UCA professors Ginny Adams, Karen Steelman and Laurie Warren received a $50,000 grant from the Perry County, Missouri Soil and Water Conservation District for a contaminant concentration analysis in streams utilized by Grotto Sculpin (Cottus carolinae) in that county.
In 2002, the Grotto Sculpin was designated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a candidate for listing as a Federal Threatened or Endangered Species. The Grotto Sculpin is a relatively small fish that exhibits cave adapatation and is restricted to five cave systems in Perry County. This study will allow the researchers to obtain valuable data on the concentrations of potentially harmful contaminates present in Grotto Sculpin habitat. The information gained from this project will enable identification of anthropogenic processes influencing water quality of cave streams in Perry County, and provide baseline data from which to monitor environmental contaminant levels in the future. Additionally, determination of the concentrations of contaminates present in Grotto Sculpin habitat will aid in assessing the potential for adverse developmental, health and reproductive effects on the species.
“This study will provide students with both field and laboratory experience in examing water quality in a karst system,” said Adams. “We will be applying relatively new technology to study water quality over time in the caves. Techniques developed during this project will be applicable to other waterways and karst environments, including the cave and karst regions of Arkansas.”