Generating productive topsoil substitutes from hard rock overburden in the southern appalachians

Natural soils on steeply sloping landscapes in the Appalachian coal fields of Virginia. West Virginia. Kentucky, and Tennessee are often thin, rocky, acidic and infertile, making the topsoiling of surface mined sites impractical in many cases. Topsoil substitutes composed of blasted rock fragments are commonly used in this region. The proper selection and placement of designated topsoil substitutes is therefore critical to long term reclamation success. These mine soil surfaces are not in equilibrium and with the surface environment, and it is quite difficult to diferentiate among dissolution, adsorption, desorption and precipitation reactions as these surfaces weather with time. Severe compaction limits the productivity of many otherwise suitable topsoil substitutes. A minimum non-compacted thickness of 1 m is desirable to insure long run mine soil productivity for a variety of post-mining land uses. Significant changes in the physical, chemical, and mineralogical properties of mine soils occur within one year after placement. Mine soils high in silt content often form hard vesicular surface crusts, particularly when left unvegetated. The long term survival of plant communities on these mine soils is dependent upon mine soil organic matter accumulation and N and P cycling. Little is currently known about N and P dynamics in these mine soils, but P-fixation is a profound problem in high Fe^3- spoils. Revegetation practices that were designed to meet 2-year bond release requirements may not he sufficient to meet new 5-year release standards. Hard rock derived mine soils can often equal or exceed native topsoil in productivity and post mining land use potential.     

Interactions between haemolymph chemistry and condition in the southern rock lobster, Jasus edwardsii

A haemolymph colour index is developed in an attempt to improve the resolution of serum protein data in the characterisation of temporal and spatial changes in the condition and growth of a wild population of Jasus edwardsii. The index can be used as an indicator of nutritional condition if combined with conventional moult staging techniques. Lobsters and haemolymph samples were collected from two high- and two low-growth sites over two fishing seasons. Haemolymph samples were analysed for serum protein and astaxanthin level and categorised according to colour, that is, "pigment stage" (PS). Moult stage data were collected and abdominal and hepatopancreatic tissue analysed for percent dry weight. Haemolymph colour changes from light blue-grey, through beige, to deep orange during the moult cycle. These changes were explained with reference to the major pigment, astaxanthin, which increased from 0.135 mg/l (ǂ.054, n=38) at PS 1 (early intermoult) to 2.670 mg/l (ǂ.599, n=12) at PS 4.5 (late premoult). There were significant increases in percent abdominal and hepatopancreatic dry tissue weight over the moult cycle (Kruskal-Wallis non-parametric ANOVA, P<0.05), especially during intermoult. Serum protein levels increased concomitantly and were significantly correlated with percent dry weight of both tissues (abdomen: r²=0.78, n=871, P<0.001; hepatopancreas: r²=0.64, n=864, P<0.001) There were also significant differences between sites in both PS-specific serum protein and percent dry tissue. Lobster condition differed significantly between sites, probably as a result of temperature-mediated effects on growth rate. The addition of haemolymph pigment to the serum protein index allows the differentiation of lobsters at the beginning, middle and end of intermoult.     

焦化厂污染场地表层土壤有机-矿质复合体中多环芳烃的分布

采用湿法物理分级方法将湖南省某焦化厂遗留场地表层土壤分成4种粒级的有机-矿质复合体组分,即粘粒(<2μm)、粉粒(2—20μm)、细砂(20—200μm)和粗砂(>200μm),并研究了美国EPA优先控制的16种多环芳烃(PAHs)在其中的分布特征及土壤不同有机-矿质复合体组分中有机质和矿物质组成的差异对PAHs赋存分布的影响.研究结果表明,不同粒级有机-矿质复合体中PAHs的含量顺序为粗砂>粉粒>细砂>粘粒,低环PAHs(环数≤3)在粘粒中的含量较高,达到56.3%,而高环PAHs(环数≥4)在粉粒、细砂和粗砂中的分布较高含量分别是79.37%、72.7%和71.63%,各粒级矿质复合体中PAHs含量与土壤有机碳有较好的相关性.通过对有机-矿质复合体进行X射线衍射分析发现,场地土壤粘粒和粉粒中粘土矿物含量较高,这也在一定程度上影响了污染物质在其中的分布.     

Influence of climate on groundwater fluoride in different climatic domains in a hard rock terrain of Sri Lanka: implications to community health

Health risks associated with excessive intake of fluoride through drinking water are one of the geoenvironmental health problems observed in many parts of the world, mainly in countries of the humid tropical belt, including Sri Lanka. Fluoride-related health problems are widespread in the dry climatic region compared to the wet climatic zone of Sri Lanka. The potential health risks of fluoride for communities in a river basin which drains through two climatic zones, viz. wet and dry zones, were investigated in this study. Sixty-three groundwater samples were collected from wells in the Walawe river basin during pre- and post-monsoon periods. From collected samples, ten selected samples were analyzed for their tritium (³H) levels to find out the approximate resident time of groundwater. In the river basin, the dry zone segment is characterized by elevated levels of fluoride (>?1.0 mg/L) in groundwater. Groundwater fluoride in the region was primarily of geogenic origin. The tritium values showed older groundwater contained higher fluoride levels, showing a increased dissolution of fluoride-bearing minerals. The hazard quotient (HQ_fluoride) showed that about 45% of pre- and 55% of post-monsoon groundwater samples in the dry zone area were unsuitable for drinking purposes for school children who are vulnerable to non-carcinogenic risks and dental fluorosis. This study emphasizes the need for continuous water quality monitoring and mitigation measures to ensure the health of residents.

     

Strong responsiveness to noise interference in an anuran from the southern temperate forest

Animals adopt different strategies to communicate by means of sound in noisy environments. Some animals increase, while others decrease, their vocal activity in the presence of interference. Anuran amphibians from diverse latitudes exhibit both kinds of responses. Recent studies have shown that males of Batrachyla taeniata and Batrachyla antartandica from the temperate austral forest do not call in response to the presentation of advertisement calls of sympatric congeneric species, but their responsiveness to other kinds of interference has not been tested. To explore the diversity in responsiveness to acoustic intrusion in a single species, we exposed males of B. taeniata to prolonged prerecorded natural abiotic noises of wind, creek, and rain and to a band-pass noise centered at 2,000 Hz, at 67 dB sound pressure level (SPL). The subjects drastically increased their call rate when exposed to all four sounds. Frogs also responded by augmenting their vocal activity to exposures of band-pass noise at increasing intensities (55–79 dB SPL). The increase in vocal activity in response to noise is strong relative to those of other anurans from the temperate forest studied previously under similar exposures. These results reveal a remarkable activation of vocal response to acoustic interference of continuous abiotic noise, which would allow compensating for limitations in the active communication space under background sounds. This strategy contrasts with the decrease in vocal output amid interference from heterospecific signals reported formerly for this frog, a tactic that would restrict energy expenditure to relevant acoustic competition with conspecifics.     

Some characteristics of the distribution of heavy metals in urban topsoil of Xuzhou,China

An assessment is presented of distribution characteristics of heavy metals in the urban topsoil from the city of Xuzhou. The concentrations of Ag, Al, As, Au, Ba, Be, Bi, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ga, Hg, Li, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Pd, Pt, Sb, Sc, Se, Sn, V and Zn have been determined from 21 soil samples. Examination of lognormal distribution plots indicates that the diagrams of Al, Be, Fe, Ga, Li, and V are almost linear suggesting that these metals are almost unaffected by anthropogenic activities while the plots for As, Cd, Cu, Pb, Pd, Pt, Se, Zn and others are not linear probably due to anthropogenic activities from which these metals are delivered to the soils. Al is used for mineralogical normalization of these data. An evaluation of background values for topsoil is also carried out by means of lognormal distribution plots. The results show our background values obtained from the lognormal distribution plots are comparable to those values of uncontaminated soils of Xuzhou obtained by previous work except for Cd and Hg. At present, no explanation for the exceptions Cd and Hg can be given.     

Phytoplankton pigments in the gut concents of planktonic copepods from coastal waters off southern California

Phytoplankton xanthophylls in the gut contents of the copepods Calanus pacificus, Corycaeus anglicus, and Paracalanus parvus, collected from 5 stations off San Onofre, California, in June 1982, were measured by reverse phase, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The dinoflagellate pigment, peridinin, was usually the most abundant xanthophyll in the guts of all three species of copepods. Evidently, feeding was principally on dinoflagellates (which dominated the phytoplankton biomass). The level of feeding activity, rather than the class of phytoplankton ingested, seemed to differentiate the behaviors of the copepods. Xanthophyll content per unit copepod wet weight was higher in Corycaeus anglicus and Paracalanus parvus than in Calanus pacificus. Chlorophyll a fluorescence of the copepod gut contents was measured in conjunction with the analysis of gut xanthophylls. The xanthophyll content of the gut varied directly with the concentration of chlorophyll a in the gut. Xanthophyll content was not related to the concentration of pheopigments in the gut. Apparently, the xanthophylls that were detected were due to the presence of recently ingested phytoplankton biomass.     

Historical record of anthropogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in a lake sediment from the southern Tibetan Plateau

High-altitude lake sediments can be used as natural archives to reconstruct the history of pollutants. In this work, the temporal distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was determined in a sediment core collected from the southern Tibetan Plateau (TP), which was dated by using the ²¹⁰Pb dating method and validated with the ¹³⁷Cs fallout peak. The concentrations of the anthropogenic PAHs (Σ₈PAH) in the sediment core ranged from 0.83 to 12 ng/g dw, and the fluxes of the Σ₈PAH were in the range of 2.1–27 g/cm²/year. The temporal variations in the concentration and input flux of anthropogenic PAHs were low with little variability before the 1950s, and then gradually increased from the 1950s to the 1980s, and an accelerated increase was observed after the early 1980s. The content of total organic carbon played an insignificant role in affecting the time trends of PAHs in the sediment core. Diagnostic concentration fractions of PAH components indicate PAHs in the lake sediment of the southern TP which are mainly from biomass burning and/or from long-range atmospheric transport.     

基于长期试验资料对中国农田表土有机碳含量变化的估算

分析了文献报道的我国26个长期试验站点29个长期试验的农田土壤有机碳变化情况,并据此分析了近20年来我国农田土壤表层有机碳储量的可能变化范围。收集的长期试验涉及水稻土、红壤、黑土、棕壤、潮土等15种土壤类型。选择每一长期试验的不施肥对照(0类)、有机碳含量增长最慢或下降最快(I类)、增长最快或下降最慢(II类)、纯化肥NPK平衡施肥(III类)4种处理进行分析,分别代表极端耗竭、不合理施肥、增长潜力和常见施肥情景下的土壤有机碳含量(储量)变化。结果表明,对照土壤的有机碳含量变化速率平均为-0.06g·kg-1·a-1;I、II、III类处理情景下土壤有机碳含量变化率分别为-0.008g·kg-1·a-1、0.29g·kg-1·a-1和0.05g·kg-1·a-1。据此推算,在极端耗竭情景下,过去20年全国农田表土有机碳贮量减少419Tg;在I、II或III类处理情景下,农田表层土壤有机碳储量变化分别为下降99Tg、增加1.56Pg和增加208Tg。II类和III类处理情景的有机碳储量变化量差值表明,我国农田表层土壤具有较大的固碳潜力。     

Geochemistry of leachates from the El Fraile sulfide tailings piles in Taxco, Guerrero, southern Mexico

Leachates from the El Fraile tailings impoundment (Taxco, Mexico) were monitored every 2 months from October 2001 to August 2002 to assess the geochemical characteristics. These leachates are of interest because they are sometimes used as alternative sources of domestic water. Alternatively, they drain into the Cacalotenango creek and may represent a major source of metal contamination of surface water and sediments. Most El Fraile leachates show characteristics of Ca–SO₄, (Ca+Mg)–SO₄, Mg–SO₄ and Ca–(SO₄+HCO₃) water types and are near-neutral (pH=6.3–7.7). Some acid leachates are generated by the interaction of meteoric water with tailings during rainfall events (pH=2.4–2.5). These contain variable levels of SO₄ ²⁻ (280–29,500 mg l⁻¹) and As (<0.01–12.0 mg l⁻¹) as well as Fe (0.025–2352 mg l⁻¹), Mn (0.1–732 mg l⁻¹), Zn (<0.025–1465 mg l⁻¹) and Pb (<0.01–0.351 mg l⁻¹). Most samples show the highest metal enrichment during the dry seasons. Leachates used as domestic water typically exceed the Mexican Drinking Water Guidelines for sulfate, hardness, Fe, Mn, Pb and As, while acidic leachates exceed the Mexican Guidelines for Industrial Discharge Waters for pH, Cu, Cd and As. Speciation shows that in near-neutral solutions, metals exist mainly as free ions, sulfates and bicarbonates, while in acidic leachates they are present as sulfates and free ions. Arsenic appears as As^(V) in all samples. Thermodynamic and mineralogical evidence indicates that precipitation of Fe oxides and oxyhydroxides, clay minerals and jarosite as well as sorption by these minerals are the main processes controlling leachate chemistry. These processes occur mainly after neutralization by interaction with bedrock and equilibration with atmospheric oxygen.     

Metals concentration and bioaccumulation in the marine-coastal trophic web from Buenos Aires province southern coast,Argentina

Metals accumulated in the tissues of organisms inhabiting marine ecosystems generally reflect their bioavailable levels within that environment. The aim of this work was to study the presence and concentration of metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb and Zn) and its bioaccumulation in liver-ink sac (n?=?12) and muscle (n?=?12) tissues of loliginid squids, Loligo sanpaulensis, in liver (n?=?15) and muscle (n?=?15) tissues of white croakers, Micropogonias furnieri, and in muscle (n?=?12) tissues of franciscana dolphins, Pontoporia blainvillei, as representatives of different trophic levels of an estuarial ecosystem from the southern coast of Buenos Aires. Except for Pb, all metals were detectable in the hepatic tissues. Bioaccumulation was observed for Fe, Cr and Ni in muscle of squids. Zn levels in muscle samples increased with the trophic level of the species analysed. Necochea-Quequén presents relatively high levels of Ni and Cr in the tissue samples of squids and fishes given other locations of southern hemisphere, indicating a possible anthropic enrichment. These outcomes provide the necessary basis for the environmental monitoring of an area with relevance for fishing and high anthropic activity.     

Observations on the ontogeny of thecosomatous pteropuds (holoplanktic Gastropoda) in the southern Red Sea and from Bermuda

The early ontogeny of Peraclis reticulata, Limacina inflata, L. trochiformis, Styliola subula, Clio convexa, Cl. cuspidata, Hyalocylis striata, Creseis acicula, Cr. virgula, Cuvierina columnella, Diacria quadridentata, D. trispinosa, Cavolinia uncinata, C. longirostris, and C. inflexa is described. Their larval development is characterized, and strategies of ontogeny of pteropods are viewed in the context of their biology and taxonomic position. The reconstruction of the juvenile shell into the voluminous adult shell in Diacria spp. and Cavolinia spp. is described in detail. The general features of the early ontogeny of Thecosomata does not deviate from those of other marine gastropods in essential ways as has been proposed by some authors, but postmetamorphic retainment of the sinistral coiling of the shell as well as reshaping of the juvenile shell in Diacria spp. and Cavolinia spp. are unique features of the euthecosomatous pteropods.     

不同理论方程模拟华南桉树人工林蒸散量的比较

森林生态系统蒸散作为生态系统中的重要生态过程,联系着生态系统的水分平衡和能量平衡,并与养分循环密切相关.以雷州半岛桉树人工林纪家、河头林场为研究样地,在样地调查的基础上,对林地有关气象因子、土壤水文生态因子作了近4 a的定位观测.选取TURC公式、Penman-Monteith方程(PM)和周国逸公式作为代表,三者分别以温度为指标、以辐射与能量转换为驱动因子和以物理过程为主导的蒸散量理论计算方法.并将理论计算结果同水量平衡法估算结果进行比较.结果表明,尽管各种计算方法的结果均存在一定的波动性,但是其波动的原因是不一样的.对于PM方程而言,结果对所选参数有一定的依赖性.对于周国逸公式来说,在计算较小时间尺度(≤1 a)蒸散量时可能会出现一定的波动,波动的原因可能在于参数的时间尺度匹配问题.对于TURC公式,计算结果波动的根本原因在于其公式的经验局限性.理论计算值同水量平衡估算结果比较说明,三者均可以在一定程度上反映系统的年蒸散量.比较而言,周国逸公式计算结果的波动性范围较小,较适用于热带、亚热带森林生态系统蒸散量的计算.     

华北高产农田施用生物质炭对耕层土壤总氮和碱解氮含量的影响

基于华北高产农田3年的定位试验,探讨冬小麦-夏玉米轮作制度下,生物质炭与化肥配施对土壤耕层全氮与碱解氮质量分数的影响。试验设CK（单施化肥）,C1（施用化肥＋秸秆炭2 250 kg.hm-2）,C2（施用化肥＋秸秆炭4 500 kg.hm-2）;CN（施用炭基缓释肥750 kg.hm-2）4个处理,随机区组排列,3次重复。结果表明：施用生物质炭明显增加了土壤耕层全氮的质量分数,其中在0～7.5 cm土层,C2处理土壤全氮的质量分数最大,为1.7 g.kg-1,与CK处理相比差异显著（P〈0.05）;在7.5～15 cm土层,生物质炭的各处理虽能增加土壤全氮的质量分数,但差异不显著（P〈0.05）。在这2个土层中,施用生物质炭对土壤碱解氮的质量分数没有显著影响。结果初步表明,在华北高产粮区施用生物质炭对增加耕层土壤全氮量有积极意义。     

Feeding ecology of five fishes from the mid-slope micronekton community off southern Tasmania, Australia

We examine the feeding ecology of characteristic micronekton species inhabiting the mid-slope region (~700 to 1,500 m depths) off southern Tasmania. Five fishes, Diaphus danae, Hygophum hanseni, Lampanyctus australis (Myctophidae), Phosichthys argenteus (Phosichthyidae) and Chauliodus sloani (Chauliodontidae), were sampled by depth-stratified midwater trawling on a diel and seasonal basis. Overall, 74 prey taxa were identified from 2,132 stomachs. Euphausiids (mostly Euphausia spinifera and E. similis) and calanoid copepods (mostly Pleuromamma species) were the main prey of the three myctophids; P. argenteus ate fishes and decapods in addition to the euphausiids, while C. sloani ate only fishes. Copepods were less important in the diets of larger D. danae, L. australis and P. argenteus and were replaced by euphausiids in the myctophids and by fishes in P. argenteus. In autumn, when euphausiid biomass increased six-fold, all three myctophids and P. argenteus fed most intensively and consumed a high proportion of euphausiids. The three myctophids appeared to feed nocturnally. Differences in the timing and duration of feeding corresponded to differences in their spatio-temporal overlap with key prey. Daily rations of H. hanseni (1.93% dry-weight biomass) and L. australis (1.43%), estimated from data on stomach fullness, were typical for temperate myctophids and higher than that of the non-migratory P. argenteus (0.43%). The vertical flux of near-surface plankton production to the mesopelagic food web is based primarily on diel feeding in the upper water column (<500 m) rather than consumption of species that migrate seasonally into the deeper mesopelagic zone. Because species such as P. argenteus and C. sloani feed above the third trophic level, their predators, including the commercially important orange roughy, are feeding between levels four and five.     

Generalised linear modelling of fecundity at length in southern rock lobsters, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Jasus edwardsii</Emphasis>

Accurate fecundity estimates are central to population modelling of reproductive status and egg production in a fishery. Southern rock lobster (Jasus edwardsii) fisheries are managed with the consideration of performance measures based on the level of current egg production relative to the unfished stock. Egg production is a function of the size at the onset of maturity, the size structure of the stock, and the fecundity at length of lobsters. Fecundity at length of the Tasmania stock of J. edwardsii has not been reported previously and was estimated from seven sites around Tasmania. Data were analysed by classical linear regression and also generalised linear models (GLM) with gamma and Poisson distributions. GLM with a gamma distribution produced the best fit and did not require a correction factor to generate a model on the linear scale. Individual fecundity ranged from 43,918 to 660,156 and could be predicted from carapace length according to the equation F = −1.707 + 2.969 (log length). The coefficient of length approximated three, implying the fecundity at length relationship is cuboidal. Despite the spatial heterogeneity in reproductive parameters in this fishery, the inclusion of spatial information and egg development stage into the analysis only explained an additional 1% of the variance in fecundity. Thus, it appears valid to apply the relationship across the fishery without spatial separation.