Exploring the effects of multiple management objectives and exotic species on great lakes food webs and contaminant dynamics

A simulation model was developed to describe linkages among fish food web, nutrient cycling, and contaminant processes in the southern basin of Lake Michigan. The model was used to examine possible effects of management actions and an exotic zooplankter (Bythotrephes) on Lake Michigan food web and contaminant dynamics. The model predicts that contaminant concentrations in salmonines will decrease by nearly 20% ifBythotrephes successfully establishes itself in the lake. The model suggests that this decrease will result from lowered transfer efficiencies within the food web and increased flux of contaminants to the hypolimnion. The model also indicates that phosphorus management will have little effect on contaminant concentrations in salmonines. The modeling exercise helped identify weaknesses in the data base (e.g., incomplete information on contaminant loadings and on the biomass, production, and ecological efficiencies of dominant organisms) that should be corrected in order to make reliable management decisions.     

Integrating Bioassessment and Ecological Risk Assessment: An Approach to Developing Numerical Water-Quality Criteria

Bioassessment is used worldwide to monitor aquatic health but is infrequently used with risk-assessment objectives, such as supporting the development of defensible, numerical water-quality criteria. To this end, we present a generalized approach for detecting potential ecological thresholds using assemblage-level attributes and a multimetric index (Index of Biological Integrity—IBI) as endpoints in response to numerical changes in water quality. To illustrate the approach, we used existing macroinvertebrate and surface-water total phosphorus (TP) datasets from an observed P gradient and a P-dosing experiment in wetlands of the south Florida coastal plain nutrient ecoregion. Ten assemblage attributes were identified as potential metrics using the observational data, and five were validated in the experiment. These five core metrics were subjected individually and as an aggregated Nutrient–IBI to nonparametric changepoint analysis (nCPA) to estimate cumulative probabilities of a threshold response to TP. Threshold responses were evident for all metrics and the IBI, and were repeatable through time. Results from the observed gradient indicated that a threshold was 50% probable between 12.6 and 19.4 g/L TP for individual metrics and 14.8 g/L TP for the IBI. Results from the P-dosing experiment revealed 50% probability of a response between 11.2 and 13.0 g/L TP for the metrics and 12.3 g/L TP for the IBI. Uncertainty analysis indicated a low (typically 5%) probability that an IBI threshold occurred at 10 g/L TP, while there was 95% certainty that the threshold was 17 g/L TP. The weight-of-evidence produced from these analyses implies that a TP concentration > 12–15 g/L is likely to cause degradation of macroinvertebrate assemblage structure and function, a reflection of biological integrity, in the study area. This finding may assist in the development of a numerical water-quality criterion for TP in this ecoregion, and illustrates the utility of bioassessment to environmental decision-making.     

Nutrient fluxes in a eutrophic coastal Louisiana freshwater lake

Nitrogen and phosphorus cycling in a eutrophic Louisiana freshwater lake system (Lac des Allemands) was studied. Nutrients from runoff entering the lake, as well as sediment-interstitial and lake water nitrogen and phosphorus fractions, were measured seasonally. Sedimentation rates in the lake were determined using¹³⁷Cs dating.Phosphorus levels in the lake were found to be largely dependent on concentrations in the incoming bayou water from upland drainage. Lake water concentrations appear to respond to fluctuations in incoming waters. Laboratory equilibrium studies showed bottom sediments in the lake are a major sink for the incoming dissolved orthophosphate phosphorus. Total nitrogen concentrations in the lake water generally exceeded incoming runoff concentrations, suggesting fixation by the large blue-green algae population in the lake as being the major source of nitrogen to the system.Sedimentation ranged from 0.44 cm/year to 0.81 cm/year, depending on the proximity to the inlet bayous. Even though the lake is eutrophic the sediment served as a buffer by removing large amounts of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus through sedimentation processes. Carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus were accumulating in the sediment at rates of 60, 7.1, and 1.1 g/m²/year, respectively.The water quality of the lake is likely to continue to decline unless measures are taken to reduce municipal, industrial, and agricultural inputs of phosphorus into the lake.     

Application of nutrient loading models to the analysis of trophic conditions in Lake Okeechobee,Florida

Lake Okeechobee (surface area = 1830 km², mean depth = 3.5 m), the largest lake in Florida, is eutrophic and has nitrogen and phosphorus loading rates in excess of nearly all established criteria. The lake is not homogeneous regarding trophic conditions, and spatial and temporal variations occur regarding nutrient limitation. Nonetheless, phosphorus loading rate and trophic state data fit reasonably well to various input-output models developed for temperate lakes. Modification of the models by regression analysis to fit data for Florida lakes resulted in improved predictions for most parameters. Analysis of nutrient management alternatives for the lake indicates that a 75% reduction of phosphorus loading from the largest source (the Taylor Creek-Nubbins Slough watershed) would reduce the average chlorophyll a concentration by less than 20%. Complete elimination of inputs from the largest nitrogen source (the Everglades Agricultural Area) would decrease the average nitrogen concentration in the lake by about 20%. Limitations of nutrient inputoutput models regarding analysis of trophic conditions and management alternatives for the lake are discussed.     

Cadmium in aquatic microcosms: Implications for screening the ecological effects of toxic substances

A two-phase set of experiments was conducted to address some of the problems inherent in ecological screening of toxic substances in aquatic microcosms. Phase I was a 4×4 factorial experiment dealing with the interactive effects of cadmium and nutrients in static microcosms. Phase II was a 2×4 factorial experiment using flowthrough microcosms to study temporal aspects of system behavior in response to nutrient loading and chronic versus acute cadmium perturbations. Nutrient enrichment resulted in increased biomass and metabolic activity in both static and flowthrough microcosms. Cadmium treatments generally resulted in a decrease in abundance of grazing crustaceans and a subsequent increase in community respiration, suggesting a change in community structure from a grazing to a detritus food chain. Of the variables measured, community metabolism, community composition, and output/input ratios of nitrate-nitrogen were the most useful indicators of system response to cadmium. Nutrient enrichment significantly influenced cadmium effects with respect to most of the variables measured; high levels of enrichment reduced the effects of cadmium. For screening the ecological effects of toxic chemicals, a series of experiments is proposed, including 1) relatively simple static microcosms, 2) flow through microcosms, and 3) more detailed but selective studies in microcosms derived from specific ecosystems. Each step yields increasingly more information and serves as a guide for subsequent experiments; in addition, each step more closely approximates natural ecosystems.     

湖泊富营养化相关物理量的定量关系

湖水中总磷、总氮、叶绿素a、透明度、均温层氧亏量是与水体富营养化密切相关的几个物理量。研究结果表明,它们之间有一定的相关关系,可用数学公式定量表示。本文针对这些关系进行了概括和整理。     

Influence of the inherent properties of drinking water treatment residuals on their phosphorus adsorption capacities

Batch experiments were conducted to investigate the phosphorus（P） adsorption and desorption on five drinking water treatment residuals（WTRs） collected from different regions in China. The physical and chemical characteristics of the five WTRs were determined. Combined with rotated principal component analysis, multiple regression analysis was used to analyze the relationship between the inherent properties of the WTRs and their P adsorption capacities. The results showed that the maximum P adsorption capacities of the five WTRs calculated using the Langmuir isotherm ranged from 4.17 to8.20 mg/g at a p H of 7 and further increased with a decrease in p H. The statistical analysis revealed that a factor related to Al and 200 mmol/L oxalate-extractable Al（Alox） accounted for 36.5% of the variations in the P adsorption. A similar portion（28.5%） was attributed to an integrated factor related to the p H, Fe, 200 mmol/L oxalate-extractable Fe（Feox）, surface area and organic matter（OM） of the WTRs. However, factors related to other properties（Ca,P and 5 mmol/L oxalate-extractable Fe and Al） were rejected. In addition, the quantity of P desorption was limited and had a significant negative correlation with the（Feox＋ Alox） of the WTRs（p 〈 0.05）. Overall, WTRs with high contents of Alox, Feoxand OM as well as large surface areas were proposed to be the best choice for P adsorption in practical applications.     

磷在原状土中的淋溶规律

研究磷在原状土中的淋溶规律及不同因素的影响。采用自行设计的原状土淋溶柱,探讨了磷在原状土中的淋溶规律。分别用pH值为4.0、6.8和9.0的淋溶液淋溶原状土,当淋溶液p H值由9.0降至6.8时,磷的总淋出量由2120.mg升至238.1 mg,增幅较小,p H值继续降至4.0,磷的总淋出量增加至271.9 mg;与未酸化的土壤相比,酸化后土壤中,磷的淋出量增加了22.18%,说明土壤酸化会增加磷的流失;以4 d为一个冻融周期,进行了不同冻融频次和冻前含水率的交替冻融试验。结果表明:在冻融频次小于5次时,磷的淋失量与冻融频次呈正相关,当冻融频次大于5次时,磷的淋出量随冻融频次的增加而减小;土壤冻前含水率越大,磷的淋失量也越大,冻前含水率由15%增加到25%时,淋失量由217.3 mg增长到316.2 mg,增长了45.50%。     

Effect of fertilization and irrigation schedule on water and fertilizer solute transport for wheat crop in a sub-humid sub-tropical region

In order to increase the water and fertilizer use efficiency and decrease the losses of water and fertilizer solutes (N and P), it is necessary to assess the influence of level of fertilization and irrigation schedule on movement and balance of water and fertilizers in the root zone. With this goal, the reported study was undertaken to determine the effect of fertilization and irrigation schedule on water movement and fertilizer solute transport in wheat crop field in a sub-tropical sub-humid region. Field experiments were conducted on wheat crop of cultivar Sonalika (Triticum aestivum L.) during the years 2002–2003, 2003–2004 and 2004–2005. Each experiment consisted of four fertilizer treatments and three irrigation treatments during the wheat growth period. During the experiment, the irrigation treatments were: I₁ = 10% maximum allowable depletion (MAD) of available soil water (ASW); I₂ = 40% MAD of ASW; I₃ = 60% MAD of ASW. The fertilizer treatments during the experiment were: F₁ = control treatment with N:P₂O₅:K₂O as 0:0:0 kg ha⁻¹; F₂ = fertilizer application of N:P₂O₅:K₂O as 80:40:40 kg ha⁻¹; F₃ = fertilizer application of N:P₂O₅:K₂O as 120:60:60 kg ha⁻¹ and F₄ = fertilizer application of N:P₂O₅:K₂O as 160:80:80 kg ha⁻¹. The results of the investigation revealed that low volume high frequency irrigation results in higher deep percolation losses than the low frequency high volume irrigation with different levels of fertilization for wheat crop in coarse lateritic soil, whereas different levels of fertilization did not significantly affect soil water balance of the wheat crop root zone during all the irrigation schedules. Level of fertilization and irrigation schedule had significant effect on nitrogen leaching loss whereas irrigation schedules had no significant effect on nitrogen uptake under different levels of fertilization. On the other hand, the leaching loss of phosphorus was not significantly influenced by the irrigation schedule and level of fertilization of wheat crop. This indicated that PO₄–P leaching loss was very low in the soil solution as compared to nitrogen due to fixation of phosphorus in soils. From the observed data of nitrogen and phosphorus use efficiency, it was revealed that irrigation schedule with 40% maximum allowable depletion of available soil water with F₂ fertilizer treatment (N:P₂O₅:K₂O as 80:40:40 kg ha⁻¹) was the threshold limit for wheat crop with respect to nitrogen and phosphorus use, crop yield and environmental pollution.     

基质在人工湿地中的作用

基质对于提高人工湿地去除污染物的效率发挥着重要作用,本文通过对基质选择和磷的去除方面的阐述,总结了人工湿地在基质研究方面的现状和存在的一些问题。