USGS NAWQA: The Ecological National Synthesis (ENS) Project

Four Primary Objectives of the ENS Project:

Assess the status and trends of aquatic ecological conditions (invertebrates, fish, algae and habitat) in rivers and wadeable streams.

Relate ecological conditions to chemical stressors (such as nutrients and pesticides), physical disturbances (such as habitat and hydrologic alterations) in the context of different environmental settings and land uses.

Enhance understanding of factors that influence the biological integrity of streams and how these stream ecosystems may respond to diverse natural and human factors.

Develop key ecological indicators of aquatic health.

Small-celled Nupela Species from North America

Marina G. Potapova¹, Karen C. Ponader¹, Rex L. Lowe², Todd A. Clason³ & Loren L. Bahls⁴

¹Patrick Center for Environmental Research, The Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia,
1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103-1195, USA

²Biology Dept., Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green , Ohio, 43403 USA

³1718 Summit Avenue, Apt. 103, Seattle , Washington 98122, USA

⁴1032 12th Avenue, Helena , Montana 59601, USA

Absract.—Three small-celled Nupela species were found in streams and moist habitats of the United States, with a concentration of locations in the eastern part of the country. Two new species are described here: N. neglecta Ponader, Lowe & Potapova and N. carolina Potapova & Clason. These two species and Nupela wellneri (Lange-Bertalot) Lange-Bertalot have external hymenate occlusions of their areolae, which apparently are diagnostic for this genus. These often erode during sample preparation, and hence have not been previously recognized as a generic character. All three species were recorded primarily from epilithon and epiphyton of small, heavily shaded streams with low to moderate conductivity, and relatively high concentrations of dissolved silica, total nitrogen, and dissolved organic matter.