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Ann L. Allert

Publications and source records attributed to Ann L. Allert.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS2025

Movement patterns of invasive red swamp crayfish vary with sex and environmental factors

Invasive species disproportionately invade freshwater ecosystems, threatening biodiversity. Defining when, where, and why aquatic invasive species move can help inform management strategies, yet the movement ecology of some of the most pervasive invasive species remains unknown. Red swamp crayfish ( Procambarus clarkii ; RSC) are the most widespread invasive crayfish and negatively affect ecosystems worldwide. We employed high-dimensional acoustic telemetry to investigate the movement patterns of 24 individual RSC across three months in an invaded water body. We assessed the effects of various extrinsic factors, such as time of day, temperature, precipitation, and proximity to the water’s edge, along with intrinsic factors, such as sex, reproductive form, and size, at different scales, including movement steps, range distribution, and behavioral states. We found that movement patterns across all scales were overwhelmingly driven by sex and reproductive form. Furthermore, RSC showed increased overall activity at night and near the water’s edge. By establishing baseline movement patterns and identifying key contributing factors, these findings provide a foundation for the development of adaptive management strategies for controlling invasive RSC populations.

Michigan↗
USGS2012

Effects of mining-derived metals on riffle-dwelling crayfish in southwestern Missouri and southeastern Kansas, USA

Riffle-dwelling crayfish populations were sampled at 16 sites in 4 tributaries of the Spring River located within the Tri-State Mining District in southwest Missouri. Crayfish density, physical habitat quality, and water quality were examined at each site to assess the ecological effects of mining-derived metals on crayfish. Metals (lead, zinc, and cadmium) were analyzed in samples of surface water, sediment, detritus, and whole crayfish. Sites were classified a posteriori into reference, mining, and downstream sites primarily based on metal concentrations in the materials analyzed. Three species of crayfish ( Orconectes neglectus neglectus , O. macrus , and O. virilis ) were collected during the study; however, only O. n. neglectus was collected at all sites. Mean crayfish densities were significantly lower at mining sites than at reference sites. Mean concentrations of metals were significantly correlated among the materials analyzed and were significantly greater at mining and downstream sites than at reference sites. Principal component analyses showed a separation of sites due to an inverse relationship among crayfish density, metals concentrations, and physical habitat quality variables. Sediment probable-effects quotients and surface-water toxic unit scores were significantly correlated; both indicated risk of toxicity to aquatic biota at several sites. Metals concentrations in whole crayfish at several sites exceeded concentrations known to be toxic to carnivorous wildlife. Mining-derived metals have the potential to impair ecosystem function through decreased organic matter processing and nutrient cycling in streams due to decreased crayfish densities.

Kansas;Missouri↗
USGS2012

Toxicity of chloride under winter low-flow conditions in an urban watershed in central Missouri, USA

Deicers such as sodium chloride and calcium chloride are used to treat snow and ice on road surfaces and have been identified as potential stressors on aquatic life. Hinkson Creek is an urban stream on the Missouri 303(d) list of impaired waters and is classified as impaired due to urban non-point source pollution. A 7-day toxicity test using Ceriodaphnia dubia was conducted to assess the toxicity of stream water during snowmelt at seven sites within the Hinkson Creek watershed. Chloride concentrations at two sites (Site 6, 1252 mg Cl/L; Site 4, 301 mg Cl/L) exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency chronic criterion (230 mg Cl/L). Survival (30 %) and total reproduction (6.9 young/adult) of C. dubia at Site 6 was significantly lower than survival (100 %) and total reproduction (30.4 young/adult) at Site 1 (reference site). Results indicate that chloride concentrations are elevated above water-quality criteria and that chloride may be a significant chemical stressor for macroinvertebrate communities during winter low-flow conditions in the Hinkson Creek watershed.

Missouri↗
USGS2011

Water quality and trophic status of Fort Cobb Reservoir, southwestern Oklahoma, 2016: Chapter 8 in Assessment of conservation practices in the Fort Cobb Reservoir watershed, southwestern Oklahoma

Eutrophication of reservoirs frequently occurs because of excessive nutrient inputs caused by anthropogenic activities, including row-crop agriculture. The trophic status of Fort Cobb Reservoir, Oklahoma, was assessed in April, July, and September 2006. The Fort Cobb Reservoir was highly eutrophic, with the greatest concentrations of nutrients and chlorophyll- a being measured in the upper reaches of the reservoir. Water quality generally improved toward the dam, but remained eutrophic. Analysis of vertical water-quality profiles indicated that the Fort Cobb Reservoir was well mixed, with little thermal stratification. Comparison of these data to nutrient-loading data indicated that nutrients were primarily delivered during peak storms along with large sediment loads.

Oklahoma↗
USGS2009

A macroinvertebrate assessment of Ozark streams located in lead-zinc mining areas of the Viburnum Trend in southeastern Missouri, USA

The Viburnum Trend lead-zinc mining subdistrict is located in the southeast Missouri portion of the Ozark Plateau. In 2003 and 2004, we assessed the ecological effects of mining in several watersheds in the region. We included macroinvertebrate surveys, habitat assessments, and analysis of metals in sediment, pore water, and aquatic biota. Macroinvertebrates were sampled at 21 sites to determine aquatic life impairment status (full, partial, or nonsupport) and relative biotic condition scores. Macroinvertebrate biotic condition scores were significantly correlated with cadmium, nickel, lead, zinc, and specific conductance in 2003 (r = -0.61 to -0.68) and with cadmium, lead, and pore water toxic units in 2004 (r = -0.55 to -0.57). Reference sites were fully supporting of aquatic life and had the lowest metals concentrations and among the highest biotic condition scores in both years. Sites directly downstream from mining and related activities were partially supporting, with biotic condition scores 10% to 58% lower than reference sites. Sites located greater distances downstream from mining activities had intermediate scores and concentrations of metals. Results indicate that elevated concentrations of metals originating from mining activities were the underlying cause of aquatic life impairment in several of the streams studied. There was general concurrence among the adversely affected sites in how the various indicators responded to mining activities during the overall study.

Missouri↗
USGS2007

Assessment of elemental concentrations in streams of the New Lead Belt in southeastern Missouri, 2002-05

Concerns about possible effects of lead-mining activities on the water quality of federally protected streams located in southeastern Missouri prompted a suite of multidisciplinary studies to be conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey. As part of this investigation, a series of biological studies were initiated in 2001 for streams in the current mining region and the prospecting area. In this report, results are examined for trace elements and other selected chemical measurements in sediment, surface water, and sediment interstitial (pore) water sampled between 2002 and 2005 in association with these biological studies. Compared to reference sites, fine sediments collected downstream from mining areas were enriched in metals by factors as large as 75 for cadmium, 62 for cobalt, 171 for nickel, 95 for lead, and 150 for zinc. Greatest metal concentrations in sediments collected in 2002 were from sites downstream from mines on Strother Creek, Courtois Creek, and the West Fork Black River. Sediments from sites on Bee Fork, Logan Creek, and Sweetwater Creek also were noticeably enriched in lead. Sediments in Clearwater Lake, at least 75 kilometers downstream from mining activity, had metal concentrations that were 1.5 to 2.1 times greater than sediments in an area of the lake with no upstream mining activity. Longitudinal sampling along three streams in 2004 indicated that sediment metal concentrations decreased considerably a few kilometers downstream from mining activities; however, in Strother Creek some metals were still enriched by a factor of five or more as far as 13 kilometers downstream from the Buick tailings impoundment. Compared with 2002 samples, metals concentrations were dramatically lower in sediments collected in 2004 at an upper West Fork Black River site, presumably because beneficiation operations at the West Fork mill ceased in 2000. Concentrations of metals and sulfate in sediment interstitial (pore) waters generally tracked closely with metal concentrations in sediments. Metals, including cobalt, nickel, lead, and zinc, were elevated substantially in laboratory-produced pore waters of fine sediments collected near mining operations in 2002 and 2004. Passive diffusion samplers (peepers) buried 4 to 6 centimeters deep in riffle-run stream sediments during 2003 and 2005 had much lower pore-water metal concentrations than the laboratory-produced pore waters of fine sediments collected in 2002 and 2004, but each sampling method produced similar patterns among sites. The combined mean concentration of lead in peeper samples from selected sites located downstream from mining activities for six streams was about 10-fold greater than the mean of the reference sites. In most instances, metals concentrations in surface water and peeper water were not greatly different, indicating considerable exchange between the surface water and pore water at the depths and locations where peepers were situated. Passive sampling probes used to assess metal lability in pore waters of selected samples during 2004 sediment toxicity tests indicated that most of the filterable lead in the laboratory-prepared pore water was relatively non-labile, presumably because lead was complexed by organic matter, or was present as colloidal species. In contrast, large percentages of cobalt and nickel in pore water appeared to be labile. Passive integrative samplers deployed in surface water for up to 3 weeks at three sites in July 2005 confirmed the presence of elevated concentrations of labile metals downstream from mining operations on Strother Creek and, to a lesser extent, Bee Fork. These samplers also indicated a considerable increase in metal loadings occurred for a few days at the Strother Creek site, which coincided with moderate increases in stream discharges in the area.

Scientific Investigations Report↗
USGS2006

Using on-site bioassays to determine selenium risk to propagated endangered fishes

The Utah Reclamation, Mitigation and Conservation Commission is determining the feasibility of establishing a hatchery and grow-out facility for endangered June suckers Chasmistes liorus at Goshen Warm Springs, Utah. A survey of water quality indicated that selenium and other contaminants may be of concern at Goshen Warm Springs. We conducted an ecotoxicological study with three objectives: (1) to determine the growth rates of juvenile June suckers in two ponds (Lily Pond and North Pond) at Goshen Warm Springs and in Utah Lake, (2) to determine the uptake and depuration rates of selenium in juvenile June suckers, and (3) to evaluate limnological factors that may influence growth and selenium accumulation in June suckers. Fish growth was significantly greater at Utah Lake and North Pond than at Lily Pond or under current hatchery conditions. At the end of the uptake phase of the study (day 87), selenium concentrations in June suckers from Lily Pond, North Pond, and Utah Lake were 1.62, 1.90, and 1.32 μg /g of dry weight, respectively. Selenium uptake in June suckers was statistically significant at Lily Pond ( 0.005 μg · g −1 · d −1 ), North Pond (0.010 μg · g −1 · d −1 ), and Utah Lake (0.003 μg · g −1 · d −1 ). At day 87, the fish were transferred to well water for selenium depuration. Significant selenium depuration occurred after the transfer of June suckers to clean water. Results indicated that selenium bioaccumulated to statistically significant levels at both Lily and North ponds. However, these concentrations are not likely to be of concern because they are not known to cause chronic toxicity. Depuration experiments indicated that June suckers stocked into Utah Lake would eliminate accumulated selenium residues within 3 months. Results indicated that Goshen Warm Springs could be used for fish propagation. In addition, further evaluation of Utah Lake as an interim hatchery site for June suckers should be considered.

North American Journal of Fisheries Management↗
USGS2001

Toxicity and bioavailability of metals in the Missouri River adjacent to a lead refinery

This study is an evaluation of the potential environmental impacts of contaminated groundwater from the ASARCO metals refining facility adjacent to the Missouri River in Omaha, Nebraska. Surface waters, sediments, and sediment pore waters were collected from the Burt-Izard drain, which transects the facility, and from the Missouri River adjacent to the facility. Groundwater was also collected from the facility. Waters and sediments were analyzed for inorganic contaminants, and the toxicity of the waters was evaluated with the Ceriodaphnia dubia 7-day test. Concentrations of several elemental contaminants were highly elevated in the groundwater, but not in river sediment pore waters. Lead concentrations were moderately elevated in whole sediment at one site, but lead concentrations in pore waters were low due to apparent sequestration by acid-volatile sulfides. The groundwater sample was highly toxic to C. dubia , causing 100% mortality. Even at the lowest groundwater concentration tested (6.25%) C. dubia survival was reduced; however, at that concentration, reproduction was not significantly different from upstream porewater reference samples. Sediment pore waters were not toxic, except reproduction in pore water collected from one downstream site was somewhat reduced. The decrease in reproduction could not be attributed to measured elemental contaminants.

Nebraska↗