articles, theses, conference proceedings and abstracts. 2. Presented research results in technical conferences and workshops. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We realized that some of the current objectives and methods of the sub-projects are not realistic and may not achievable by the methodology proposed. So,we will re-evaluatethe objectives of the curent projects in terms of significance and cost-effectiveness. Then,we will re-evaluate theexperimental methods in terms of their soundness of achievingthe objectives. According to thoseresults of re-evaluation, we will focus on the viable sub-projects that are sound both in objectives and methodology.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
1a. We developed multi-element scanning thermal analysis (MESTA) to determinethethermochemical property of biochar. 1b. We demonstrated that 1% biochar amendment in soil increased significantly the water and nutrient (nitrogen) retention capability of the soilwhen compared to the control. 1c. We demonstrated that biochar has mean residence time in soil at least two orders of magnitude greater than that of the raw feedstock. 2a.The results indicated that in the presence of 4 mg organic C L-1, arsenic removal decreased from 99.2 % (control) to 76% (with organic C) at pH 6.5. The detrimental effect of soil organic matteron arsenic removal increased with increasing pH from 6.0 to 8.5 reducing arsenic removal to 40%. 4a. Our study indicated that Increased summer water temperatures resulting from impoundment was a key limiting factor in biological diversity and integrity of aquatic insect communities, especially for EPT species which are cool-adapted; Increased amounts of suspended food material and lowered inputs of coarse woody debris due to stream impoundment, likely contributed to a shift in community functionality, thereby leading to a dominance of filtering-collectors and loss of shredders; The stream that underwent dam removal and restoration efforts was similar to the reference stream in terms of aquatic insect community structure but was still characterized by elevated percentages of filtering-collectors and the absence of several species of EPT ravine-stream specialists.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Heupel, A.M. 2014. Effects of Stream Impoundment and Dam Removal on Aquatic Insect Communities in Steephead Ravines of the Apalachicola River Basin, Florida. MS thesis, Florida A&M University. 103 pp.
Rasmussen, A.K. and J.C. Morse. 2014. Distributional Checklist of Nearctic Trichoptera (Summer 2014 Revision). Unpublished, Florida A&M University, Tallahassee. 487 pp. [Available at http://www.Trichoptera.org]
Harris, S.C., and A.K. Rasmussen, 2015. Review of the Orthotrichia (Hydroptilidae: Trichoptera) of Florida. International Symposium on Trichoptera (June 4-8), New Brunswick, New Jersey. (Poster).
Rasmussen, A.K., and S.C. Harris, 2015. Review of the genus Beraea (Trichoptera: Beraeidae) in North America, with the description of a new species from Florida. 15th International Symposium on Trichoptera (June 4-8), New Brunswick, New Jersey. (Poster).
Rasmussen, A.K., and A.M. Heupel, 2015. Effects of stream impoundment on aquatic insect communities in steephead ravines of the Apalachicola River Basin, Florida. 2015 CAFS Research Forum (March 31), Tallahassee, Florida.
Rasmussen, A.K., and A.M. Heupel, 2015. Effects of stream impoundment on aquatic insect communities in steephead ravines of the Apalachicola River Basin, Florida. NIFA, 1890 Capacity Building Grants Program, Project Directors Meeting (Sept. 16-17), Washington, D.C. (Poster).
Rasmussen, A.K., A.M. Heupel, S.C. Harris, & M.L. Pescador, 2014. Aquatic insect communities of steephead spring runs in North Florida (USA): biological diversity and effects of impoundment. Joint Aquatic Sciences Meeting (May 18-23), Portland, Oregon.
Nwaokorie, K.J. 2015. Impact of Forest Management Practices on Soil Water Relations and Soil Physical Characteristics in the Apalachicola National Forest, Florida.
Tarik Eluri, Odemari Mbuya and Jorge Andrade-Piedra. 2015. La eficiencia de la auto-infecci�n de PVY en dos variedades de papa, Superchola e INIAP-Fripapa, e implicaciones con la degeneraci�n de semilla en los Andes
Nwaokorie, K.J., O.S. Mbuya and J.M. Grace III, 2015. Impact of Thinning on Soil Properties and Biomass in Apalachicola National Forest, Florida.
Eluri, T, O.S. Mbuya, J. Andrade-Piedra and P. Kromann. 2015. La eficiencia de la auto-infecci�n PVY en dos variedades de la papa, Superchola e INIAP-Fripapa, y implicaciones con degeneraci�n de la semilla en los Andes.
Hsieh, Y.P., G. Bugna and D. Nemours, 2014. Quantifying soil erosion under unobstructed runoff conditions of a 7.7 ha peanut-cotton cropping system. American Society of Agronomy Annual Meetings, November, Long Beach, California, USA.
Hsieh, Y.P. and Y. H. Hsieh, 2014. Invited Speaker: Real-time microbial activity detection and its application to food quality/safety issues. 2nd International Halal Science Symposium, Brunei, February 11-13.
Hsieh, Y.P. 2014. Developing an agricultural air quality research program. University of Florida Department of Soil and Water Science Distinguished Lecture Series. February 3.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Robertson, K.M., Hsieh, Y.P. and Bugna, G.C., 2014. Fire environment effects on particulate matter emission factors in southestern US pine-grasslands. Atmospheric Environment 99:104-111.
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Progress 10/01/13 to 09/30/14
Outputs
Target Audience: Project 1. Small farmers in Florida Project 2. Undergraduate and graduate students, General Public, Water treatment Purveyors Project 3.Researchers, stakeholders in the Wakulla Springs watershed, stakeholders in the Ocklochonee River and St. Marks River watersheds, regulators, decision makers Project 4. Environmental agencies and land managers in charge of preserving water quality and aquatic ecosystem health of North Florida watersheds. Project 5. Nothing to report Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Project 1. Dr. Hsieh supervised a MS student (Kristina Hatakka). Her thesis work is in the biochar technology. Project 2. This project enhanced the analytical skills and knowledge about the modern analytical instruments such as ICP-OES. Project 3. Three undergraduate students have been extensively trained in hydrologic sampling techniques and some laboratory analysis methods. One undergraduate student has received extensive training in laboratory analytical techniques. Project 4. Nothing to report for this period. Project 5. Nothing to report. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Project 1. Seminar Presentations of Master's thesis Project 2. Publications (Newsletter, CAFS-Bites), Presentations Project 3. The project is not yet at the stage of results dissemination. Project 4. A progress report was submitted to park managers of Torreya State Park summarizing the composition of the aquatic insect community of Torreya State Park. The graduate students MS thesis was provided to The Nature Conservancy as a final report on research conducted within the Aplachicola Bluffs and Ravines Preserve. Project 5. Nothing to report What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Project 1. Continue to develop the low cost biochar pyrolyzer for small farmers in Florida. Project 2. Batch experiments will be conducted to evaluate the arsenic removal efficiency of aluminum oxyhydroxides and mixed Fe-Al oxyhydroxides at different pH values. Project 3. We will select the sampling sites and begin water sampling and analysis. This will involve acquisition and deployment of necessary equipment, regular collection of water samples, and regular collection of field parameters and physical hydrologic parameters. Project 4. Finalize and publish faunal surveys of Trichoptera from the Chipola River Basin and the Ocala National Forest. Attend the International Symposium on Trichoptera (June 2015, Rutgers University) and present 2 papers on caddisfly systematics. Complete the faunal survey of EPT of Torrreya State Park in the Apalachicola River basin and provide to park managers a final report, including management recommendations. Attend the annual meeting of the Florida Association of Benthologists and present research results. Project 5. Nothing to report
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Project 1. Dr. Y.P. Hsieh constructed a low-cost ($300) biochar pyrolyzer for small farmers. The prototype of the system has been under evaluation for heating efficiency and quality of the produced biochar. Project 2. Batch experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of Suwannee River Natural Organic Matter (SRNOM) on arsenic removal from drinking water by Fe oxyhydroxides. The analytical methods to determine concentrations of Fe, Al, and As by ICP-OES, dissolved organic carbon by TOC-V analyzer and arsenic speciation by AA-Hydride generation technique were set up and tested. Method detection limits were determined. The results indicated that the dissolved organic carbon concentrations > 2 mg C L-1 had a significant detrimental effect on the removal of arsenic by Fe oxyhydroxides. Project 3. The aim of my work under this program is to investigate the biological diversity and health of surface waters in North Florida watersheds, with a focus on aquatic insect communities. The specific objectives were to document the aquatic insect fauna of North Florida watersheds through field surveys and to determine key biological indicators of water quality and how the aquatic insect communities of these ecosystems are affected by various land use practices. During the period covered, work continued on aquatic insect surveys of north Florida watersheds. Specifically, field surveys of caddisflies (Trichoptera) of the Ocala National Forest and the Chipola River Basin were continued and are now nearly completed. Through this work, and additional collecting of caddisfies over much of North Florida, a number of new state records and species new to science have been discovered. Caddisfly species records were inputted into a relational database and the specimens have been incorporated in the aquatic insect research collection. An undergraduate student completed a detailed systematic study, which involved describing the larva and pupa of a previously poorly understood species of caddisfly. The student presented the results of her study at the Florida Association of Benthologists Annual Meeting (Nov 2013) and won first place in the undergraduate oral competition category. Also during the period covered, a study was completed which focused on the ravine ecosystems of the Apalachicola River watershed. Field work was carried out throughout the region at field sites located within Torreya State Park (Rock Creek and Sweetwater Creek watersheds), TNC Preserve (Kelley Branch and Little Sweetwater Creek), and on private property in the headwaters of Crooked Creek. More than 2 years of field data were analyzed, which included samples of aquatic insects, stream physico-chemical data, and stream habitat characterizations. As part of this project a MS student conducted a study of the effects of stream impoundment and dam removal on aquatic insect community structure and function. This student successfully defended and graduated in Spring 2014. Project 4. FAMU project personnel are participating in a regional collaborative research initiative devoted to gaining a better understanding of the hydrology and water quality of the Wakulla Springs springshed, located within the regional watershed of the FAMU campus. Wakulla Springs is impaired for nitrate and has been discharging increasingly tannic (dark) water over time. The Springs have become clogged with hydrilla within the past decade. These problems are both an indication of changing water quality as well as having a negative impact on the Springs ecosystem and tourist economy that has developed around the Springs. FAMU is currently participating in the coordination and integration of our research efforts with those of other members of the working group.Chemical analytical work for this project has been suspended for the past year as our Center for Water Quality laboratory has been undergoing renovation. When completed by the end of the summer, the lab will have new instrumentation and expanded capabilities for water analysis and for collecting and analyzing microbial data. Project 5. Nothing to report.
Publications
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