Vegetation cover and rainfall seasonality impact nutrient loss via runoff and erosion in the Colombian Andes

Regional Environmental Change - Mountain ecosystems provide key services to a large portion of the population in the tropics. However, they are particularly vulnerable to regional environmental...     

Gas exchange in Paulownia species growing under different soil moisture conditions in the field

In order to evaluate their responses to drought, we determined the photosynthetic activity water potential, stomatal conductance, transpiration, water use efficiency photosynthetic photon flux density and leaf temperature of Paulownia imperialis, P. fortunei and P. elongata in three different soil moisture conditions in the field. Our results showed that P. imperialis had greater photosynthesis (8.86 micromol CO2 m(-2) s(-1)) and instantaneous water use efficiency (0.79 micromol CO2 mmol H2O(-1)) than either P. elongata (8.20 micromol CO2 m(-2) s(-1) and 0.71 micromol CO2 mmol H2O(-1)) or P. fortunei (3.26 micromol CO2 m(-2) s(-1) and 0.07 micromol CO2 mmol H2O(-1)). The rapid growth of Paulownia did not appear to be correlated with photosynthetic rates. Paulownia fortunei showed more transpiration (48.78 mmol H2O m(-2) s(-1)) and stomatal conductance (840 mmol m(-2) s(-1)) than P. imperialis (20 mmol H2O m(-2) s(-1) and 540 mmol m(-2) s(-1)) and P. elongata (20 mmol H2O m(-2) s(-1) and 410 mmol m(-2) s(-1)), which allowed these two Paulownia species to increase their tolerance to low soil moisture, and maintain higher water use efficiency under these conditions. According to our physiological gas exchange field tests, Paulownia imperialis does appear to be capable of successful growth in semiarid zones.     

Land cover effects on water balance partitioning in the Colombian Andes: improved water availability in early stages of natural vegetation recovery

Regional Environmental Change - Vegetation actively affects different components of the water budget in multiple spatial and temporal scales. Changes in vegetation cover and structure—such as...     

乙醇作为墨西哥城市中心区污染问题的一种解决办法

墨西哥城市中心区的空气质量,主要取决于排放的污染物的体积和危险性、它们的化学性质和决定它们在大气中分散、转化和消除的气象动力学.而排放量又受到各种因素的影响,最重要因素是:车辆技术、工业和公共设施的技术和产量、城市结构(区域、密度和多样性)、运输模式的混合以及出行的总里程.     

DNA markers indicate that distinct spawning cohorts and aggregations of Patagonian squid,<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Loligo gahi</Emphasis>, do not represent genetically discrete subpopulations

The Patagonian squid, Loligo gahi DOrbigny, has been described as having temporally and spatially identifiable spawning aggregations. Variation at six microsatellite loci was used to assess whether seasonal and geographical spawning groups around the Falkland Islands represent distinct sub-populations. Genetic variation at these loci is high in this species (mean expected heterozygosity=0.87; mean number of alleles=14.7). No evidence of significantly different allele frequencies was found, either between samples from putative spawning cohorts or geographical areas, indicating that L.gahi around the Falkland Islands comprise a single genetically homogeneous population. Age structure analysis of samples (from statolith growth increments) indicated substantial spread in hatching dates among individuals of similar size and maturity status, suggesting the potential for extensive interbreeding between seasonal cohorts. A sample of L.gahi from the SE Pacific (Peru) displayed distinctly different gene frequencies (and allele size distribution at one locus) from SW Atlantic samples, supporting the suggestion that SE Pacific and SW Atlantic populations may represent distinct subspecies.Contributed by J.P. Thorpe, Port Erin     

Effects of meteorology on diurnal and nocturnal levels of priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and elemental and organic carbon in PM10 at a source and a receptor area in Mexico City

PM₁₀ levels of the 16 US-EPA Priority Pollutant polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were measured from March 17 to 31, 2003, in 8-h time bins (morning, afternoon and nighttime) at Merced, a source site dominated by vehicular traffic emissions near the center of Mexico City, and at Pedregal, a receptor area located downwind in a residential area of low traffic. Along with PAH, elemental (EC) and organic carbon (OC), mass, and prevailing meteorological parameters were measured. At the source location, measured concentrations of benzo[a]pyrene (BAP), an agent suspected of being carcinogenic to humans and of causing oxidative DNA damage, reached concentrations as high as 2.04 and 2.11 ng m^?3 during the morning of a weekday and the night period of a holiday. Compared with source dominated areas in Central Los Angeles, the BAP levels found in Central Mexico City are approximately 6 times higher. Benzo[ghi]perylene (BGP) levels were, in general, the highest among the target PAH, both at the source (7.2 ng m^?3) and the receptor site (2.8 ng m^?3), suggesting that, at both locations, exhaust emission by light-duty (LD) vehicles is an important contributor to the atmospheric PAH burden. Higher PAH concentrations were observed during the morning period (5:00–13:00 h) at the source and the receptor site. The concentrations of PAHs found predominantly in the particle-phase (MW > 202) correlated well (r = 0.57–0.71) with the occurrence of surface thermal inversions and with mixing heights (r = ?0.57 to ?0.72). Organic and elemental carbon ratios also indicated that Pedregal is impacted by secondary aerosols during the afternoon hours.     

Inferring pollution records in sediment cores from transitional environments of Marquelia coast,Guerrero, Mexico

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The vertical distribution pattern and concentrations of elements (Fe, Al, Ca, Mg, Mn, Cr, Cu, Ni, Co, Pb, Zn, and As) in the estuarine and lagoon...     

Clearance and Fragmentation of Tropical Deciduous Forest in the Tierras Bajas, Santa Cruz, Bolivia

Abstract: The Tierras Bajas is an area of 20,000 km ² of lowland deciduous forest in eastern Santa Cruz, Bolivia, that has undergone rapid change during the past two decades. As part of the largest remaining area of intact deciduous tropical forest in the world, it has been nominated a priority area for conservation by several environmental organizations. We quantified the spatial and temporal patterns of deforestation in the area by digital processing of high-resolution satellite imagery from 1975 through 1998. The estimated rate of deforestation was among the highest in the world for such a limited area, ranging from 160 km ²/year in the early1980s to almost 1200 km ²/year in the late 1990s. Although most deforestation up to 1984 was in Bolivian peasant and Mennonite colonies, most deforestation after 1984 was in non-Mennonite industrial soybean farms. The level of fragmentation of uncut forest, caused by the spatial patterns of deforestation, also differed among these broad land-use types. Deforestation in planned and spontaneous peasant colonies was complex in shape, forming relatively large areas of edge-affected forest, whereas that in Mennonite and other industrial farms was in large, rectangular increments, creating relatively less edge. But the distribution of these farms and the practice of initially clearing around the peripheries of properties resulted in the isolation of large areas of forest. In 1998 four-fifths of the remaining forest were either within 1 km of a clearance edge or in isolated fragments of <50 km². Compared with deforested areas, the areas of isolated and edge-affected forest were disproportionately large during the early stages of frontier colonization. These results imply that if the fragmentation effects of deforestation are to be minimized, conservation planning must occur at the earliest stages of frontier development.     

Effect of tannins on survival and development of Daphnia menucoensis and the abundances of bacteria

Polyphenols – products of organic-matter decomposition entering water bodies from autochthonous and especially allochthonous sources – affect primary producers, bacterioplankton, and zooplankton to consequently modify food webs. Cladocerans are widely used in research experiments because they constitute the most frequent prey of high-trophic-level organisms in the majority of lakes, and certain species symbolise the ecologic prototype of the generalist filter feeder. In our study area’s shallow lakes, cladocerans, though generally of low abundance, do attain significantly high biomasses. We accordingly evaluated the mortality of the cladoceran Daphnia menucoensis Paggi, 1996 exposed to different tannin concentrations along with the bacterial abundance. In two experiments D. menucoensis females exposed to high tannin concentrations reproduced inefficiently, exhibited high mortality, and manifested altered behaviour, such as reduced reflexes and diminished mobility. Though tannins apparently affected algal abundances, the cladoceran herbivory strongly reduced those numbers. Positive effects on bacteria, however, were not recorded. High-allochthonous-organic-matter-containing water bodies support trophic webs because bacterioplankton provide an alternative energetic base for the zooplankton, as possibly occurs in shallow lakes of the Salado-River basin, characterised by cyclic hydrologic periods alternating between draught and flooding and intensive land use. In conclusion, tannins diminish D. menucoensis’s survival, locomotion, and the capacity to respond to stimuli.     

A compilation of field surveys on gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) from contrasting environmental settings in Europe,South America,South Africa and China: separating fads from facts

Mercury is transported globally in the atmosphere mostly in gaseous elemental form (GEM, \( {\text{Hg}}_{\text{gas}}^{0} \) ), but still few worldwide studies taking into account different and contrasted environmental settings are available in a single publication. This work presents and discusses data from Argentina, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Chile, China, Croatia, Finland, Italy, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Slovenia and Venezuela. We classified the information in four groups: (1) mining districts where this contaminant poses or has posed a risk for human populations and/or ecosystems; (2) cities, where the concentration of atmospheric mercury could be higher than normal due to the burning of fossil fuels and industrial activities; (3) areas with natural emissions from volcanoes; and (4) pristine areas where no anthropogenic influence was apparent. All the surveys were performed using portable LUMEX RA-915 series atomic absorption spectrometers. The results for cities fall within a low GEM concentration range that rarely exceeds 30 ng m^?3, that is, 6.6 times lower than the restrictive ATSDR threshold (200 ng m^?3) for chronic exposure to this pollutant. We also observed this behavior in the former mercury mining districts, where few data were above 200 ng m^?3. We noted that high concentrations of GEM are localized phenomena that fade away in short distances. However, this does not imply that they do not pose a risk for those working in close proximity to the source. This is the case of the artisanal gold miners that heat the Au–Hg amalgam to vaporize mercury. In this respect, while GEM can be truly regarded as a hazard, because of possible physical–chemical transformations into other species, it is only under these localized conditions, implying exposure to high GEM concentrations, which it becomes a direct risk for humans.