Browsing by Author "Jackson, Leland J."
Now showing 1 - 19 of 19
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Item Open Access A chemical, biological, and isotopic analysis of the spatial extent of the wastewater effluent on rivers in southern Alberta, Canada(2004) Hogberg, Laureen Kyla; Jackson, Leland J.Chemical, biological, and stable isotope analyses were used simultaneously to track the spatial recovery of rivers from wastewater nutrient enrichment in the Bow and Red Deer Rivers of southern Alberta, Canada during the summers of 2002 and 2003. Exponential models assessed how far downstream it took the rivers to recover to prewastewater conditions. The Red Deer River recovered from nutrient enrichment~ 36, 29, and 70 km downstream according to nutrient concentrations, autotroph biomass and stable isotope values respectively. The Bow River recovered~ 192, 52 and 176 km downstream according to nutrient concentrations, autotroph biomass and stable isotope values. High spatial and temporal variability characterized many indicators. The integration of stable isotopes and autotroph biomass suggests that wastewater alters river food webs. Autotroph biomass and N isotopic composition provided the most timeintegrated measure of conditions and generally displayed the most consistent recovery patterns with distance from the enrichment source.Item Open Access Advanced Oxidation for the Removal of Pharmaceuticals from Municipal Wastewater: Connecting Laboratory to Application Scale(2020-04-27) Hollman, Jordan Daniel; Gopal, Achari; Jackson, Leland J.; Kimura, Susana Y.; Ryan, M. Cathy; Bérubé, Pierre R.The presence of pharmaceuticals in water is an emerging issue in water research, the major source of which is the discharge of treated municipal wastewater. While technologies have been proposed to remove pharmaceuticals from municipal wastewater, a gap between laboratory studies and application scale remains. This thesis connects laboratory investigations and analysis to application scale treatment for the removal of pharmaceuticals from municipal wastewater. Focused on advanced oxidation processes, studies were conducted with controlled laboratory investigations to gain detailed mechanistic understanding to support application scale studies. Venlafaxine was used as a candidate pharmaceutical, with subsequent laboratory studies also investigating carbamazepine, fluoxetine and sulfamethoxazole. Tests were conducted in both pure water and municipal wastewater matrix. Results demonstrated that UV photolysis, UV/H2O2 and ozonation were all effective means of degrading pharmaceuticals in municipal wastewater. UV with peracetic acid was tested and found to provide little advantage over UV/H2O2. Kinetics were assessed and found to follow pseudo first-order degradation in all cases. Total UV fluence was determined to be an effective means of modelling degradation kinetics. Mineralization pathways were found to be congruent with sequential hydroxylation for all compounds investigated at a laboratory scale. Laboratory results informed application scale testing at the Advancing Canadian Wastewater Assets (ACWA) Research Wastewater Treatment Plant. The facility is embedded in a functioning treatment plant and runs as a unit process in an active treatment train, making the results comparable to full implementation. 13 neutral pharmaceuticals were studied, with concentrations in the ng/L-µg/L range. Treatment processes tested at an application scale were UV photolysis, UV/H2O2, ozonation and reverse osmosis. Reverse osmosis showed high removal of 12 of the 13 compounds, though it has the drawback of producing a concentrated waste stream. Ozone was found to be highly effective for degrading most compounds and presents as the most viable process for full implementation. UV photolysis showed modest removal of all compounds. It was noted that laboratory results for UV photolysis were transferable to application scale with total volumetric UV fluence used for comparison. UV/H2O2 showed similar results to UV photolysis at application scale.Item Open Access Detecting ecosystem level disturbances(2004) Irvine, Robyn L.; Jackson, Leland J.Ecosystem ecologists often face the challenge of detecting perturbations and predicting their consequences. My dissertation research explores the importance of variance to the detection of perturbations in lake and stream ecosystems in three different contexts. First, I test the sensitivity of two commonly used assessment designs (the Before-AfterControl-Impact-Paired Series (BACIPS) and the Beyond BACI) to detect a perturbation in a set of stream ecosystems given the empirical variance structure of the invertebrate metrics. Environmental assessments commonly use benthic invertebrates to assess water quality. Both assessment designs are poor at detecting changes with the post-impact disturbance effect size I calculated. However, in my simulation results, the BACIPS design outperformed the Beyond BACI. This is likely due to high temporal variance in the invertebrates. To consistently detect a disturbance, the designs require very low variance in the metrics, or a large effect size. Secondly, I examine the nutrient limitation of the headwaters of the McLeod River and the implications of that limitation for the future of the streams given potential development plans for the watershed. The headwaters are affected by past mining disturbances and there is ongoing interest in developing an open-pit coal mine in the area. My experiments show evidence of nitrogen limitation, which is important since coal mining activity adds nitrogen to watersheds. Thirdly, I assess the level of data resolution required to answer qualitative and quantitative questions about primary production in a set of lakes. Using an informationtheoretic approach, I test the ability of 40 models containing variable levels of spatial and temporal complexity to 1) fit the relationship between light and primary productivity in a set of 14 British Columbia (Canada) lakes that were part of a large-scale fertilization experiment, and 2) predict annual primary production. The top-ranked model partitioned the data by lake, year, fertilization status, season and sampling station. When I predicted primary production estimates for my top three models and three commonly used models from the limnological literature, I found that model selection is important for quantitative production predictions, but not necessarily for qualitative assessment of nutrient limitation.Item Open Access Distribution and habitat characteristics of Tubifex tubifex, intermediate host of whirling disease, in Banff National Park(2020-09-22) Whelan, Colby; Jackson, Leland J.; Summers, Mindi; Taylor, Mark; Bender, Darren J.Whirling Disease was discovered in Canada for the first time in 2016, at Johnson Lake, Banff National Park. The disease is caused by the parasite Myxobolus cerebralis and has caused major declines in trout populations in the United States. The presence of whirling disease in Banff National Park could be detrimental to the recovery of the two native trout species, which are both listed as threatened. The parasite affects salmonid fish, but also requires a second obligate host, the oligochaete, Tubifex tubifex. The presence and distribution of T. tubifex in a waterbody are important factors to predict where M. cerebralis may spread. Occupancy modelling was tested as a method for surveying the distribution of T. tubifex at the site of first detection, Johnson Lake. T. tubifex were present, though had a patchy distribution with low detection probability. High inorganic carbon concentration in the lake sediment was negatively associated with T. tubifex presence. Two watersheds within Banff National Park were also surveyed, zero T. tubifex were found within the Cascade watershed, while T. tubifex had a patchy distribution within the Spray watershed. Habitat covariates were tested using General Linear Models, and T. tubifex were found to be significantly associated with low landscape level slope, and a small contributing area. These results suggest that the presence of T. tubifex is not ubiquitous in waterbodies in the region and understanding habitat could help discover areas with T. tubifex presence.Item Open Access Effects of diquat dibromide herbicide exposure on biomarkers of stress and chemical exposure in two non-target fish species(2018-12-20) Cribb, Emily; Jackson, Leland J.; Vijayan, Mathilakath Madathil; Hontela, Alice; Smits, Judit Emmy G.; Vamosi, Steven M.Flowering rush is an invasive plant that creates dense blooms, blocking waterways and reducing available fish habitat. Diquat dibromide was applied to eradicate flowering rush in a small water body near Innisfail, Alberta. An observational study was undertaken to assess the effects of diquat on non-target fish species under field conditions. Brook stickleback and fathead minnows were collected from the exposed water body and a reference site before and after two applications of diquat. Mass, length, condition factor, and hepatosomatic index were significantly different between the two sites, but the differences were not correlated with diquat exposure. Secondary stress (HSP70, HSC70) and chemical exposure (CYP1A) biomarkers also did not change in association with diquat exposure. The cortisol response was normal following diquat exposure. No evidence was obtained to suggest that diquat was causing sub-lethal toxic effects in these fish species following use of diquat to eradicate invasive flowering rush.Item Open Access Endocrine disrupting compounds and responses of longnose dace in the South Saskatchewan River basin(2007) Jeffries, Kenneth Michael; Jackson, Leland J.Item Open Access Feminization of Longnose Dace (Rhinichthys cataractae) in the Oldman River, Alberta, (Canada) Provides Evidence of Widespread Endocrine Disruption in an Agricultural Basin(2012-09-13) Evans, Joyce S.; Jackson, Leland J.; Habibi, Hamid R.; Ikonomou, Michael G.We sampled an abundant, native minnow (Longnose dace—Rhinichthys cataractae) throughout the Oldman River, Alberta, to determine physiological responses and possible population level consequences from exposure to compounds with hormone-like activity. Sex ratios varied between sites, were female-biased, and ranged from just over 50% to almost 90%. Histological examination of gonads revealed that at the sites with >60% females in the adult population, there was up to 38% occurrence of intersex gonads in fish identified through visual examination of the gonads as male. In the majority of intersex gonad cases, there was a large proportion (approx., 50%) of oocytes within the testicular tissue. In male dace, vitellogenin mRNA expression generally increased with distance downstream. We analyzed river water for 28 endocrine disrupting compounds from eight functional classes, most with confirmed estrogen-like activity, including synthetic estrogens and hormone therapy drugs characteristic of municipal wastewater effluent, plus natural hormones and veterinary pharmaceuticals characteristic of livestock production. The spatial correlation between detected chemical residues and effects to dace physiology indicate that multiple land uses have a cumulative impact on dace in the Oldman River and effects range from altered gene regulation to severely female-biased sex ratios.Item Open Access Impacts of non-native species on the morphology of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus)(2018-04-16) Kienzle, Hannah Marie; Vamosi, Steven M.; Jamniczky, Heather A.; Jackson, Leland J.Invasive species have demonstrated their capability to greatly modify ecosystems and communities. Introducing multiple species can potentially alter how a native population adapts relative to when species are introduced individually. I assessed whether native threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) exhibit distinct morphological characteristics corresponding to a varying combination of the presence of introduced smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) and signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus) on Vancouver Island. I also examined morphological changes over 18 - 43 years to determine whether contemporary characteristics become magnified in the presence of non-native species. There are clear distinctions in stickleback traits and body shape among non-native species combinations. Bass and crayfish lake stickleback are highly armoured, whereas bass-only lakes contain stickleback with reduced armour. Klein and Dougan Lake stickleback, which coexist with signal crayfish, showed significant increases in size over time. These patterns suggest that smallmouth bass and signal crayfish may have differential impacts on stickleback morphology.Item Open Access Land cover, spatial and temporal scale, and water quality patterns in the south Saskatchewan river basin(2009) Nadorozny, Nicole D.; Jackson, Leland J.Item Open Access Market-Based Approaches for Environmental Governance: Exploring the Implementation Gap in Alberta(2018-05-23) Kerr, Gillian Loring; Bjornlund, Henning; Kwasniak, Arlene J.; Knopff, Rainer; Jackson, Leland J.This research addresses how governments consider and implement policy in Canada. Specifically, it assesses what factors influence policy success by exploring the market-based instrument (MBI) implementation gap in environmental management in Alberta. Due to the increased complexity of environmental issues and increased expectations that non-state actors will have a role in environmental management, the Government of Alberta made many commitments to use MBIs. However, of the 57 MBI commitments made by the Alberta Ministry of Environment (MoE) during the study period, 2000 to 2015, only 13 were implemented and only 7 are uniquely new. Results reveal that the values, beliefs, and behaviours of policy actors, both internal in the MoE and external stakeholders, influence their social acceptance and the institutional fit of MBIs. However, these factors are not reflected in policy design and implementation processes. Observations and interviews with local knowledge experts revealed issues of accountability and legitimacy contribute to the MBI gap. Further, a Q methodology study revealed prevalent social discourses on water management issues and suggested directions for local solutions. Five distinct discourses were identified around water management issues and four distinct discourses on the use of MBIs as solutions. A number of MBI researchers and designers have made assumptions about how people behave based on traditional economics. This study shows that many such design criteria and objectives do not represent how policies are implemented in real-life scenarios, building on economic principles and taking an interdisciplinary approach to understand how and why policy actors behave the way they do. This research suggests a broadening of policy processes to include social acceptability and informal institutional measures to capture important factors that can influence environmental policy success.Item Open Access Molecular investigation of stalk formation and growth rates in Didymosphenia geminata(2018-04-02) Larsen, Krista Maria; Jackson, Leland J.; Rogers, Sean M.; Vamosi, Jana C.Didymosphenia geminata, a freshwater diatom, can produce thick benthic mats of stalk material. The cause of excess stalk formation is proposed to be low soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) concentrations or a mat-forming genetic variant. Molecular studies on D. geminata are few, partly due to the lack of a reliable DNA extraction technique for the diatom, but have the ability to elucidate the drivers of mat formation. Specifically, comparison of gene expression between mat and non-mat-forming sites using reference genomes, may reveal underlying mechanisms behind growth and stalk formation. The objectives of this study were to: 1) identify gene products, expressed only at a mat or non-mat-forming site in Alberta (AB), involved in cell division or stalk formation from the reference genomes of P. tricornutum, T. pseudonana and C. crescentus; 2) compare SRP and growth rate, using frequency of dividing cells (FDC), between a mat-forming and non-mat-forming site; 3) compare FDC between multiple mat-forming sites in AB and British Columbia (BC); and 4) compare the quantity and quality of DNA obtained from mat-forming D. geminata using various preservation buffers, storage temperatures and extraction methods, including organic extraction, the Qiagen DNeasy® Plant Mini Kit, and a version of the kit procedure modified for D. geminata. Sixty-six putative gene products from the reference genomes were expressed only in the mat-forming sample, while 172 were expressed only in the non-mat-forming sample. FDC and SRP were higher at the non-mat-forming site, with no significant difference between FDC in AB and BC. Collectively, these results support previous findings that D. geminata forms excess stalk material under low SRP and increases cell division under higher SRP. However, an anomalous observation of mat formation at a site with 0.00986 mg/L SRP indicates stalk formation may be influenced by additional factors. In addition, the results of this study indicate that DNA extracted from samples stored in 95% EtOH at -80°C, using the modified kit method, had the best combination of quantity and quality.Item Open Access Preparation and Application of Amorphous Silica-Alumina for the Removal of Pharmaceutical Compounds from Water(2018-12-13) Alnajjar, Maysam; Nassar, Nashaat N.; Jackson, Leland J.; De La Hoz Siegler, H.Pharmaceuticals are found in surface waters as emerging contaminants. The anti-diabetic agent metformin (MF) is one of the most prescribed pharmaceutical compounds by mass. When administered, 52% of MF is excreted unmetabolized in urine, making it one of the most ubiquitous pharmaceutical pollutants in wastewater. The widespread occurrence of this pollutant in water highlights the importance of implementing a new technology in wastewater treatment plants for the removal of MF and other pharmaceutical pollutants from wastewater. Herein, amorphous silica-alumina (SA) composite was synthesized for an environmentally-friendly and efficient adsorptive removal of MF from pharmaceutical water. An array of characterization techniques was employed to study the morphology, textural properties, porosity, surface acidity, and surface charge on adsorption using SEM, BET, TGA, NH3-TPD-MS, zeta potential, and FTIR. The crystallinity, polymorphism, and stability of the adsorbate MF were studied using XRD followed by FTIR analysis. The adsorption process was investigated in batch and continuous modes under various conditions. Batch adsorption isotherms were well-fitted with Sips model, and the rate-limiting steps were investigated using Boyd’s and Weber’s models. The behavior of continuous adsorption breakthrough profiles was investigated under different dynamic conditions, and experimental data were described using convection-axial dispersion model with a good fit. The adsorbent showed very high affinity to adsorb MF molecules by an electrostatic interaction between the positively-charged MF ions and the negatively-charged Brønsted acid sites on the surface of SA. Thermal regeneration of the exhausted SA was successfully utilized for the reusability of the adsorbent over three adsorption-regeneration cycles. These results show a consistent removal of around 95% of MF in the feed.Item Open Access Relationships between nitrogen, phosphorus and diel dissolved oxygen cycles in the Bow River, Calgary, Alberta before and after a century-scale flood(2018-06-28) Singer, Jarvis Garry; Jackson, Leland J.; Chambers, Patricia A.; Vamosi, Jana C.High nutrient loading to rivers increases aquatic plant and algal growth resulting in low dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations. The overall objective of this thesis was to examine the relationship of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in diel DO cycles induced by periphyton and macrophyte photosynthesis and respiration in the Bow River. I tested periphyton and macrophyte nutrient limitation status directly using fertilization experiments at multiple locations within Calgary’s wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent affected urban footprint. My results show that immediately after the 2013 flooding, primary production was limited by P (periphyton) or N+P (macrophytes). I investigated empirical relationships between periphyton, macrophytes and diel dissolved oxygen concentrations before and after a 1 in 100-year flooding event. The near complete removal of macrophytes was associated with only a transient decrease in the magnitude of diel DO oscillations at sites downstream of WWTPs.Item Open Access Riverine community structure, biotic and abiotic drivers, and the modifying impact of impoundment(2008) Powell, Heather M.; Jackson, Leland J.Item Open Access Structure and function in shallow prairie lakes: macrophytes and winter anoxia(2000) Meding, Marianne E.; Jackson, Leland J.Item Open Access Study of The Adverse Effects of Environmental Contaminants on Gene Expression in Fish(2017) Zare, Ava; Habibi, Hamid R.; Jackson, Leland J.; Chua, GordonThe presence of contaminants with hormone-like activity and their potential harmful effects on the aquatic ecosystems has been a major concern for over three decades. Despite the presence of very low levels of environmental contaminants in Alberta rivers, the occurrence of feminization has been reported in these sites. Bisphenol A (BPA), Nonylphenol (NP) and Bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP), which are known as weak environmental estrogens, were found to be among the most abundant contaminants in the Oldman River. The primary goal of this thesis was to investigate the in vivo effects of BPA, NP, and DEHP at environmentally relevant concentrations, individually and in a mixture, on gene expression patterns in goldfish (Carassius auratu) and fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) under controlled laboratory conditions. Results of my study indicate that these contaminants at very low concentrations have endocrine disrupting abilities in a gender-specific manner. In addition, the altered transcript levels suggest that growth, steroidogenesis, gonadal development, and sperm biosynthesis might be possibly disrupted as a result of exposure to low concentration of endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs). The findings in this thesis indicate that the mRNA expression levels in response to exposure to various doses of BPA do not always follow a monotonic curve. The low dose of BPA could dysregulate the genes involved in steroid synthesis and gamete production while higher concentrations could induce estrogenicity and activate the detoxification mechanism. Furthermore, this thesis provides novel information on the potential mechanisms, canonical pathways, and regulators that are associated with exposure to these contaminants. It was possible to identify the genes that were affected significantly by all treatment groups, which can be used as suitable biomarkers in ecotoxicology studies. I also demonstrate that the gene expression patterns were different when fish were exposed to a mixture of the contaminants. Overall, the results of this study provide novel information on mechanisms of actions and the health impacts of the tested contaminants, and identified a number of new biomarkers that can be used in environmental toxicity testing.Item Open Access The Effect of Municipal Wastewater Effluent on the Stress Response of Native Fish Species in the Bow River, Calgary, Alberta(2017) Lazaro-Côté, Analisa; Jackson, Leland J.; Vijayan, Mathilakath M.; Hontela, Alice; Ruecker, Norma; Achari, GopalMunicipal wastewater effluent (MWWE) is a point-source of contamination to surface waters, and contains a mixture of nutrients and pharmaceuticals that are not completely eliminated during wastewater treatment processes. There have been many studies using reproductive endpoints to examine sub-lethal effects on fish sampled downstream from MWWE sources; however, few studies have examined effects on the stress performance of fish in the field, particularly in wild populations residing downstream from MWWE sources. The overall objective of this thesis was to determine whether exposure to MWWE in the field compromised the stress performance of native fish species in the Bow River, Calgary, Alberta. The hypothesis was that long-term exposure to MWWE would result in chronic stress and disruption of the hypothalamus-pituitary-interrenal (HPI) axis, leading to a reduced ability to respond to a secondary acute stressor and decreased energy stores due to enhanced energy demands. The results show that feral longnose dace (Rhinichthys cataractae; Chapter 2) and caged fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas; Chapter 3) sampled downstream from municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in the Bow River, Calgary, Alberta, did not have elevated basal cortisol levels and were able to mount a cortisol response following exposure to an additional acute stressor. This suggests that there was no disruption in the HPI axis functioning. Furthermore, the energy stores in fish downstream from WWTPs were greater, which could be due to increased feeding, as fish were also greater in size. The effects detected on energy metabolism cannot be fully attributed to MWWE, as fish sampled from an upstream site also showed similar levels of glycogen stores as fish sampled from sites downstream from WWTPs. This suggests that stormwater and urban runoff may contribute to effects on the metabolism of fish.Item Open Access Toxic cyanobacteria in relation to sulfate, molybdenum, nitrogen and phosphorus in Alberta's shallow prairie lakes(2018-10-19) Anderson, Susan Marie; Jackson, Leland J.; Kinniburgh, David W.; Vamosi, Steven M.; Vamosi, Jana C.Cyanobacteria are characteristic of poor global water quality. They create a public health concern and threaten biodiversity, particularly when they produce toxins such as microcystins. It is poorly understood why cyanobacteria produce microcystins, or how cyanobacteria in shallow prairie lakes will respond to increased salinity under changing climate. To study the effects of variable sulfate concentrations on cyanobacteria and to elucidate environmental patterns of microcystin production, I sampled 25 shallow lakes over four months for total nitrogen (TN), dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), total phosphorus (TP), soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP), sulfate, molybdenum, microcystins, and the cyanobacteria-specific pigments canthaxanthin, myxoxanthophyll and echinenone. There was a negative relationship between cyanobacteria pigment and sulfate, and a positive relationship between cyanobacteria pigment and molybdenum and total nitrogen. Microcystins positively correlated with cyanobacteria pigment and turbidity. When microcystin samples above 10 µg·L-1 were removed, microcystins correlated with TN:TP in June and July. My results suggest that increasing sulfate leads to less cyanobacteria pigment. With the prairies expected to get hotter and dryer in the future, shallow prairie lakes are likely to see less cyanobacteria as they increase in salinity. My results also indicate that higher cyanobacteria pigments correlate with higher microcystins. Although low TN:TP can lead to high microcystins, low TN:TP is not enough to differentiate between high and low microcystins. No thresholds were found in either analysis, meaning there was no evidence for a tipping point where sulfate limits cyanobacteria nor the existence of environmental triggers associated with microcystin production over the season.Item Open Access Unraveling Reaction Mechanisms using Iron and Cobalt Complexes Supported by a Dianionic Pentadentate Ligand(2020-09-19) Nurdin, Lucie; Piers, Warren E.; Birss, Viola; Roesler, Roland; Jackson, Leland J.; Smith, JeremyThe search for carbon-neutral alternatives to fossil fuels has led to the investigation of fundamental reactions mediated by first-row transition metal complexes, such as the reduction of dioxygen to water or the oxidation of ammonia to dinitrogen. In living organisms, metalloenzymes can mediate these transformations under mild conditions, through complex mechanisms that are often difficult to study under biological conditions. Therefore, natural systems represent a constant source of inspiration for synthetic chemists who wish to develop artificial catalysts and understand their reaction mechanisms. In this context, strategic ligand design yielded a plethora of classes of ligands, which vary the reactivity and properties of transition metal complexes. In particular, pentadentate ligands have been widely employed across the periodic table to allow a single site for reactivity, thus providing a well-defined system for mechanistic studies. These systems represent a modular tool for chemists to study detailed mechanistic steps of chemical reactions and to understand the role of what are often fleeting intermediates in life-sustaining reactions. This thesis presents a concrete example of using a pentadentate ligand combined with iron and cobalt to access and stabilize high-valent metal-oxo and metal-imido complexes, which have been proposed as key intermediates in a variety of catalytic transformations. The syntheses of various iron and cobalt complexes supported by the tetrapodal pentadentate Pz4PyB2 ligand are discussed, and their reactivity is explored. As a result, these complexes have been investigated for nitrene transfers; dioxygen reduction to water, ammonia oxidation to dinitrogen, and as mimics to biological related systems. The mechanistic details of these processes were studied extensively, both experimentally and theoretically, and reveal a unique platform for reactivity.