Value of Artificial Habitats for Amphibian Reproduction in Altered Landscapes

Abstract:  Installation and maintenance of stormwater ponds to detain and treat runoff from impervious surfaces is a common method of stormwater control in developed areas. That these ponds capture pollutants, however, is of concern for wildlife species that use the ponds, particularly pond-breeding amphibians. To assess the relative contribution of stormwater ponds to the persistence of amphibian populations in suburban landscapes, we compared amphibian use of stormwater ponds and other available wetlands in suburban and forested watersheds. We surveyed three suburban and three primarily forested first-order watersheds to identify all potential wetlands that might serve as breeding sites for pond-breeding amphibians. We performed call, egg-mass, and larval surveys to measure breeding effort at each wetland in spring and summer 2007 and 2008. In suburban watersheds most (89%) of the wetlands that had breeding activity were either stormwater ponds or otherwise artificial. This pattern was also evident in the forested watersheds, where amphibians were primarily found breeding in wetlands created by past human activity. Late-stage larvae were found only in anthropogenic wetlands in all study areas because the remaining natural wetlands did not hold water long enough for larvae to complete development. Our results suggest that in urban and suburban landscapes with naturally low densities of wetlands, wetlands created by current or historic land uses may be as important to amphibian conservation as natural wetlands or pools and that management strategies directed at urban and suburban landscapes should recognize and incorporate human-created wetlands.     

Urbanization and nutrient retention in freshwater riparian wetlands.

Urbanization can degrade water quality and alter watershed hydrology, with profound effects on the structure and function of both riparian wetlands (RWs) and aquatic ecosystems downstream. We used freshwater RWs in Fairfax County, Virginia, USA, as a model system to examine: (1) the effects of increasing urbanization (indexed by the percentage of impervious surface cover [%ISC] in the surrounding watershed) on nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations in surface soils and plant tissues, soil P saturation, and soil iron (Fe) chemistry; and (2) relationships between RW soil and plant nutrient chemistries vs. the physical and biotic integrity of adjacent streams. Soil total P and NaOH-extractable P (representing P bound to aluminum [Al] and Fe hydrous oxides) varied significantly but nonlinearly with % ISC (r2 = 0.69 and 0.57, respectively); a similar pattern was found for soil P saturation but not for soil total N. Relationships were best described by second-order polynomial equations. Riparian wetlands appear to receive greater P loads in moderately (8.6-13.3% ISC) than in highly (25.1-29.1% ISC) urbanized watersheds. These observations are consistent with alterations in watershed hydrology that occur with increasing urbanization, directing water and nutrient flows away from natural RWs. Significant increases in total and crystalline soil Fe (r2 = 0.57 and 0.53, respectively) and decreases in relative soil Fe crystallinity with increasing %ISC suggest the mobilization and deposition of terrestrial sediments in RWs, likely due to construction activities in the surrounding watershed. Increases in RW plant tissue nutrient concentrations and %ISC in the surrounding watershed were negatively correlated with standard indices of the physical and biotic integrity of adjacent streams. In combination, these data suggest that nutrient and sediment inputs associated with urbanization and storm-water management are important variables that affect wetland ecosystem services, such as water quality improvement, in urbanizing landscapes.     

System engineering for water pollution control at the watershed level in China

The present water pollution situation at watershed level in China has been systematically analyzed. The causes of water pollution are attributed to the extensive economic developmental pattern, poor wastewater treatment, and a lack of nonpoint pollution control. The problems of water pollution control at watershed level include a lack of thought and approach, developmental delay in the environmental standard system, an inadequate monitoring ability, and an inefficient implementation of laws and regulations. From 2006 to 2020, water pollution control and governance will be a national key specific project of science and technology in China. The strategies of this project include establishing a water pollution control system at watershed level, orienting a healthy aquatic ecosystem, conducting risk management, and using comprehensive methods. The goal is to establish and complete a technological system of pollution control and management in three five-year phases. The main tasks are to develop common technologies, management systems, and mechanisms for lake eutrophication control, river pollution control, urban water environmental pollution control, potable water safety, and water environmental management. The bottlenecks of water pollution control and management in China could be systematically removed, and the demonstration of the system engineering approach will be conducted at selected key watersheds.     

几种植物对潜流型湖滨湿地中氮磷的处理效果比较

湖滨带是连接湖泊水域生态系统与陆地生态系统的一个功能过渡区,是湖泊的最后一道保护屏障。在河流的入湖口建造湖滨湿地,可有效净化入湖水中携带的部分有机污染物、营养盐等。湿地净化污染物的机理极为复杂,其中植被起着重要的作用。选择适当的植物是构建湿地系统的关键。以云南省抚仙湖北岸的湖滨湿地——马料河潜流型湿地为研究对象,探讨了美人蕉(Cannaindica),菖蒲(AcoruscalamusLinn),伞竹(Cyperusalternifolius),香蒲(Typhaelatifolia)四种不同植被系统的潜流型湖滨湿地去除污水中营养盐的效果,为抚仙湖湖滨带人工湿地的合理优化选择植物提供一定的依据。结果表明,四种植被系统的潜流湿地对总氮和总磷均有一定的去除效果。但是由于湿地长期运行而疏于管理,植物没有定期收割翻新,四种植物的氮磷去除率差别不太大,去除效果均不太佳。其中,美人蕉对总氮和总磷的去除效果较好,其去除率分别是30.4%,19.13%,其次为香蒲和伞竹,效果较差的是菖蒲。并且实验表明,暴雨对四种植物湿地氮的去除效果有很大的影响。连续几天的暴雨情况下,四种植物系统氮的去除率都很低。     

Multivariate analysis of watershed health and sustainability in Turkey

National hydrological network data between 1970 and 2002 for 96 stations across 25 watersheds were used to monitor annual trends in 13 variables: streamflow rates, water temperature, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), sediment concentration and eight nutrient levels (Na, K, Ca+Mg, CO₃, HCO₃, Cl, SO₄ and boron). The dataset was analysed with multiple linear regression (MLR) models, principal components analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (CA). The Turkish watersheds have experienced a significant increase in pH, K, CO₃ and a significant decrease in streamflow rate and sediment concentration between 1970 and 2002, with considerable spatial variations. There was also an increasing trend in streamwater temperature, at a rate of 0.05°C yr^–1 (p > 0.05). The MLR models had high r ² values of 69.6% to 99.9% at p ≤ 0.001 for 12 out of the 13 variables, with r ² of 42% for boron (p < 0.05). PCA reduced the dimensionality of the dataset to four principal components that explain most (81.7%) of the variance. CA was able to distinguish six geographically associated groupings of watersheds with similar attributes in concordance with the climate zones of Turkey, despite the use of different clustering methods (complete, McQuitty, average, centroid and single linkage methods). Multivariate analyses of dynamic watershed characteristics provide the basis on which preventive and mitigative measures can be tailored to secure and enhance watershed health and sustainability.     

The application of artificial neural networks to flow and phosphorus dynamics in small streams on the Boreal Plain,with emphasis on the role of wetlands

Historically, management strategies in Canada's boreal forest have focused on forest polygons and terrestrial biodiversity to address ecological considerations in forest management. The Forest Watershed and Riparian Disturbance (FORWARD) project examines the problem from a watershed perspective rather than a forest polygon viewpoint. The main objective of this study was to devise an artificial neural network (ANN) modeling tool that can predict flow and total phosphorus (TP) concentration for ungauged watersheds (where daily flow is not monitored). This dictates that all inputs should be easily accessed via a public domain database, like the Environment Canada weather database, without the need to install flow gauges in each modeled watershed. Daily flow and TP concentration for two of the project watersheds were modeled using ANNs. The two watersheds (1A Creek, 5.1 km² and Willow Creek, 15.6 km²) were chosen to reflect variations in wetland area and composition in the study area. Flow was modeled with a feed-forward multilayer perceptron ANN trained with the error back-propagation algorithm. Simulated values for flow were then used, as inputs, to model TP concentration using the same neural networks algorithm. One hidden layer with three slabs; each operating with a different activation function was utilized to simulate the conceptual differences between base flow, snowmelt, and storm events. Time domain analysis was conducted to identify possible model time-lagged inputs reflecting the time dependency of the modeled variables. Spectral analysis was used to address data hystereses. Our results highlight the capabilities of ANN in modeling complex ecosystems and highly correlated variables. Results also indicated that more research towards the phosphorus dynamics in wetlands is required to better represent the impact of wetland area and composition on the water-phase phosphorus in ANN modeling.     

Treatability aspects of urban stormwater stressors

Pollution from diffuse sources (pollution from contaminants picked up and carried into surface waters by stormwater runoff) has been identified as a significant source of water quality problems in the U.S. scientists and engineers continue to seek solutions that will allow them to optimize existing technologies and develop new ones that will provide the best possible protection to people, wildlife, and the environment. This paper addresses the various pollutants or stressors in urban stormwater, including flow (shear force), pathogens, suspended solids/sediment, toxicants (organic and metals), nutrients, oxygen demanding substances, and coarse solids. A broad overview of the pollutants removed and the removal mechanisms by and of conventional best management practices (BMPs) is also presented. The principal treatment mechanisms of conventional wet ponds, vegetative swales/buffer strips, and wetlands are sedimentation and filtration. These mechanisms have the capability to remove significant amounts of suspended solids or particulate matter and are a vital component of strategies to reduce pollutant loads to receiving waters. In addition, because most of the nation??s receiving water violations are caused by pathogen indicator bacteria, it is of utmost importance that research efforts address this problem. Further research is also needed on the treatment of emerging contaminants in BMPs and on the costs and affects of maintenance and maintenance schedules on the long-term performance of BMPs.     

Nutrient cycling by fish supports relatively more primary production as lake productivity increases

Animals can be important in nutrient cycling in particular ecosystems, but few studies have examined how this importance varies along environmental gradients. In this study we quantified the nutrient cycling role of an abundant detritivorous fish species, the gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum), in reservoir ecosystems along a gradient of ecosystem productivity. Gizzard shad feed mostly on sediment detritus and excrete sediment-derived nutrients into the water column, thereby mediating a cross-habitat translocation of nutrients to phytoplankton. We quantified nitrogen and phosphorus cycling (excretion) rates of gizzard shad, as well as nutrient demand by phytoplankton, in seven lakes over a four-year period (16 lake-years). The lakes span a gradient of watershed land use (the relative amounts of land used for agriculture vs. forest) and productivity. As the watersheds of these lakes became increasingly dominated by agricultural land, primary production rates, lake trophic state indicators (total phosphorus and chlorophyll concentrations), and nutrient flux through gizzard shad populations all increased. Nutrient cycling by gizzard shad supported a substantial proportion of primary production in these ecosystems, and this proportion increased as watershed agriculture (and ecosystem productivity) increased. In the four productive lakes with agricultural watersheds (>78% agricultural land), gizzard shad supported on average 51% of phytoplankton primary production (range 27-67%). In contrast, in the three relatively unproductive lakes in forested or mixed-land-use watersheds (>47% forest, <52% agricultural land), gizzard shad supported 18% of primary production (range 14-23%). Thus, along a gradient of forested to agricultural landscapes, both watershed nutrient inputs and nutrient translocation by gizzard shad increase, but our data indicate that the importance of nutrient translocation by gizzard shad increases more rapidly. Our results therefore support the hypothesis that watersheds and gizzard shad jointly regulate primary production in reservoir ecosystems.     

Water environmental planning and management at the watershed scale: A case study of Lake Qilu, China

Water environmental planning and management has become essential for guiding the water pollution control activities. Past water pollution control activities have been site specific, with little thought on water quality standard reaching at the watershed scale. Based on the watershed approach, a seven-step methodological framework for water environmental planning and management was developed. The framework was applied to water environmental planning and management of the Lake Qilu watershed in Yunnan Province, China. Results show that the reduction amount of total nitrogen (TN) under the plan is 1,205 tons per year so that the target of environmental capacity can be reached in 2020. Compared with traditional methods, the framework has its prevalence and could be generalized to analogous watersheds.     

表面流人工湿地中氮磷的去除机理

人工湿地作为一种高效、低耗的污水处理新工艺已被广泛接受，特别是其在脱氮、除磷方面的应用逐步为人们所重视。本文深入地讨论了表面流人工湿地中各种生物、物理、化学过程对污水中各种形态含氮、含磷化合物的去除机理，及其具体途径、相关反应和反应类型，总结了国内外对各个过程影响因素、控制条件、反应速度、去除能力及相互之间协调拮抗作用的研究结果。虽然硝化／反硝化作用和土壤吸附沉淀作用已被公认为是表面流人工湿地脱氮、除磷的主要途径，但不同研究结果之间仍存在着明显差异，鲜有多介质环境条件下各种脱氮、除磷过程中多种氮、磷形态的质量平衡研究，而以此为基础的人工湿地生态动力学模型的研究则是深入了解人工湿地运行机理、设计和预测其处理效率，以及推动人工湿地污水处理工艺广泛应用的关键。     

Using artificial neural network for reservoir eutrophication prediction

Reservoirs provide approximately 70% of water supply for domestic and industrial use in Taiwan. The water quality of reservoirs is now one of the key factors in the operation and water quality management of reservoirs. Transient weather patterns result in highly variable magnitudes of precipitation and thereby sharp fluctuations in the surface elevation of the reservoirs. In addition, excessive watershed development in the past two decades has contributed to continuing increase in nutrient loads to the reservoirs. The difficulty in quantifying watershed nutrient loads and uncentainties in kinetic mechanism in the water column present a technical challenge to the mass balance based modeling of reservoir eutrophication. This study offers an alternative approach to quantifying the cause-and-effect relationship in reservoir eutrophication with a data-driven method, i.e., capturing non-linear relationships among the water quality variables in the reservoir. A commonly used back-propagation neural network was used to relate the key factors that influence a number of water quality indicators such as dissolved oxygen (DO), total phosphorus (TP), chlorophyll-a (Chl-a), and secchi disk depth (SD) in a reservoir in central Taiwan. Study results show that the neural network is able to predict these indicators with reasonable accuracy, suggesting that the neural network is a valuable tool for reservoir management in Taiwan.     

Social cost–benefit analysis of Karnataka Watershed Development (KAWAD) project,Karnataka, India

This paper presents results of a social cost–benefit analysis (CBA) of afforestation and soil moisture treatment of common lands under an integrated watershed development programme in Karnataka State, India. The aim of the study was to find out if soil moisture conservation and afforestation measures were justified in terms of economic efficiency. The assessment was undertaken by calculating the economic internal rate of return (EIRR) for five village common lands in two watersheds, Uparhalla and Chinnahagari, in central Karnataka. Focused group discussions were organised, using a semi-structured questionnaire and various stakeholders, including project implementing agencies, self help groups and other community-based organisations. The attractiveness of the programme in both watersheds for landless and land owners was high in three out of five sampled villages, with an EIRR ranging from 19% to 91%, while two villages in Chinnahagari watershed had extremely low EIRR, reflecting poor management of soil moisture and afforestation interventions and lack of institutional cohesion to sustain investments made to develop common lands. Therefore, the CBA conducted in the KAWAD project, except for two villages, shows that the investment made to develop common lands should yield substantial economic returns in the long term under a business as usual scenario.     

Measurement of watershed phosphorus: A review

Eutrophication control programs are based on phosphorus management which, in turn, requires a detailed quantification of the watershed phosphorus budget. This involves an assessment of non‐point sources of phosphorus, a key element of which is determining the fraction of soil‐P and sediment‐P available to support algal growth. This paper presents a review of the state‐of‐the‐art of estimating algal available‐P from non‐point sources, and an analysis of pertinent data. The need to employ multi‐interval algal bioassays in developing phosphorus management systems is stressed.     

杭州城市及其边缘区湿地磷化学特征的研究

对杭州城市及其边缘区湿地土壤的磷形态组成、固磷能力和释放潜力等方面进行了初步的研究。结果表明,杭州城市及边缘地区的湿地由于受人类影响的不同及所处环境的差异,性质已有很大的分异。城区的西湖、水塘和河流底泥中磷的积累、磷的饱和度和零吸附磷平衡浓度均明显高于城市边缘地区的湿地;湿地土壤中的磷主要呈不稳定、或亚稳定态,可提取态磷约占总磷的80%,62%的湿地土壤磷饱和度在25%以上。最大磷吸附量的大小主要与湿地中无定形氧化铁、铝含量有关。零吸附时磷的浓度(EPC)较高,在0.10~2.48mg·L-1之间,具有较强的释放潜力。半透膜渗析法测得的磷释放量与磷积累呈正相关,但当磷饱和度超过25%时,其磷释放量显著增加。研究表明杭州市及其边缘区湿地土壤磷已普遍达到较高水平,这在一定程度上影响磷净化功能的正常发挥。     

农村小流域景观结构与水质耦合关系分析——以仪征市陈集镇为例

选择江苏省仪征市陈集镇2个典型的农村小流域进行水质监测和景观空间分异耦合关系研究,结果表明:不同地势区景观结构差异明显,水环境特征也有较大差别。随着地势的降低,总氮、总磷浓度在小徐庄流域呈降低趋势,而高塘流域则先升高后降低;总磷、总氮、氨氮、硝态氮浓度与源景观比例、沟渠密度和景观多样性指数具有良好的相关关系,逐步回归分析发现,94%的总氮浓度由源景观比例和沟渠密度决定,80%以上的氨氮和硝态氮浓度由源景观比例决定。因此,可以通过对流域景观结构的优化调整,达到对流域景观中养分的有效管理,实现对农业非点源污染的控制。     

梯级河滩湿地模型对受污染河水氮磷和CODCr的净化效果

在贾鲁河畔构建3组并联的梯级河滩湿地模型,引种9种不同类型的湿地植物进行筛选试验,将湿地模型串联运行比较研究3种不同植物配置的梯级湿地对受污染河水的净化效果,在此基础上设定12h和24h等两组不同水力滞留时间,研究延长滞留时间对水质净化效果的影响。试验结果表明：对氮磷和有机物的去除效果挺水植物明显好于沉水植物,其中茭草（Zizania caduciflora）、荆三棱（Scirpus fluviatilis）和狭叶香蒲（Typha angustifolia）去除效果最好;沉水植物和挺水植物对氨氮的去除表现好于浮叶植物;延长水力滞留时间对改善水质净化效果明显,滞留时间由12h延长到24h后,TN、TP、氨氮和CODCr去除率分别提高10.2%、21.7%、30.2%和12.9%,对氨氮的净化效果改善最为明显;挺水植物＋沉水植物＋浮叶植物组合较单纯挺水植物组合在对氨氮和TN去除效果方面表现出较明显的优势,主要是由于不同类型湿地植物所营造的好氧、厌氧环境提高了对氨氮和TN去除效果。研究结果证明在湿地植被组建中,根据进水水质,应灵活选择植物种类,进行合理的植物配置,可提高湿地的净化效果。     

Forest to reclaimed mine land use change leads to altered ecosystem structure and function.

The United States' use of coal results in many environmental alterations. In the Appalachian coal belt region, one widespread alteration is conversion of forest to reclaimed mineland. The goal of this study was to quantify the changes to ecosystem structure and function associated with a conversion from forest to reclaimed mine grassland by comparing a small watershed containing a 15-year-old reclaimed mine with a forested, reference watershed in western Maryland. Major differences were apparent between the two watersheds in terms of biogeochemistry. Total C, N, and P pools were all substantially lower at the mined site, mainly due to the removal of woody biomass but also, in the case of P, to reductions in soil pools. Mineral soil C, N, and P pools were 96%, 79%, and 69% of native soils, respectively. Although annual runoff from the watersheds was similar, the mined watershed exhibited taller, narrower storm peaks as a result of a higher soil bulk density and decreased infiltration rates. Stream export of N was much lower in the mined watershed due to lower net nitrification rates and nitrate concentrations in soil. However, stream export of sediment and P and summer stream temperature were much higher. Stream leaf decomposition was reduced and macroinvertebrate community structure was altered as a result of these changes to the stream environment. This land use change leads to substantial, long-term changes in ecosystem capital and function.     

加拿大最佳管理措施流域评价项目评述

可持续农业的目的是在保持良好环境质量的同时获得较高的农业生产率。最佳管理措施(BMPs)在世界范围内已得到广泛应用,以减少农业污染物对水环境的影响。自2004年以来,加拿大农业部实施了最佳管理措施流域评价(WEBs)项目,在全国各地选择了有代表性的9个小流域,对BMPs的环境和经济效益进行评价。笔者对过去几年来WEBs项目的进展、研究方法及主要成果进行简要的回顾,并对在中国开展类似项目的必要性和启示进行了探讨。     

Frog occupancy of polluted wetlands in urban landscapes

Urban sprawl and the rising popularity of water-sensitive urban design of urban landscapes has led to a global surge in the number of wetlands constructed to collect and treat stormwater runoff in cities. However, contaminants, such as heavy metals and pesticides, in stormwater adversely affect the survival, growth, and reproduction of animals inhabiting these wetlands. A key question is whether wildlife can identify and avoid highly polluted wetlands. We investigated whether pond-breeding frogs are attempting to breed in wetlands that affect the fitness of their offspring across 67 urban wetlands in Melbourne, Australia. Frog species richness and the concentration of contaminants (heavy metals and pesticides) were not significantly related, even in the most polluted wetlands. The proportion of fringing vegetation at a wetland had the greatest positive influence on the number of frog species present and the probability of occurrence of individual species, indicating that frogs inhabited wetlands with abundant vegetation, regardless of their pollution status. These wetlands contained contaminant levels similar to urban wetlands around the world at levels that reduce larval amphibian survival. These results are, thus, likely generalizable to other areas, suggesting that urban managers could inadvertently be creating ecological traps in countless cities. Wetlands are important tools for the management of urban stormwater runoff, but their construction should not facilitate declines in wetland-dependent urban wildlife.     

零价铁原位控制底泥磷释放及联合磁性分离除磷技术

水体富营养化是常见的世界性水体生态系统障碍问题之一,给人类生产、生活造成了广泛而严重的影响,同时也是造成世界各地结构性缺水的重要原因之一。底泥磷释放是水体富营养化的重要原因,但目前常用的控磷技术往往成本较高,内源磷再释放风险仍然较大。该研究按铁-泥质量比1.00%、3.33%、5.00%、10.00%,分别向富磷底泥投加的铁粉来模拟零价铁控磷过程,通过分析3、7、14、21、28、35d内底泥磷形态的变化趋势,研究零价铁控磷过程及磁性分离除磷技术的应用前景。结果表明:底泥中水溶性磷、弱结合态磷是水体磷元素的主要来源,零价铁对底泥中高生物活性的弱吸附态磷(NH4Cl-P)去除率最高可达75%,对水溶性磷的去除率可达90%以上,向富磷底泥投加零价铁能够原位富集、降低内源磷生物有效性,阻断底泥向水体释磷的过程;零价铁原位控制底泥磷释放主要依赖于零价铁氧化形成的铁离子和铁氧化物与磷酸根的沉淀和共沉淀过程,加入零价铁后水溶性磷和弱结合态磷主要向铁结合态(Fe-P)转化,联合外加磁场后大部分可随铁粉拔出,最终达到安全高效地去除水体和底泥表层中高生物有效性磷的目的。该方法可以有效解决挖掘清淤、疏浚等控磷方法高成本、易反复的问题,为高效原位治理水体富营养化,保障湖泊、水库生态环境安全提供有价值的技术方法。