SAVANNAH RIVER ECOLOGY LABORATORY ANNUAL TECHNICAL PROGRESS REPORT OF ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH Draft submitted 29 June 2005 Final submitted 19 July 2005 Supported under Cooperative Agreement DE-FC09-96SR18546 between The University of Georgia and the U.S. Department of Energy for The University of Georgia fiscal year ending June 30, 2005 Paul M. Bertsch, Director Prepared by Laura Janecek Savannah River Ecology Laboratory Drawer E Aiken, SC 29802 PH (803) 725-2472 FAX 725-3309 E-mail: [email protected] www.uga.edu/srel/ This report is provided for information only and is not to be considered formally published literature. We request that no citations be made of information contained herein without the express consent of the investigator. Savannah River Ecology Laboratory FY2005 Annual Technical Progress Report Table of Contents SREL FY2005 Overview .............................................................................................................................................. 1 Special Accomplishments of SREL Personnel ............................................................................................................. 5 An Overview of Research Themes............................................................................................................................... 7 Characterization ......................................................................................................................................................... 8 Question 1: What are the roles of microorganisms in biogeochemical processes? ......................................... 8 Question 2: How do coupled biological and geochemical processes interact? .............................................. 10 Question 3: What processes control chemical speciation?............................................................................. 12 Question 4: How are bioavailability, bioconcentration, and biomagnification related?............................. 20 Question 5: What types of statistical models best describe contaminant distributions? ............................. 22 Question 6: Can sentinel species be used as surrogates to determine environmental health? .................... 24 Question 7: What techniques permit studies of bacterial community structure and function?.................. 26 Question 8: How do seasonal variations influence contaminant speciation?.............................................. 27 Question 9: How can amphibian conservation plans protect against rare events? ...................................... 28 Ecological Risks and Effects ..................................................................................................................................... 30 Question 1: How does contaminant speciation influence bioavailability? .................................................. 30 Question 2: How do contaminant effects integrate over different levels of biological organization? ......... 31 Question 3: How do variation in contamination, remediation practices, and ecology alter risk?.............. 34 Question 4: What are the potential interactions from exposures to mixed contaminants? ........................ 37 Question 5: What are the risks from low-dose, chronic exposures to radiation? ......................................... 37 Question 6: What are the most cost-effective biomarkers for impacts to biota? .......................................... 37 Question 7: What are the mechanisms of trophic and maternal transfer of contaminants? ....................... 38 Question 8: What are the risks associated with indirect selection for antibiotic resistance? ...................... 39 Question 9: What statistical techniques provide the most power when estimating dose or exposure? ....... 41 Remediation and Restoration ................................................................................................................................... 42 Question 1: How can solute transport be incorporated in models of contaminant migration? .................. 42 Question 2: What are the hydrogeochemical processes that determine contaminant migration? ............... 42 Question 3: What hydrogeochemical factors control permeable reactive barrier function? ........................ 43 Question 4: What are the mechanisms by which amendments immobilize contaminants? ........................ 44 Question 5: Can plant genes involved in remediation of groundwater contaminants be identified? ......... 46 Question 6: How do microbes affect metal speciation transformations? ..................................................... 46 Question 7: What traits of native plants determine their use in remediation and restoration?.................. 47 Question 8: Can natural processes be directed or accelerated for restoration?............................................ 48 i Savannah River Ecology Laboratory FY2005 Annual Technical Progress Report Research Support Programs .................................................................................................................................... 51 Environmental Health and Safety Program .................................................................................................... 52 Distance Learning Program ............................................................................................................................ 52 Quality Assurance Program............................................................................................................................. 53 Research Data Archives ................................................................................................................................... 53 SREL Undergraduate and Graduate Education Program................................................................................ 53 Environmental Outreach Program.................................................................................................................. 56 DOE Research Set-Aside Areas ......................................................................................................................... 58 Externally Funded Grants ......................................................................................................................................... 62 Publications ............................................................................................................................................................. 69 SREL Organizational Chart ....................................................................................................................................... 75 ii Savannah River Ecology Laboratory FY2005 Annual Technical Progress Report Savannah River Ecology Laboratory FY2005 Overview The Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (SREL) is a humans also protect other organisms in the research unit of The University of Georgia (UGA) and has environment, as is currently assumed. They been conducting ecological research on the Savannah River emphasized there is a need to understand how Site (SRS) near Aiken, South Carolina for almost 54 years. radiation effects are integrated across different levels The overall mission of the Laboratory is to acquire and of biological organization, but to gain such communicate knowledge of ecological processes and understanding better collaboration is needed between principles. SREL conducts fundamental and applied the traditionally separate disciplines of radiation ecological research, as well as education and outreach biology and radiation ecology. programs, under a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Dr. Paul Bertsch and colleagues received a $239,000 Department of Energy (DOE). grant from the Department of Energy Office of Science EMSP program to study the link between chemical The Laboratory’s research mission during the 2005 fiscal speciation and bioavailability of uranium and nickel year was fulfilled with the publication of 102 journal articles in contaminated sediments. This study, to be conducted and book chapters by faculty, technical staff, students, and in the Tims Branch/Steed Pond system of the Savannah visiting scientists. Two books were also published with SREL River Site, will provide valuable information on the personnel as authors. An additional 43 journal articles have scientific basis for natural attenuation of similarly been submitted or are in press. Other noteworthy events contaminated areas. took place as faculty members, staff, and graduate students SREL researchers received a $500,000 grant from the received awards. These are described in the section titled National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Special Accomplishments of SREL Personnel on page 5. (NOAA) to study the role of metal contamination in the proliferation of antibiotic resistance in coastal Notable scientific accomplishments during the past year water-borne pathogens. The three-year award builds included work in the areas of environmental remediation, upon novel field and laboratory research done at the radiation ecology, and environmental microbiology. SRS by Drs. J Vaun McArthur and Ramunas SREL researchers, in collaboration with others from Stepanauskas that suggested microbes resistant to Clark Atlanta University, WSRC, and the U.S. Forest metal contamination may also be resistant to Service-Savannah River, developed and implemented antibiotics. an automated vadose zone monitoring system to measure soil moisture and soil matric potential, and During the past year several faculty had accomplishments to collect lysimeter samples.