Sheep grazing effects on Mojave Desert vegetation and soils

Some effects of domestic sheep grazing on vegetation and soils were measured at four sites in the western Mojave Desert. Although sheep have grazed the Mojave Desert for the past 50–100 years, the effects of grazing on the desert ecosystem are largely unknown.The results reflect only short-term effects of grazing, because fenced control areas were not available for study. Heavy grazing caused a 60% reduction in the above-ground biomass under creosote bushes (Larrea tridentata), and sheep trampling caused an increase in soil strength and decreased intershrub annual densities 24 and 28% in two areas. The average area per individual (cover) of burrobush (Ambrosia dumosa) decreased 16–19% and the cover of spiny hop-sage (Grayia spinosa) decreased 29% under grazing pressure. The volumes of individual Ambrosia were 21 and 65% less in two heavily grazed areas than in two lightly grazed areas; the volume of goldenhead (Acamptopappus sphaerocephalus) was 68% less in one heavily grazed area.These changes indicate that the range quality of the Mojave Desert is deteriorating under sheep grazing pressures. Trampling reduces annual cover and disrupts the soil surface, thus promoting wind erosion. The loss of annual biomass and shrub cover should adversely affect reptiles and rodents by removing food sources and protection. Soil strength increases may retard future growth of annuals, further contributing to erosion and food source losses. Studies should be initiated to determine the long-term effects of grazing in the Mojave Desert.     

城市污水处理厂活性污泥中氨氧化菌群落结构研究

为了解析污水处理厂中氨氧化菌(AOB)的群落结构,以及处理工艺、规模等参数对AOB群落结构的影响,采用针对AOB功能基因氨单加氧酶(amoA)的末端限制性片段长度多态性技术(T-RFLP)、克隆测序等方法,研究了北京市6个污水处理厂的9个污水处理系统中AOB的群落结构.T-RFLP指纹图谱表明不同污水处理系统中AOB的群落结构有所不同,主要的末端限制性片段(T-RF)为354、491和291 bp.T-RFLP指纹图谱及聚类分析表明,污水处理工艺对系统中AOB的群落结构影响较小,而处理规模对AOB的群落结构有一定的影响.对功能基因amoA的系统发育分析表明,污水处理系统中优势AOB均为Nitrosomonasspp.,而非Nitrosospiraspp..这可能是Nitrosomonasspp.的最大比增长速率(μmax)较高,使其更容易成为活性污泥系统中的优势AOB.     

A gas chromatography method established for oxygen transfer efficiency measurement

A new method of oxygen transfer efficiency (OTE) measurement for aerobic biochemical wastewater treatment system was introduced. The effluent gas and the influent air around the fan were collected and analyzed with a gas chromatograph. The ratios of the concentration of nitrogen to that of oxygen for both influent and effluent gases were determined. The reduced percentage of the ratio for the influent gases was taken as oxygen transfer efficiency (OTE). The nitrogen gas was used as an inner mark. Using this method, the OTE measurement was not affected by the temperature, water vapor mixture and carbon dioxide produced within the treatment system. The accuracy of the method was analyzed. The standard deviation of the ratios for influent and effluent gases were 0.0006 and 0.0008, respectively. The OTE values of a full-scale aeration tank were detected using this method. The OTE values of the representative spots in the aeration tank varied from 7.3% to 11.5%.     

Sources and fate of Salmonella and fecal indicator bacteria in an urban creek

This research aimed to understand the sources and fate of Salmonella and fecal bacteria in urban surface waters. An urban creek (San Pedro Creek, California, USA) that had unusually high levels of Salmonella and fecal bacteria relative to other nearby waterbodies was chosen as a model field site. State of the art microbiological methods were used in concert with modeling to investigate Salmonella and fecal bacteria sources, and determine field-relevant dark inactivation and photoinactivation rates. Three along-creek surveys that spanned reaches adjacent to both urban and forested land covers were conducted to measure Salmonella, enterococci, Escherichia coli, and horse- and human-specific Bacteroidales. Salmonella were detected adjacent to and downstream of urban land cover, but not adjacent to forested land cover. No human or horse-specific Bacteroidales fecal markers were detected implicating other urban animal sources of bacteria. Two locations along the creek where Salmonella was consistently detected were sampled hourly for 25 hours and a mass-balance model was applied to determine field-relevant light and dark inactivation rates for Salmonella, enterococci, and E. coli. Sunlight inactivation did not appear to be important in modulating concentrations of Salmonella, but was important in modulating both enterococci and E. coli concentrations. Dark inactivation was important for all three organisms. This is the first study to quantitatively examine the fate of Salmonella within an urban surface water. Although the work is carried out at a single site, the methodologies are extendable to source tracking in other waterbodies. Additionally, the rate constants determined through the modeling will be useful for modeling these organisms in other surface waters, and represent useful benchmarks for comparison to laboratory-derived inactivation rates.     

Gastropod herbivory in response to elevated CO2 and N addition impacts plant community composition

In this study, the influence of elevated carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrogen (N) deposition on gastropod herbivory was investigated for six annual species in a California annual grassland community. These experimentally simulated global changes increased availability of important resources for plant growth, leading to the hypothesis that species with the most positive growth and foliar nutrient responses would experience the greatest increase in herbivory. Counter to the expectations, shifts in tissue N and growth rates caused by N deposition did not predict shifts in herbivore consumption rates. N deposition increased seedling N concentrations and growth rates but did not increase herbivore consumption overall, or for any individual species. Elevated CO2 did not influence growth rates nor have a statistically significant influence on seedling N concentrations. Elevated CO2 at ambient N levels caused a decline in the number of seedlings consumed, but the interaction between CO2 and N addition differed among species. The results of this study indicate that shifting patterns of herbivory will likely influence species composition as environmental conditions change in the future; however, a simple trade-off between shifting growth rates and palatability is not evident.