No abstract

Abstract-Sediment studies around the diffuser of a relatively untreated major marine municipal sewage discharge indicated that 1,4-dichlorobenzene (1,4-DCB) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were among the contaminants of concern. Subsequent investigations revealed that elevated PAH concentrations were due to the shipwreck of a collier in the 1890s and were apparently not bioavailable. Coal is a common contaminant in marine and freshwater sediments and may be responsible, in some cases, for high PAH contaminant concentrations not resulting in pollution (i.e., biological effects) and can also affect total organic carbon measurements and normalizations. Little information exists regarding 1,4-DCB, whose main source to sewage appears to be toilet block deodorizers and which appears to be a useful marker of the extent of contamination for untreated sewage discharges. Correlative analyses suggest it is a pollutant, but this remains to be confirmed by experimental testing.

An ecosystem's invasibility is influenced by changes in biotic and abiotic resistances, which often occur due to shifts in the prevailing disturbance regime. The susceptibility of a community to intrusion by nonnative species may interact with propagule pressure to determine the extent of a biological invasion. We examined how propagule pressure, forest community structure, and disturbance interact to influence the invasibility of temperate Pacific Northwest forests by the newly invasive grass, perennial false-brome (Brachypodium sylvaticum). Our goal was to identify factors enabling shifts from establishment to population growth in B. sylvaticum populations at the edge of its expanding range. Ecological sampling methods were used to identify patterns in B. sylvaticum habitat. An inverse relationship between the amount of B. sylvaticum and all perennial vegetation types and soil litter depth was found, suggesting that disturbance might play a role in B. sylvaticum population establishment or growth. An experimental study was then performed to test the effects of disturbance, propagule pressure, and habitat on B. sylvaticum seedling establishment in sites where B. sylvaticum was already naturalized. We found evidence that disturbance of the soil and vegetation led to increased B. sylvaticum seedling recruitment within naturalized sites, especially where conditions of high propagule pressure and deciduous forest canopy existed. In contrast, B. sylvaticum populations dominated by coniferous forest canopy were much more invasible than deciduous forests and did not show increased seedling recruitment in response to our disturbance treatments. Our study shows how propagule pressure and plant community dynamics interact to alter the invasibility of Pacific Northwest forests allowing B. sylvaticum to transition from establishment to population growth thus allowing this weed to cause greater negative impacts on the ecosystem.

Sediment studies around the diffuser of a relatively untreated major marine municipal sewage discharge indicated that 1,4dichlorobenzene (1,4-DCB) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were among the contaminants of concern. Subsequent investigations revealed that elevated PAH concentrations were due to the shipwreck of a collier in the 1890s and were apparently not bioavailable. Coal is a common contaminant in marine and freshwater sediments and may be responsible, in some cases, for high PAH contaminant concentrations not resulting in pollution (i.e., biological effects) and can also affect total organic carbon measurements and normalizations. Little information exists regarding 1,4-DCB, whose main source to sewage appears to be toilet block deodorizers and which appears to be a useful marker of the extent of contamination for untreated sewage discharges. Correlative analyses suggest it is a pollutant, but this remains to be confirmed by experimental testing.

No abstract