Wildland Fire, Mercury, and Perch with Dr. Randy Kolka and Trent Wickman
10/19/18 • 38 min
“Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens) Mercury Unaffected by Wildland Fires in Northern Minnesota” with Dr. Randy Kolka and Trent Wickman.
We often hear of the dangers of mercury to pregnant women and children that require them to restrict fish consumption. For good reason – even at low concentrations, mercury can do serious damage to neural networks and reproductive systems. However, we talk little of how the mercury gets in these fish in the first place.
The most common way mercury enters the ecosystem is through the burning of coal; however, it can also volatilize via prescribed and wild fires in forests. From there, it can redistribute into other parts of the ecosystem, such as lakes, and work its way into the food chain. This can hurt the animals that rely on lakes or the fish that live in them to survive. It can also hurt people. For Dr. Randy Kolka and Trent Wickman of the USDA Forest Service, who love the people and wildlife of Northern Minnesota – they had to know more.
They set up a study on two lakes – one that hadn’t seen a fire in over 100 years and one that had a serious fire that covered over 99% of the watershed – and sampled soil, water, and fish to compare mercury levels.
In this episode, they discuss their experimental design, along with a breakdown of the realities of fieldwork. It can be tough carrying heavy equipment or samples of lakewater, let alone camping gear and food; they discuss how they made choices on what to bring, how samples were collected, and how they managed the logistics of the trips.
Tune in to learn this and more:
- How does one collect a water sample from a deep lake?
- What’s a “crown fire” and why is it so dangerous?
- How is fire severity judged?
- Why perch?
If you would like more information about this topic, this episode’s paper is available here: https://doi.org/10.2134/jeq2016.10.0418
It will be freely available from 19 October to 2 November, 2018.
If you would like to find transcripts for this episode or sign up for our newsletter, please visit our website: https://fieldlabearth.libsyn.com/
Contact us at [email protected] or on Twitter @FieldLabEarth if you have comments, questions, or suggestions for show topics, and if you want more content like this don’t forget to subscribe.
If you would like to reach out to Randy, you can find him here: https://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/people/Kolka [email protected]
If you would like to reach out to Trent, you can find him here: [email protected]
Resources
CEU Quiz: http://www.agronomy.org/education/classroom/classes/827
No Mercury Accumulation in Fish after Fire: https://www.soils.org/discover-soils/story/burn-without-concern
BWCWA: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/superior/specialplaces/?cid=fseprd555184
Randy’s additional fire and mercury publications: https://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/people/Kolka
MN Department of Health fish consumption advisories: http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/fish/index.html
USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station: https://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/
USDA Forest Service, Air Resource Management R8 & 9: https://webcam.srs.fs.fed.us/
Field, Lab, Earth is copyrighted to the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America.
“Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens) Mercury Unaffected by Wildland Fires in Northern Minnesota” with Dr. Randy Kolka and Trent Wickman.
We often hear of the dangers of mercury to pregnant women and children that require them to restrict fish consumption. For good reason – even at low concentrations, mercury can do serious damage to neural networks and reproductive systems. However, we talk little of how the mercury gets in these fish in the first place.
The most common way mercury enters the ecosystem is through the burning of coal; however, it can also volatilize via prescribed and wild fires in forests. From there, it can redistribute into other parts of the ecosystem, such as lakes, and work its way into the food chain. This can hurt the animals that rely on lakes or the fish that live in them to survive. It can also hurt people. For Dr. Randy Kolka and Trent Wickman of the USDA Forest Service, who love the people and wildlife of Northern Minnesota – they had to know more.
They set up a study on two lakes – one that hadn’t seen a fire in over 100 years and one that had a serious fire that covered over 99% of the watershed – and sampled soil, water, and fish to compare mercury levels.
In this episode, they discuss their experimental design, along with a breakdown of the realities of fieldwork. It can be tough carrying heavy equipment or samples of lakewater, let alone camping gear and food; they discuss how they made choices on what to bring, how samples were collected, and how they managed the logistics of the trips.
Tune in to learn this and more:
- How does one collect a water sample from a deep lake?
- What’s a “crown fire” and why is it so dangerous?
- How is fire severity judged?
- Why perch?
If you would like more information about this topic, this episode’s paper is available here: https://doi.org/10.2134/jeq2016.10.0418
It will be freely available from 19 October to 2 November, 2018.
If you would like to find transcripts for this episode or sign up for our newsletter, please visit our website: https://fieldlabearth.libsyn.com/
Contact us at [email protected] or on Twitter @FieldLabEarth if you have comments, questions, or suggestions for show topics, and if you want more content like this don’t forget to subscribe.
If you would like to reach out to Randy, you can find him here: https://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/people/Kolka [email protected]
If you would like to reach out to Trent, you can find him here: [email protected]
Resources
CEU Quiz: http://www.agronomy.org/education/classroom/classes/827
No Mercury Accumulation in Fish after Fire: https://www.soils.org/discover-soils/story/burn-without-concern
BWCWA: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/superior/specialplaces/?cid=fseprd555184
Randy’s additional fire and mercury publications: https://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/people/Kolka
MN Department of Health fish consumption advisories: http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/fish/index.html
USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station: https://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/
USDA Forest Service, Air Resource Management R8 & 9: https://webcam.srs.fs.fed.us/
Field, Lab, Earth is copyrighted to the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America.
Previous Episode
Crop Wild Relatives Week with Dr. Stephanie Greene
“An Inventory of Crop Wild Relatives of the United States” with Dr. Stephanie Greene.
Crop Wild Relatives week is September 22 – 29, 2018!
Crops are vital to feeding an expanding world – and like anything incredibly important, they need to be protected from things like disease, environmental disaster, and anything else that can pose a real threat. The key to their protection? Unexpected heroes that could be growing in your back yard– wild varieties of domesticated crops called crop wild relatives.
Crop wild relatives are the close cousins of domesticated crops (think a poodle vs. a wolf). Often, these crops are well-adapted to their environment and can exhibit wild superpowers such as drought or disease resistance. And because they are so closely related to domesticated crops, scientists can cross them with crops that people rely on for food or other uses, such as wheat or blueberries. The result – stronger, healthier crops– and peace of mind that your favorite blueberry muffins will be available for years to come.
Dr. Stephanie Greene and seedbanks around the world have made it their mission to catalog, protect, and educate the public on these wild, unruly cousins of crops and how scientists use them to give our favorite crops super strength.
This year, for Crop Wild Relatives week, tune in to find answers to the following questions and more:
- What’s the point of a gene bank?
- What type of traits are scientists looking for in crop wild relatives?
- How do they determine which ones are important?
- What’s a gap analysis, and how is it done?
- Why is it so important that the public knows about crop wild relatives?
If you would like more information about this topic, please visit our Crop Wild Relatives Week website here: https://www.crops.org/crop-wild-relative/
Today’s paper is available here: https://doi.org/10.2135/cropsci2012.10.0585
This paper is always freely available.
If you would like to find transcripts for this episode or sign up for our newsletter, please visit our website: https://fieldlabearth.libsyn.com/
Contact us at [email protected] or on Twitter @FieldLabEarth if you have comments, questions, or suggestions for show topics, and if you want more content like this don’t forget to subscribe.
If you would like to reach out to Stephanie, you can find her here: [email protected]
Resources
CEU Quiz: http://www.agronomy.org/education/classroom/classes/826
Crop Wild Relative Diversity Site: https://www.cwrdiversity.org
Crop Wild Relatives Site: www.cropwildrelatives.org/
Wild Relatives Resource Site: https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/ethnobotany/wildrelatives.shtml
Crop Wild Relatives of the US Site: https://cwroftheus.wordpress.com/
Field, Lab, Earth is copyrighted to the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America.
Next Episode
Stacking Soybean Cyst Nematode Resistance with Dr. Brian Diers
“Pyramiding of Alleles from Multiple Sources Increases the Resistance of Soybean to Highly Virulent Soybean Cyst Nematode Isolates” with Dr. Brian Diers.
One of a farmer’s greatest enemies is a nemesis that they never even see. A nematode sounds like a ghastly swamp monster – in reality, it’s a microscopic worm that does some big time damage to soybean fields. These little guys love living in the soil and sucking on soybean roots. A bad infestation of soybean cyst nematodes can cost a farmer around 30 to 40% of his or her crop.
So how does one fight a nemesis that is too small to see? You build up a resistance. That’s what Dr. Brian Diers is developing through his soybean breeding research. He’s been working with crop wild relatives, soybean varieties, and plant breeders to identify sources of resistance and ways to incorporate that resistance into soybean.
This process is a race against time. Resistant soybean varieties are almost entirely from a single source. Nematodes are becoming more and more capable of overcoming this resistance.
Listen in to learn:
- How Dr. Diers team finds a gene location responsible for resistance
- How to visually identify nematode infestation
- How to create a genetic marker
- How a polymerase chain reaction is used in genetics research
If you would like more information about this topic, today’s paper is available here: http://dx.doi.org/doi:10.2135/cropsci2016.12.1007
It will be freely available from 16 November to 30 November, 2018.
If you would like to find transcripts for this episode or sign up for our newsletter, please visit our website: https://fieldlabearth.libsyn.com/
Contact us at [email protected] or on Twitter @FieldLabEarth if you have comments, questions, or suggestions for show topics, and if you want more content like this don’t forget to subscribe.
If you would like to reach out to Brian, you can find him here: [email protected] https://cropsciences.illinois.edu/people/profile/bdiers http://soybeaninnovationlab.illinois.edu/team-members http://www.tropicalsoybean.com/tropical-soybean-university/brian-diers
Resources
CEU Quiz: http://www.agronomy.org/education/classroom/classes/828
State Extension programs: https://nifa.usda.gov/extension
Find your State Extension program: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/extension-search
United Soybean Board, Soybean Checkoff program: http://unitedsoybean.org/
Brian’s Other Crop Science Papers “Impact of Soybean Cyst Nematode Resistance on Soybean Yield” http://dx.doi.org/doi:10.2135/cropsci2016.07.0628
“Fine Mapping of the SCN Resistance QTL cqSCN-006 and cqSCN-007 from Glycine soja PI 468916” http://dx.doi.org/doi:10.2135/cropsci2012.07.0425
Field, Lab, Earth is copyrighted to the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America.
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