Contributed Session.
Lead Organizer: Phillipe Wernette, Michigan Technological University (pwernett@mtu.edu)
Presentations
06:00 PM
Effects of sampling location, depth, and time of day as factors influencing the results of metagenomic surveys of irrigation pond water (8952)
Primary Presenter: Matthew Stocker, USDA (matthew.stocker@usda.gov)
Routine water quality assessments of irrigation resources are crucial for supporting food safety. Although microbial communities in agricultural waters associate with water properties, the connection between microbiome function water quality is not well understood. This study used shotgun metagenomics to explore intra-daily variation in microbiomes and their functions related to water quality (e.g., dissolved oxygen, nutrient dynamics, etc.) in a model agricultural pond. At the water surface, Microcystis aeruginosa and other members of Cyanobacteria, along with functional pathways related to photosynthesis and nucleotide biosynthesis, were enriched throughout the day. Alternatively, within the water column at 1-2m depths, diverse members of Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria were dominant, along with functional pathways more specifically related to respiration and amino acid biosynthesis. Various aspects of water quality, such as E. coli levels, which increased with water depth, correlated with the taxonomic and functional diversity of the pond microbiomes (P<0.05 for each). Moreover, metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) were assembled for 22 unique strains (i.e., <99% ANI) representing prominent members of Cyanobacteria and Proteobacteria, among other phyla. Antimicrobial resistance genes and virulence factors were detected throughout the pond and linked to specific strains. Overall, our findings demonstrate distinctions in pond water metagenomes at the surface and deeper into the water column, which have implications for monitoring in water quality assessments of agricultural resources.
06:00 PM
Flow-through optical imaging for quantification and classification of organic and inorganic particulates in aquatic environments (9369)
Primary Presenter: William Arnold, OceanSpace LLC (oceanspacesensors@gmail.com)
Aquatic environments host both natural and alien particulates ranging from essential ecosystem contributors such as zooplankton and larval fish to pollutants such as microplastics. Across the range of organic and inorganic particulates, a common feature is a high degree of spatial and temporal variability. Understanding that variability at the fine scale is essential to effective management. However, available sampling methods, and particularly legacy net-based methods, are limited in their ability to operate across the spectrum of applications and/or to deliver the required resolution. We describe a flow-through optical imaging system capable of processing relatively large volumes (up to 23 liters per minute) of water, that is easy-to-use, flexible for deployment in the laboratory or in field settings ranging from small streams to the open ocean, and that classifies and quantifies particulates ranging in size from ~1-50 mm in near-real-time. Both grayscale and color models are available. The grayscale version works well in marine environments where target organisms tend to be translucent. The color option is ideal for imaging microplastics, larval fish, and freshwater benthos where surface features and colors contribute importantly to classification success. Validation testing supports classification accuracy >80% when backed by a sufficiently replete training library.
06:00 PM
Do it yourself: applications of a robust autonomous water monitoring system by non-roboticists (9544)
Primary Presenter: Quin Shingai, Dartmouth College (quin.shingai@gmail.com)
Advancements in technology have increased our capacity for data collection related to water quality monitoring. Specifically, the integration of autonomous surface vehicle (ASV) technology into surface water sampling has increased our ability to track spatial and temporal changes in water quality parameters. However, these advancements come with their own challenges and limitations. Commercially available ASV technology can be costly in initial investment and maintenance over time, building an ASV from scratch can be time intensive and require significant knowledge in computer science and engineering. Here we describe selected applications of a low cost (~$5000), robust, user-friendly ASV system, Catabot, to the study of freshwater lakes by non-roboticists working in close collaboration with roboticists. Since 2021, Catabot has been successfully used in limnological applications exploring spatial heterogeneity of water quality parameters in lake surface waters. We highlight the use of Catabot in an undergraduate field course for exploring spatial heterogeneity of chlorophyll a in the surface waters of littoral and pelagic zones in a small pond (Post Pond, NH) during summer 2024. As well as applications of Catabot for tracking tributary plume inputs of specific conductance in an oligotrophic lake (Lake Sunapee, NH), exploring how plume distribution changes in relation to precipitation events during summers 2021 and 2023. These case studies highlight how partnerships with roboticists can advance limnology and provide real-world context for further advances in robotics.
CS12P - Novel Methods
Description
Time: 6:00 PM
Date: 29/3/2025
Room: Exhibit Hall A