Physical activity in the Families in Transformation (FIT) weight management program for children.

Background: The purpose was to determine if an 8-week nutrition education and exercise program for families could influence health and fitness parameters, and retention of nutrition knowledge. Methods: Eighteen children (mean age: 10.52 ± 1.26 year; 50% boys, 50% girls; 56% white, 25% black, 19% multiracial) participated in the Families in Transformation (FIT) program. Preand post-study anthropocentric, blood pressure, fitness, and nutrition knowledge data was collected. Results: Diastolic blood pressure decreased for the total group (66.63 ± 8.81 to 63.75 ± 11.81mm Hg). Significant (P < 0.05) increases were seen for the group for push-ups (14.31 ± 7.62 to 19.63 ± 6.62) and chair squats (30.50 ± 10.21 to 34.44 ± 7.39). The reinforcing physical activity group performed significantly better on nutrition knowledge quizzes. Conclusion: Although, body mass index (BMI) z-scores did not change, there was a decrease in diastolic blood pressure, increase in fitness parameters, and increased retention of nutrition knowledge.

Lake Nutrient Responses to Integrated Conservation Practices in an Agricultural Watershed.

Watershed-scale management efforts to reduce nutrient loads and improve the conservation of lakes in agricultural watersheds require effective integration of a variety of agricultural conservation best management practices (BMPs). This paper documents watershed-scale assessments of the influence of multiple integrated BMPs on oxbow lake nutrient concentrations in a 625-ha watershed of intensive row-crop agricultural activity during a 14-yr monitoring period (1996-2009). A suite of BMPs within fields and at field edges throughout the watershed and enrollment of 87 ha into the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) were implemented from 1995 to 2006. Total phosphorus (TP), soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP), ammonium, and nitrate were measured approximately biweekly from 1996 to 2009, and total nitrogen (TN) was measured from 2001 to 2009. Decreases in several lake nutrient concentrations occurred after BMP implementation. Reductions in TP lake concentrations were associated with vegetative buffers and rainfall. No consistent patterns of changes in TN or SRP lake concentrations were observed. Reductions in ammonium lake concentrations were associated with conservation tillage and CRP. Reductions in nitrate lake concentrations were associated with vegetative buffers. Watershed simulations conducted with the AnnAGNPS (Annualized Agricultural Non-Point Source) model with and without BMPs also show a clear reduction in TN and TP loads to the lake after the implementation of BMPs. These results provide direct evidence of how watershed-wide BMPs assist in reducing nutrient loading in aquatic ecosystems and promote a more viable and sustainable lake ecosystem.

Mitigating agrichemicals from an artificial runoff event using a managed riverine wetland.

We examined the mitigation efficiency of a managed riverine wetland amended with a mixture of suspended sediment, two nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus), and three pesticides (atrazine, metolachlor, and permethrin) during a simulated agricultural runoff event. Hydrologic management of the 500 m-long, 25 m-wide riverine wetland was done by adding weirs at both ends. The agrichemical mixture was amended to the wetland at the upstream weir simulating a four-hour, ~1cm rainfall event from a 16ha agricultural field. Water samples (1L) were collected every 30 min within the first 4h, then every 4h until 48 h, and again on days 5, 7, 14, 21, and 28 post-amendment at distances of 0m, 10 m, 40 m, 300 m and 500 m from the amendment point within the wetland for suspended solids, nutrient, and pesticide analyses. Peak sediment, nutrient, and pesticide concentrations occurred within 3 h of amendment at 0m, 10 m, 40 m, and 300 m downstream and showed rapid attenuation of agrichemicals from the water column with 79-98%, 42-98%, and 63-98% decrease in concentrations of sediments, nutrients, and pesticides, respectively, within 48 h. By day 28, all amendments were near or below pre-amendment concentrations. Water samples at 500 m showed no changes in sediment or nutrient concentrations; pesticide concentrations peaked within 48 h but at ≤11% of upstream peak concentrations and had dissipated by day 28. Managed riverine wetlands≥1 ha and with hydraulic residence times of days to weeks can efficiently trap agricultural runoff during moderate (1cm) late-spring and early-summer rainfall events, mitigating impacts to receiving rivers.

Responses of Hyalella azteca and phytoplankton to a simulated agricultural runoff event in a managed backwater wetland.

We assessed the aqueous toxicity mitigation capacity of a hydrologically managed floodplain wetland following a synthetic runoff event amended with a mixture of sediments, nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus), and pesticides (atrazine, S-metolachlor, and permethrin) using 48-h Hyalella azteca survival and phytoplankton pigment, chlorophyll a. The runoff event simulated a 1h, 1.27 cm rainfall event from a 16 ha agricultural field. Water (1L) was collected every 30 min within the first 4h, every 4h until 48 h, and on days 5, 7, 14, 21, and 28 post-amendment at distances of 0, 10, 40, 300 and 500 m from the amendment point for chlorophyll a, suspended sediment, nutrient, and pesticide analyses. H. azteca 48-h laboratory survival was assessed in water collected at each site at 0, 4, 24, 48 h, 5 d and 7 d. Greatest sediment, nutrient, and pesticide concentrations occurred within 3h of amendment at 0m, 10 m, 40 m, and 300 m downstream. Sediments and nutrients showed little variation at 500 m whereas pesticides peaked within 48 h but at <15% of upstream peak concentrations. After 28 d, all mixture components were near or below pre-amendment concentrations. H. azteca survival significantly decreased within 48 h of amendment up to 300 m in association with permethrin concentrations. Chlorophyll a decreased within the first 24h of amendment up to 40m primarily in conjunction with herbicide concentrations. Variations in chlorophyll a at 300 and 500 m were associated with nutrients. Managed floodplain wetlands can rapidly and effectively trap and process agricultural runoff during moderate rainfall events, mitigating impacts to aquatic invertebrates and algae in receiving aquatic systems.

Toxicity evaluation of a conservation effects assessment program watershed, Beasley Lake, in the Mississippi Delta, USA.

Beasley Lake was assessed monthly in 2005 for biological impairment from 17 historic and current-use pesticides in water and leaf litter using Hyalella azteca (Saussure). Sixteen pesticides were detected in both water and leaf litter with peak detections in spring and summer. Detections ranged from 1-125 ng L(-1) in water and 1-539 ng g(-1) OC in leaf litter. Ten-day H. azteca survival and growth (mg dw) bioassay results indicated no adverse effects on survival or growth in H. azteca exposed to water or leaf litter. Rather, enhanced growth occurred in both lake water and leaf litter exposures for 8 and 6 months, respectively.

Effects of an atrazine, metolachlor and fipronil mixture on Hyalella azteca (Saussure) in a modified backwater wetland.

We examined the toxicity mitigation efficiency of a hydrologically modified backwater wetland amended with a pesticide mixture of atrazine, metolachlor, and fipronil, using 96 h survival bioassays with Hyalella azteca. Significant H. azteca 96 h mortality occurred within the first 2 h of amendment at the upstream amendment site but not at any time at the downstream site. H. azteca survival varied spatially and temporally in conjunction with measured pesticide mixture concentrations. Hyalella azteca 96 h survival pesticide mixture effects concentrations ranges were 10.214­11.997, 5.822­6.658, 0.650­0.817, and 0.030­0.048 µg L−1 for atrazine, metolachlor, fipronil, and fipronil-sulfone, respectively.

Hyalella azteca (Saussure) responses to Coldwater River backwater sediments in Mississippi, USA.

Sediment from three Coldwater River, Mississippi backwaters was examined using 28 day Hyalella azteca bioassays and chemical analyses for 33 pesticides, seven metals and seven PCB mixtures. Hydrologic connectivity between the main river channel and backwater varied widely among the three sites. Mortality occurred in the most highly connected backwater while growth impairment occurred in the other two. Precopulatory guarding behavior was not as sensitive as growth. Fourteen contaminants (seven metals, seven pesticides) were detected in sediments. Survival was associated with the organochlorine insecticide heptachlor.

Agricultural pesticides in Mississippi Delta oxbow lake sediments during autumn and their effects on Hyalella azteca.

Agricultural pesticide contamination of sediments from five Mississippi Delta oxbow lakes and their effects and bioavailablity to Hyalella azteca were assessed during a low-application season-autumn. Three reference oxbow lakes were located in the White River National Wildlife Refuge (WRNWR), Arkansas and two impaired lakes, according to the US Environmental Agency Sect. 303 (d) Clean Water Act, were located in Mississippi. Surface sediment (top 5 cm) was collected at three sites within each lake and analyzed for 17 current and historic-use pesticides and metabolites. Chronic 28-day H. azteca sediment bioassays and pesticide body residue analyses were completed to determine the degree of biological responses and bioavailability. The greatest number of detectable pesticides in WRNWR and 303 (d) sediment samples was 9 and 12, respectively, with historic-use pesticide metabolite, p,p'-DDE [1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethylene] ubiquitous. No significant (p > 0.05) differences in animal survival were observed among sites. Animal growth was significantly (p < 0.05) less at only one site in a 303 (d)-listed lake (Macon Lake). Only six pesticides were observed in H. azteca with current-use pesticides detected at three sites; historic-use pesticides and metabolites detected at 11 sites. Animal body residues of a historic-use pesticide (dieldrin) and metabolite (p,p'-DDE) were associated with observed growth responses. Results show limited current-use pesticide contamination of sediments and H. azteca body tissues during autumn and that historic-use pesticides and metabolites are the primary contributors to observed biological responses.

Can warmwater streams be rehabilitated using watershed-scale standard erosion control measures alone?

Degradation of warmwater streams in agricultural landscapes is a pervasive problem, and reports of restoration effectiveness based on monitoring data are rare. Described is the outcome of rehabilitation of two deeply incised, unstable sand-and-gravel-bed streams. Channel networks of both watersheds were treated using standard erosion control measures, and aquatic habitats within 1-km-long reaches of each stream were further treated by addition of instream structures and planting woody vegetation on banks ("habitat rehabilitation"). Fish and their habitats were sampled semiannually during 1-2 years before rehabilitation, 3-4 years after rehabilitation, and 10-11 years after rehabilitation. Reaches with only erosion control measures located upstream from the habitat measure reaches and in similar streams in adjacent watersheds were sampled concurrently. Sediment concentrations declined steeply throughout both watersheds, with means > or = 40% lower during the post-rehabilitation period than before. Physical effects of habitat rehabilitation were persistent through time, with pool habitat availability much higher in rehabilitated reaches than elsewhere. Fish community structure responded with major shifts in relative species abundance: as pool habitats increased after rehabilitation, small-bodied generalists and opportunists declined as certain piscivores and larger-bodied species such as centrarchids and catostomids increased. Reaches without habitat rehabilitation were significantly shallower, and fish populations there were similar to the rehabilitated reaches prior to treatment. These findings are applicable to incised, warmwater streams draining agricultural watersheds similar to those we studied. Rehabilitation of warmwater stream ecosystems is possible with current knowledge, but a major shift in stream corridor management strategies will be needed to reverse ongoing degradation trends. Apparently, conventional channel erosion controls without instream habitat measures are ineffective tools for ecosystem restoration in incised, warmwater streams of the Southeastern U.S., even if applied at the watershed scale and accompanied by significant reductions in suspended sediment concentration.

Influence of watershed system management on herbicide concentrations in Mississippi Delta oxbow lakes.

The Mississippi Delta Management Systems Evaluation Area (MD-MSEA) project was established in 1994 in three small watersheds (202 to 1,497 ha) that drain into oxbow lakes (Beasley, Deep Hollow, and Thighman). The primary research objective was to assess the implications of management practices on water quality. Monthly monitoring of herbicide concentrations in lake water was conducted from 2000 to 2003. Water samples were analyzed for atrazine, cyanazine, fluometuron, metolachlor, and atrazine metabolites. Herbicide concentrations observed in the lake water reflected cropping systems of the watershed, e.g., atrazine and metolachlor concentrations were associated with the level of corn and sorghum production, whereas cyanazine and fluometuron was associated with the level of glyphosate-sensitive cotton production. The dynamics of herbicide appearance and dissipation in lake samples were strongly influenced by herbicide use, lake hydrology, rainfall pattern, and land management practices. The highest maximum concentrations of atrazine (7.1 to 23.4 microg L(-1)) and metolachlor (0.7 to 14.9 microg L(-1)) were observed in Thighman Lake where significant quantities of corn were grown. Introduction of s-metolachlor and use of glyphosate-resistant cotton coincided with reduced concentration of metolachlor in lake water. Cyanazine was observed in two lakes with the highest levels (1.6 to 5.5 microg L(-1)) in 2000 and lower concentrations in 2001 and 2002 (<0.4 microg L(-1)). Reduced concentrations of fluometuron in Beasley Lake were associated with greater use of glyphosate-resistant cotton and correspondingly less need for soil-applied fluometuron herbicide. In contrast, increased levels of fluometuron were observed in lake water after Deep Hollow was converted from conservation tillage to conventional tillage, presumably due to greater runoff associated with conventional tillage. These studies indicate that herbicide concentrations observed in these three watersheds were related to crop and soil management practices.