Iridium oxide coated, titanium mesh can be used to convert saltwater into mixed oxidants in small, hand-held electrolysis units for use as a drinking water disinfectant in developing countries. But, did you know that iridium is mined from the Cretaceous-Paleogene Boundary? It is common for people to die of dehydration after contracting diarrhea from infectious drinking water. But, did you know that Bear Grylls, television star of Man vs. Wild, once gave himself an enema with rancid water in a desperate act of emergency rehydration? And, what do �cybermussels� have to do with �biomunitions�? Well, you would know if you did research under the influence of Richard L. Valentine.  For the technical presentation, the effects of native freshwater mussels on nitrogen dynamics in continuous-flow mesocosms equipped with high resolution water chemistry sensors will be shared. The analysis of hundreds of data points allowed us to determine, with statistical significance, the subtle increase in NO3- mass in overlying water attributable to mussels. Our results show that mussels release reactive nitrogen to the overlying water via removal, and subsequent digestion, of phytoplankton. The digested phytoplankton nitrogen was released as NH4+ which was then mostly oxidized to NO3-. Additionally, we used the sensor data to perform a lag time analysis of daily maxima for phytoplankton, NH4+, and NO3-. We feel the time between phytoplankton and NH4+ maxima represents phytoplankton digestion time and the time between NH4+ and NO3- maxima represents the microbial nitrification rate. Our results indicate that a rapid increase in phytoplankton levels in the overlying water leads to a decreased phytoplankton to NH4+ lag time. This implies that mussels adjust their digestion rates in response to an increased level of food. The adjustment in digestion time suggests mussels exhibit a strong response to food availability that can disrupt normal circadian rhythms.

Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary, perverse osmosis, and cybermussels: A short history of research under the influence of Richard L. Valentine

248th National Meeting (2014)

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