A table for prognosticating the weather through all the lunations of the year, --146Introduction to the Monthly Calendar, with directions how to apply it to different climates, - -147 .JANUARY.Suggestions for the improvement of time in reference to gardening By collecting information on the subject By procuring fencing materials Manure and ingredients for the destruction of insects.Drilling machines and garden implements in general, preparatory for the work to be performed as the season progresses, --148 FEBRUARY.Directions for providing hot-bed frames, forcing pits, and materials to be used for forcing and forwarding vegetables, towards the end of the month Also, for sowing seed, --149 MARCH.Recommendations on various subjects As at- tending to the hot-beds regulating their temperature sowing such kinds of seed as are adapted to the season Also, in manuring and digging the soil generally, preparatory to sowing and planting it next month, --151 APRIL.The importance of this month to an industrious gardener exemplified who is recommended to sow all the various kinds of seed enumerated in the Calendar to attend to the spring dressing of his beds of Artichoke, Asparagus, Rhubarb, Sea-Kale, &c. and to the Transplanting of various kinds of plants in due season, - -1,52 MAY.Directions for destroying insects and weeds to prevent their seeding in the ground Also, for sowing the various kinds of seed intended for summer crops; including the Bene-plant, with a view to have it for use in July.This is also a good season to spawn Mushroom beds, and to form new ones, &c., - -154 JUNE.The principal sowing season being nearly over, the gardener is reminded of the necessity of ascer- v taining the success of former plantings, with a view to make up deficiencies before the month is too far advanced Also, to hoe or plough between early vegetables in general, in order to mature them and to destroy weeds Directions for the manage- ment of Artichokes, Cauliflower, Herbs, Hop Vines, &c.. - ....
Lakes are important components for regulating carbon cycling within landscapes. Most lakes are regarded as CO2 sources to the atmosphere, except for a few eutrophic ones. Algal blooms are common phenomena in many eutrophic lakes and can cause many environmental stresses, yet their effects on the net exchange of CO2 (FCO2) at large spatial scales have not been adequately addressed. We integrated remote sensing and Eddy Covariance (EC) technologies to investigate the effects that algal blooms have on FCO2 in the western basin of Lake Erie—a large lake infamous for these blooms. Three years of long-term EC data (2012–2014) at two sites were analyzed. We found that at both sites: (1) daily FCO2 significantly correlated with daily temperature, light, and wind speed during the algal bloom periods; (2) monthly FCO2 was negatively correlated with chlorophyll-a concentration; and (3) the year with larger algal blooms was always associated with lower carbon emissions. We concluded that large algal blooms could reduce carbon emissions in the western basin of Lake Erie. However, considering the complexity of processes within large lakes, the weak relationship we found, and the potential uncertainties that remain in our estimations of FCO2 and chlorophyll-a, we argue that additional data and analyses are needed to validate our conclusion and examine the underlying regulatory mechanisms.
After a 40-year absence caused by pollution and eutrophication, burrowing mayflies (Hexagenia spp.) recolonized western Lake Erie in the mid 1990s as water quality improved. Mayflies are an important food resource for the economically valuable yellow perch fishery and are considered to be major indicator species of the ecological condition of the lake. Since their reappearance, however, mayfly populations have suffered occasional unexplained recruitment failures. In 2002, a failure of fall recruitment followed an unusually warm summer in which western Lake Erie became temporarily stratified, resulting in low dissolved oxygen levels near the lake floor. In the present study, we examined a possible link between Hexagenia recruitment and periods of intermittent stratification for the years 1997–2002. A simple model was developed using surface temperature, wind speed, and water column data from 2003 to predict stratification. The model was then used to detect episodes of stratification in past years for which water column data are unavailable. Low or undetectable mayfly recruitment occurred in 1997 and 2002, years in which there was frequent or extended stratification between June and September. Highest mayfly reproduction in 2000 corresponded to the fewest stratified periods. These results suggest that even relatively brief periods of stratification can result in loss of larval mayfly recruitment, probably through the effects of hypoxia. A trend toward increasing frequency of hot summers in the Great Lakes region could result in recurrent loss of mayfly larvae in western Lake Erie and other shallow areas in the Great Lakes.
Microcystin-producing cyanobacterial blooms are a global issue threatening drinking water supplies and recreation on lakes and beaches. Direct measurement of microcystins is the only way to ensure waters have concentrations below guideline concentrations; however, analyzing water for microcystins takes several hours to days to obtain data. We tested LightDeck Diagnostics’ bead beater cell lysis and two versions of the quantification system designed to give microcystin concentrations within 20 minutes and compared it to the standard freeze-thaw cycle lysis method and ELISA quantification. The bead beater lyser was only 30% effective at extracting microcystins compared to freeze-thaw. When considering freeze-thaw samples analyzed in 2021, there was good agreement between ELISA and LightDeck version 2 (n = 152; R2 = 0.868), but the LightDeck slightly underestimated microcystins (slope of 0.862). However, we found poor relationships between LightDeck version 2 and ELISA in 2022 (n = 49, slopes 0.60 to 1.6; R2 < 0.6) and LightDeck version 1 (slope = 1.77 but also a high number of less than quantifiable concentrations). After the quantification issues are resolved, combining the LightDeck system with an already-proven rapid lysis method (such as microwaving) will allow beach managers and water treatment operators to make quicker, well-informed decisions.
Microcystis spp. blooms have occurred annually in western Lake Erie since about 1995. Microcystis produce a group of toxins known as microcystins which can be harmful to livestock and to humans. In this study, surface water samples were collected from six sites during six sampling events from July to October in 2007. In situ environmental data (e.g. pH, temperature) and laboratory analyses (e.g. nutrients) were carried out to characterize the six sites. The Microcystis spp. density ranged from 102 to 107 cells/ml. Microcystin-LR concentration of 20 of all 36 samples were below the detection limit (0.15–5 ppb), while the microcystin-LR concentration in the 16 remaining samples ranged from 0.5 to 3 × 103 μg per gram dry weight. The aim of this research was to investigate the relationships between sampling location, environmental parameters, Microcystis spp. concentration, and microcystin-LR concentration. The results suggest that temperature, nutrient concentration, turbidity, and wind speed and direction (P<0.05) are factors which affected Microcystis spp. density. Sampling site 8M, located 13 m from the Maumee River, provided an advantage for Microcystis spp. growth, presumably due to intermediate water depth (5.5 m) combined with impact from the river. No relationship was found between Microcystis spp. density and microcystin-LR concentration. Temperature, nutrient concentration and DO (P<0.05) were associated with the production of microcystin-LR.
