Diversity and vertical distributions of sediment bacteria in an urban river contaminated by nutrients and heavy metals

The aim of this study was to investigate the benthic bacterial communities in different depths of an urban river sediment accumulated with high concentrations of nutrients and metals. Vertical distributions of bacterial operational taxonomic units （OTUs） and chemical para- meters （nutrients： NH4＋, NO3, dissolved organic carbon, and acid volatile sulfur; metals： Fe, Zn, and Cu） were characterized in 30 cm sediment cores. The bacterial OTUs were measured using the terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. Biodiversity indexes and multivariate statistical analyses were used to characterize the spatial distributions of microbial diversity in response to the environmental parameters. Results showed that concentrations of the nutrients and metals in this river sediment were higher than those in similar studies. Furthermore, high microbial richness and diversity appeared in the sediment. The diversity did not vary obviously in the whole sediment profile. The change of the diversity indexes and the affiliations of the OTUs showed that the top layer had different bacterial community structure from deeper layers due to the hydrological disturbance and redox change in the surface sediment. The dominant bacterial OTUs ubiquitously existed in the deeper sediment layers （5-27 cm） corresponding to the distributions of the nutrients and metals. With much higher diversity than the dominant OTUs, the minor bacterial assemblages varied with depths, which might be affected by the sedimentation process and the environmental competition pressure.     

Abundance and distribution of ammonia-oxidizing archaea in Tibetan and Yunnan plateau agricultural soils of China

As low oxygen and high ultraviolet （UV） exposure might significantly affect the microbial existence in plateau, it could lead to a specialized microbial community. To determine the abundance and distribution of ammonia-oxidizing archaea （AOA） in agricultural soil of plateau, seven soil samples were collected respectively from farmlands in Tibet and Yunnan cultivating the wheat, highland-barley, and colza, which are located at altitudes of 3200-3800 m above sea level. Quantitative PCR （q-PCR） and clone library targeting on amoA gene were used to quantify the abundances of AOA and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria （AOB）, and characterize the community structures of AOA in the samples. The number of AOA cells （9.34 × 10^7-2.32× 10^8 g^-1 soil） was 3.86-21.84 times greater than that of AOB cells （6.91 × 10^6-1.24 × 10^8 g^-1 soil） in most of the samples, except a soil sample cultivating highland- barley with an AOA/AOB ratio of 0.90. Based Kendall＇s correlation coefficient, no remarkable correlation between AOA abundance and the environmental factor was observed. Additionally, the diversities of AOA community were affected by total nitrogen and organic matter concentration in soils, suggesting that AOA was probably sensitive to several environmental factors, and could adjust its community structure to adapt to the environmental variation while maintaining its abundance.     

Dynamics of bacterial community of Suillus granulatus mushroom shiro in Pine (Pinus tabuliformis) forests北大核心CSCD

To evaluate bacterial community variation in the mushroom shiro of Suillus granulatus during fruiting, we collected soil samples from the mushroom shiro in the pine (Pinus tabuliformis) forest of mountainous area in Beijing from May to November and evaluated the bacterial community using polymerase chain reaction - denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE). Total soil DNA was extracted using a commercial soil DNA isolation kit. PCR amplification and DGGE were performed using bacterial universal primers 338F and 518R. The specific bands were excised from the gel and sequenced. The results revealed that soil bacterial community maintained considerably high level and changed seasonally with the mushroom fruiting. In total, 53 bands of DGGE profiles were sequenced and divided into 5 phyla (Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, and Proteobacteria and 22 genera (Acidobacterium, Aminobacter, et al). Species from Proteobacteria and Acidobacteria were the dominant bacterial groups sharing considerably high relative abundance, while class a-Proteobacteria was the most abundant group. The variation of the relative abundance of γ-Proteobacteria species was consistent with the mushroom fruiting season. The relative abundance of Acidobacteria species obviously increased before mushroom flush (in July). The fruiting of S. granulatus and the relative abundance of γ-Proteobacteria were correlated with each other. The present study provided a basis for conservation and domestication of mushroom S. granulatus.     

Effects of bio-organic fertilizers on pineapple heart rot and bacterial community structure北大核心CSCD

Heart rot is a common soil-borne disease in the pineapple industry, but the situation can be alleviated by the application of bio-fertilizers with beneficial microbiomes. Clarifying the controlling mechanism of bio-organic fertilizer on the high incidence of heart rot is critical in monocultural pineapple cropping patterns. In our study, the soil of continuous cropping pineapple orchards was collected. Three types of carriers (rapeseed cake, peat soil, and coconut bran), biocontrol strains (Bacillus subtilis HL2 and Streptomyces strain HL3), and organic fertilizer (YJ) were composted into different bio-fertilizers (KC, KN, KY, LC, LN, and LY), which were used in pot experiments. The controlling effect of the bio-fertilizer was determined based on the response of pineapple heart rot and bacterial communities to different fertilizing methods. Our results revealed that the incidence of heart rot in bio-fertilizer KC was the lowest, which decreased by 20% and 13.3%, respectively, compared to HF (chemical fertilizer, 16-16-16) and YJ (organic fertilizer). The richness and diversity of soil bacterial communities in all biofertilized treatments (KC, KN, KY, LC, LN, and LY) were significantly higher than those in HF. However, the α-diversity indices of the bio-fertilizers (KC, KN, and KY) were higher than those of LC, LN, and LY, and the bacterial community composition was significantly different. The bacteria GP4, GP6, Bacillus, and Azohydromonas were enriched in KC, KN, and KY, while the relative abundance of Streptomyces increased significantly in LC, LN, and LY. Furthermore, Spearman correlation analysis showed that the relative abundance of these bacterial groups was significantly negatively correlated with the incidence of pineapple heart rot. In summary, the application of bio-organic fertilizers can decrease the incidence of pineapple heart rot by altering the soil bacterial community structure and stimulating beneficial soil microorganisms, which is important for reconstructing the ecological balance in continuous pineapple orchards. © 2022 Authors. All rights reserved.     

Dynamic characteristics of woody plant regeneration in karst secondary forests in central Guizhou北大核心CSCD

Based on community data (2012, 2020) of the Tianlong Mountain evergreen and deciduous broadleaved mixed forest plot in central Guizhou, China, the species composition, importance value index, diversity, and dynamic changes were estimated to explore the renewal and change characteristics of karst secondary forests. The results showed that: (1) the number of individual species in the investigated two hm2 plot encompassing 33 families and 55 genera, totaling 69 species decreased from 10 276 to 7837. Five families, 10 genera, and 18 species were newly added, while seven families, nine genera, and 11 species disappeared. The difference between the importance value indices of the species was obvious; that of Lithocarpus confinis (20.97–23.26) was much higher than that of other species. Except for some species, the overall inter-annual differences were not large, and the status of mesophytic and shaded species has increased. Life forms were dominated by small trees and shrubs or small trees, and the plant number density of different life forms is reduced. (2) The Margalef and Shannon-Wiener indices of shrubs were the largest, and the Pielou indices of shrubs or small trees were the largest. The composition of most life forms has increased; the diversity became richer; and the uniform distribution of individual species has increased, but the change was small. (3) With respect to the spatial distribution pattern, the species were generally clustered, and only a few were randomly distributed. The Cx, I, m*, CA, and G indices of the species were reduced, and those of some species were quite different. A tendency for aggregated distribution was observed over random distribution, but the aggregation degree of Lithocarpus sphaerocephala was still high. The PAI index of most species increased but was not obvious, whereas the K value changed irregularly. Overall, the species composition, importance value index, diversity, and spatial distribution pattern of the main species in this community have changed to some extent but without any significant fluctuations. L. sphaerocephala was still the dominant species in succession, and the species composition of the flora was stable. The restoration of vegetation and the development of the entire community are slow. © 2022 Science Press. All rights reserved.     

Interspecific association among main plant species in the unstable slope with high-frequency debris flow北大核心CSCD

To determine the characteristics of vegetation community structure and the relationship between species in the frequent watersheds of debris flow in fragile ecological environments, based on sample survey and 2 × 2 joint table techniques, we used analysis of variance test, χ2 test, Jaccard index, Pearson correlation coefficient, and Spearman's rank correlation coefficient test to study the main plant species correlations in the stable zone, instable zone, and deposit zone of the unstable slope. The analysis of variance test showed that all 45 species pairs had a significant negative correlation in the stable zone and instable zone, whereas there was no significant negative correlation in the deposit zone, which showed that the species had an independent distribution trend. The results from the different tests showed that there were 1 pair, 4 pairs, and 4 pairs from the stable zone, instable zone, and deposit zone, respectively, which had significant interspecific association under the χ2 test and the ratios of positive correlation pairs to negative correlation pairs were 0.55, 0.67, and 0.67 in the stable zone, instable zone, and deposit zone, respectively. There were 8 pairs, 5 pairs, and 5 pairs from the stable zone, instable zone, and deposit zone, respectively, which had significant interspecific association from the Pearson correlation analysis test, and the ratios of positive correlation pairs to negative correlation pairs were 0.36, 0.45, and 0.45 in the stable zone, instable zone, and deposit zone, respectively. There were 10 pairs, 6 pairs, and 9 pairs from the stable zone, instable zone, and deposit zone, respectively, which had significant interspecific association from the Spearman's rank correlation analysis test and the ratios of positive correlation pairs to negative correlation pairs were 0.5, 0.55, and 0.6 in the stable zone, instable zone, and deposit zone, respectively. The three test results showed general similarities but there were some differences. Most species pairs did not reach a significant level in the three zones and the number of negatively related species was more than the number of positively related species. In brief, this loose interspecific relationship indicates that the entire plant community was not stable, and the interspecific relationships among species are susceptible to environmental interference in the ecologically fragile areas of the debris flow basin. Therefore, rational selection and configuration of species should be applied to promote community structure development and ecological environmental improvement in vegetation restoration process areas with high-frequency debris flow. © 2018 Science Press. All rights reserved.     

Effects of water velocity on bulk water quality and biofilm population structure in drinking water distribution systems北大核心CSCD

To study the effect of flow velocity on drinking water distribution systems, bulk water quality was monitored over 28 days, biomass was measured, and 16S rDNA was sequenced on the 28th day using a water distribution simulation system. The relationship between bulk water quality and biofilm was statistically analyzed. Flow velocity of 0.5 m/s yielded the most total organic carbon (TOC) (5.26 ± 0.17 mg/L) in the bulk water, the most bulk water bacteria (lg (n+1/mL-1) = 4.79 ± 0.02), the worst bulk water quality, and the most biofilm bacteria (lg (n+1/cm-2) = 5.48 ± 0.06). A Pearson correlation analysis showed the total number of biofilm bacteria was positively correlated with conductivity (R = 0.73, P < 0.01), turbidity (R = 0.87, P < 0.001), TOC (R = 0.94, P < 0.001), and total bacteria (R = 0.92, P < 0.001), and was negatively correlated with residual chlorine (R = -0.68, P < 0.05). Biofilm diversity was high under the low (0.1 m/s) and high (2.5 m/s) flow rates, but the bacterial diversity of biofilm was the lowest at the 0.5 m/s flow rate, in which Proteobacteria dominated the biofilm community structure. These results suggest that flow velocity affects bulk water quality and biofilm population structure, and water quality and biofilm population structure are interrelated, which provides the theoretical basis for research on biofilms in drinking water distribution systems. © 2018 Science Press. All rights reserved.     

Hematology and Some Biochemical Parameters of Wild Rodents in Pistachio Gardens of Kerman Province, Southeast Iran

Wild rodents were collected using live snap traps in pistachio gardens of Kerman Province, Southeast Iran from 2007 to 2009, then some physiological parameters of them were measured. The samples were identified as follow: Nesokia indica, Meriones persicus, Meriones lybicus and Tatera indica. Blood samples were obtained from the heart, then the blood parameters (glucose, cholesterol, triglyceride, total protein, HDL, red and white blood cell number) in wild species of rodents and laboratory rat were compared. The results showed that there were no significant differences in serum glucose, triglyceride, HDL and total protein levels among different experimental groups. The concentration of cholesterol in T. indica was more than that in N. indica (P < 0.01). The total numbers of red blood cells also showed significant difference between wild garden rodent species and laboratory rat (P < 0.01), while the numbers of white blood cells showed no significant difference.     

Identification of Tsuga Germplasm by Morphological Characters and RAPD Markers

Germplasm collection is important to preserve and maximize genetic diversity for germplasm conservation. Tsuga dumosa （ D. Don） Eichler in Engler ＆ Prantl. and T. chinensis var. forrestii （Downie） Silba germplasm was collected from three localities in China： Mt. Yulong, Wenfeng Temple and Mt. Dishiergu, Yunnan Province. Accessions were identified based on morphological characters and RAPD markers. The shapes of the apices and margins of needles were examined, and the length and width of needles, cones and seeds from accessions of mature plants were used to compare the morphological differences and to identify the germplasm. Molecular markers generated by randomly amplified polymorphic DNA （RAPD） were also used to characterize the taxa. Although the clustering based on RAPD markers was inconsistent with the morphological characters of the needles, based on the overall morphological characters and on RAPD markers, the accessions from Mt. Yulong and Wenfeng Temple were identified as T. chinertsis var. forrestii, and those from Mt. Dishiergu identified as T. dumosa. Taxonomic identification of the accessions was made based on morphology and by RAPD markers concurred. The results indicate that the shapes of the apices and margins of needles particularly from young plants could not be used as a possible key to identify T. dumosa and T. chinertsis var. forrestii. Fig 6, Tab 3, Ref24     

Characterization and catabolic genes detection of three oil-degrading Rhodococcus spp.北大核心CSCD

Oil pollution is one of the major factors causing environmental deterioration. Bioremediation of oil contaminated environments by microorganisms attracts much research attention. This study aimed to screen efficient oil-degrading bacteria from oil contaminated soil and analyze their characteristics and catabolic genes. Oil-degrading bacteria were screened from oil contaminated soil in minimal medium containing crude oil and identified by morphological, physiological and biochemical characteristics and 16S rDNA sequence analysis. Their growth and degradation characteristics were studied with ultraviolet spectroscopy and GC-MS analysis. The surfactant production was studied by adopting culture method. The major oil-degrading related genes were detected by t he PCR a mplification. As a result, t hree oil-degrading bacteria strains named KB1, 2182 and JC3-47 were isolated from the oil contaminated soil samples. The strains could use crude oil as the sole carbon source to degrade oil with a degrading rate of 41.02%, 32.26% and 55.90%, respectively, when cultured in minimal medium containing crude oil for 3 days. The bacteria were identified to belong to genus Rhodococcus. With 100% similarity of 16S rDNA sequences of the three strains with known ones of Rhodococcus, KB1 was preliminarily identified as Rhodococcus erythropolis, 2182 as Rhodococcus equi, and JC3-47 as Rhodococcus qingshengii. They grew well at 10-50 °C, with the initial pH of 3-9 and the NaCl concentration of 0-5%. The optimal temperature for bacterial growth was 35 °C, 35 °C and 30 °C respectively. KB1 and 2182 could grow at pH 2 and 9.0% of NaCl. The bacteria grew well in broth containing different organic substrates as sole carbon source, such as n-dodecane, n-octadecane, benzene, methylbenzene, xylene and naphthaline. KB1 and JC3-47 could grow well in broth containing pyrene. GC-MS analysis revealed that the bacteria could effectively degrade medium- and long-chain alkane components in crude oil. The bacteria produced biosurfactants and decreased the surface tension of the culture broth. They also showed adhesion activities to n-hexadecane. The oil-degrading related genes such as alkane monooxygenase, aromatic-ring-hydroxylating dioxygenase and catechol dioxygenase genes were detected in all the three strains. Besides, biphenyl dioxygenase genes were detected in KB1 and 2182. The isolated Rhodococcus spp. strains could effectively degrade petroleum hydrocarbons with high adaptabilities to extreme environments such as high salt and low temperature. They are supposed to be applied broadly in the bioremediation of oil contaminated soil in such environments.     

Mobilization of arsenic in groundwater of Bangladesh: evidence from an incubation study

The extensive extraction of arsenic (As)-contaminated groundwaters for drinking, household and agricultural purposes represents a serious health concern in many districts of Bangladesh. This laboratory-based incubation study investigated the sources and mechanisms of As mobilization in these groundwaters. Several incubation studies were carried out using sediments collected from the Bangladesh aquifer that were supplemented, or not, with different nutrients, followed by an analysis of the sediment suspensions for pH, ORP (oxidation-reduction potential), EC (electrical conductivity) and As and Fe(ΙΙ) concentrations. In the substrate-amended sediment suspensions incubated under anaerobic environment, there was a mobilization of As (maximum: 50–67 μg/l) and Fe(ΙΙ) (maximum: 182 μg/l), while the ORP value decreased immediately and drastically (as much as −468 mV to −560 mV) within 5–6 days. In the sediment suspensions incubated under control and aerobic conditions, no significant As mobilization occurred. The simultaneous mobilization of As and Fe(ΙΙ) from sediments is a strong indication that their mobilization resulted from the reduction of Fe oxyhydroxide by the enhanced activity of indigenous bacteria present in the sediments; this phenomenon also provides insights on the mobilization mechanism of As in groundwater. The concentrations of As in the sediments used in the incubation studies were strongly linked to the gradients of redox potential development that was stimulated by the quantity of organic nutrient (glucose) used. The penetration of surface-derived organic matter into the shallow aquifer may stimulate the activity of microbial communities, thereby leading to a reduction of iron oxyhydroxide and As release.     

Simultaneous quantification of several classes of antibiotics in water,sediments, and fish muscles by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

Precise and sensitive methods for the simultaneous determination of different classes of antibiotics, including sulphonamides, fluoroquinolones, macrolides, tetracyclines, and trimethoprim in surface water, sediments, and fish muscles were developed. In water samples, drugs were extracted with solid-phase extraction （SPE） by passing 1000 mL of water through hydrophilic lipophilic balanced （HLB） SPE cartridges. Sediment samples were solvent-extracted, followed by tandem SPE （strong anion exchange （SAX） ＋ HLB） clean-ups. Fish muscles were extracted by a mixture of acetonitrile and citric buffer （80：20, v/v） solution, and cleaned by SPE. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry （LC-MS/ MS） with multiple reaction monitoring （MRM） detection was employed to quantify all compounds. The recoveries for the antibiotics in the spiked water, sediment, and fish samples were 60.2%-95.8%, 48.1%-105.3%, and 59.8%- 103.4%, respectively. The methods were applied to samples taken from Dianchi Lake, China. It showed that concentrations of the detected antibiotics ranged from limits of quantification （LOQ） to 713.6 ng- L1 （ofloxacin） in surface water and from less than LOQ to 344.8 μg·kg-1 （sulphamethoxazole） in sediments. The number of detected antibiotics and the overall antibiotic concentrations were higher in the urban area than the rural area, indicating the probable role of livestock and human activities as important sources of antibiotic contamination. In fish muscles, the concentration of norfioxacin was the highest （up to 38.5 μg·kg-1）, but tetracyclines and macrolides were relatively low. Results showed that the methods were rapid and sensitive, and capable of determining several classes of antibiotics from each of the water, sediment, and fish matrices in a single run.     

Genetic diversity and genetic differentiation of Squaliobarbus curriculus from the Pearl River based on mitochondrial D-loop sequences北大核心CSCD

Squaliobarbus curriculus is one of the most economically important edible freshwater fish in the Pearl River. To assess the level of genetic diversity and genetic variation of S. curriculus populations w ithin t he Pearl R iver, samples were collected from six geographical populations from six drainages. 978 base pairs of the D-loop sequence were obtained as a molecular marker. 106 haplotypes were defined among 170 S. curriculus individuals. Populations of S. curriculus in the Pearl River displayed a high haplotypic diversity index (h = 0.9820) and high nucleotide diversity index (π = 0.01353). T he results of genetic distance and genetic differentiation index show that genetic differentiation among S. curriculus populations is not significant. The neighbor-joining tree shows two clades. Clade A is composed of most haplotypes of S. curriculus. Clade B includes two private haplotypes from the Xijiang River. Haplotype network analysis is consistent with the results of genetic distance and genetic differentiation. The results of AMOVA analysis showed that most variation was found within populations (99.36%). Neutral test analysis explained that there was population expansion in the history of S. curriculus in the Pearl River. Xijiang River could be the center of origin, as supported by all the results. © 2018 Science Press. All rights reserved.     

Isolation,identification, and the degradation characteristics of a BDE-47 degrading strain北大核心CSCD

In an effort to remove BDE-47 residues from the environment, a bacterial strain that is capable of utilizing BDE-47 as the sole carbon source was isolated and screened from soil collected from an e-waste recycling area in Tianjin to analyze the degradation properties. The strain was preliminarily identified as Enterobacter sp. according to a 16S rDNA gene sequence analysis. The strain degraded 35.8% of 525 μg/L of BDE-47 in 35 d when the initial concentration of bacteria was 7.1 × 105 cells/ mL. The product of the biodegradation of BDE-47 was BDE-28. The biodegradation of BDE-47 fit well with first-order kinetics, and its degradation kinetics was ln Ct = - 0.104t + 6.22. With the addition of an electron acceptor, such as Fe3+, SO4 2- and NO3 -, the BDE-47 degradation rate was significantly increased to 49.8%, 59.1%, and 67.3%, respectively. The above results revealed that the strain could degrade BDE-47, which is of importance in the application of environmental bioremediation of BDE-47. © 2018 Science Press. All rights reserved.     

Identification and ranking of the risky organic contaminants in the source water of the Danjiangkou reservoir

The Danjiangkou reservoir was selected to provide the source water for the middle routes of the South to North Water Transfer Project, which has provoked many environmental concerns. To date, investigations of water contamination of the source water of the Danjiangkou reservoir with organic micro-pollutants have been limited. This study was conducted to identify and rank organic contaminants that pose risks in the Danjiangkou reservoir. To this end, the Chemical Hazard Evaluation and Manage- ment Strategies （CHEMS-1） approach was adapted to integrate the deconvolution technology of qualitative identifying contaminants for site-specific environmental matrices. The samples were screened for the presence of 1093 contaminants using deconvolution technologies and the hazard values of the identified contaminants were calculated using the adapted CHEMS-1 approach accord- ing to their hazardous properties and occurrence in source water. The results showed that 46 contaminants from 1093 targets were present in Danjiangkou water, 23 of which appeared at frequencies higher than 50%, and 15 of which were identified as priorities. Over half （53%） of the high- ranked contaminants were polycyclic aromatic hydrocar- bons （PAHs）, with chrysene ranked highest on the list. Health risk assessment of the top-ranked PAHs was conducted and revealed that cancer risks of PAHs detected in the source water of Danjiangkou to different populations ranged from 10-7 to 104, indicating a low cancer risk to consumers. The results of this study indicated that the adapted CHEMS-1 approach was feasible for site-specific screening of organic contaminants to identify and rank potential priority pollutants.     

Screening and characterization of extremophiles in spacecraft assembly environment北大核心CSCD

Spacecrafts need to strictly control microorganisms before entering space flight. The Spacecraft Assembly, Integration, and Test Center (AITC) is an important environmental source for spacecrafts to carry microorganisms. The assembly clean room has characteristics of ventilation, dryness, and lack of nutrients that are not conducive to the growth and reproduction of microorganisms, except for extremophiles. In this study, based on the internal air and surface environment of the AITC in China, 13 strains of bacteria were identified by plate culture and 16S sequence analysis, and their extreme environmental tolerance, antibiotic resistance, and film-forming ability were tested. All these bacteria belonged to the Firmicutes and Proteobacteria phyla, and nine strains belonged to the Bacillus genus. All 13 strains of bacteria were salt-tolerant, acid-tolerant, and alkali-tolerant, and 69.2% of the bacteria survived heat shock at 80 ℃. Among these, one strain of Sphingomonas sp. JCM7513 isolated from the surface environment was insensitive to all the tested antibiotics and had strong drug resistance, while the other 12 strains were sensitive to most β-lactam antibiotics but had strong resistance to tetracyclic antibiotics and erythromycin. Most of the isolated bacteria exhibited strong biofilm-forming abilities. The study showed that there are a certain number of extremophiles in the spacecraft assembly environment. To protect spacecrafts from biological corrosion and planetary protection forward pollution, more effective monitoring and elimination methods are needed. © 2022 Science Press. All rights reserved.     

Effects of stand density on understory species diversity and soil anti-scourability of Cupressus funebris plantation in Yunding Mountain,Sichuan, China北大核心CSCD

To protect the ecosystem of barren mountains, massive Cupressus funebris plantations were allowed in hilly areas of the central Sichuan Basin in the late 1980s. In recent years, Cupressus funebris plantations have faced problems such as biodiversity decline and soil erosion. To study the effects of different forest densities on understory species diversity and soil anti-scourability of Cupressus funebris plantations in Yunding Mountain, a typical sampling method was used to investigate the five different forest densities (1 100, 950, 800, 650, and 500 trees/hm2) and to analyze the correlation between the species diversity index, soil anti-scourability, and root index. In total, 176 species from 128 genera and 69 families were recorded in this area. The number of species in the herb layer was higher than that in the shrub layer. The species diversity index of the shrub layer first increased and then decreased with the decrease in stand density; and the species richness index D and Shannon–Wiener diversity index H showed peak values at a density of 650 trees/hm2. The species richness index D, Shannon–Wiener diversity index H, and Simpson dominance index H’ in the herb layer showed a bimodal trend of increasing, then decreasing, increasing again, and finally decreasing with the decrease in stand density; and the peak values were found at the densities of 650 and 950 trees/hm2. When soil anti-scourability decreased with stand density, it showed a trend of increasing and then decreasing, reaching a peak at a density of 650 trees/hm2. The positive correlation between the species richness index and soil anti-scourability was evident. Thus, 650 trees/hm2 is relatively more conducive to the stability of species diversity and soil anti-scourability in cypress plantations. © 2022 Authors. All rights reserved.     

Responses of bacterial strains isolated from drinking water environments to N-acyl-L-homoserine lactones and their analogs during biofilm formation

Often as a result ofbiofilm formation, drinking water distribution systems （DWDS） are regularly faced with the problem of microbial contamination. Quorum sensing （QS） systems play a marked role in the regulation of microbial biofilm formation; thus, inhibition of QS systems may provide a promising approach to biofilm formation control in DWDS. In the present study, 22 bacterial strains were isolated from drinking water-related environments. The following properties of the strains were investigated： bacterial biofilm formation capacity, QS signal molecule N-acyl-L-homoserine lactones （AHLs） production ability, and responses to AHLs and AHL analogs, 3-chloro-4-（dichloromethyl）-5-hydroxy-2（5H）- furanone （MX） and 2（5H）-furanone. Four AHLs were added to developed biofilms at dosages ranging from 0.1 nmol.L J to 100nmol.L1. As a result, the biofilm growth of more than 1/4 of the isolates, which included AHL producers and non-producers, were significantly promoted. Further, the biofilm biomasses were closely associated with respective AHLs concentrations. These results provided evidence to support the idea that AHLs play a definitive role in biofilm formation in many of the studied bacteria. Meanwhile, two AHLs analogs demon- strated unexpectedly minimal negative effects on biofilm formation. This suggested that, in order to find an applicable QS inhibition approach for biofilm control in DWDS, the testing and analysis of more analogs is needed.     

Assessment of heavy metal pollution and health risks in a main river in Huayuan County,Xiangxi, Hunan Province北大核心CSCD

To study heavy metal pollution and assess the health risk of river water in Huayuan County, Xiangxi, Hunan Province, 11 water samples were collected from the Huayuan River and Brother Rivers in August and December 2016. Heavy metal (Pb, Zn, Cr, Cu, Fe, and Ni) concentrations were determined from the samples. The health risk assessment model recommended by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) was applied to assess the health risk of heavy metals in the main surface waters of Huayuan County. The results indicated that the concentrations of heavy metals (Pb, Zn, Cr, Cu, Fe, and Ni) of surface water in the research area were 2.57 × 10-3, 4.66 × 10-4, 1.65 × 10-3, 6.27 × 10-4, 0.19, and 8.50 × 10-4 mg/L, respectively. The health risk of surface waters with heavy metals was high. Therefore, the chemical carcinogenic substance (Cr) health risk index was five or six times higher than that of chemical non-carcinogens (Pb, Zn, Cu, and Ni). The average health risk indices of non-carcinogenic substances were in the order Pb > Cu > Zn > Ni. The correlation and principal component analysis of surface water showed that the six heavy metal elements were composed of three main components in the main surface waters of the county. The first principal component was comprised of Fe and Ni (33.28%), which was mainly from internal pollution. The second component was comprised of Cu and Cr (26.98%), which was primarily due to industrial waste water, rainwater leaching mineral waste produced by heavy metal mining, and smelting enterprises. The third component, resulting from geochemical pollution, was Zn (17.10%). The health risk indices triggered by heavy metal in surface waters was high. Heavy metal pollutants in the research area need to be controlled in the order Cr, Pb, Cu, Zn and Ni. © 2018 Science Press. All rights reserved.     

Assessment of heavy metal pollution and health risks in a main river in Huayuan County,Xiangxi, Hunan Province北大核心CSCD

To study heavy metal pollution and assess the health risk of river water in Huayuan County, Xiangxi, Hunan Province, 11 water samples were collected from the Huayuan River and Brother Rivers in August and December 2016. Heavy metal (Pb, Zn, Cr, Cu, Fe, and Ni) concentrations were determined from the samples. The health risk assessment model recommended by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) was applied to assess the health risk of heavy metals in the main surface waters of Huayuan County. The results indicated that the concentrations of heavy metals (Pb, Zn, Cr, Cu, Fe, and Ni) of surface water in the research area were 2.57 × 10-3, 4.66 × 10-4, 1.65 × 10-3, 6.27 × 10-4, 0.19, and 8.50 × 10-4 mg/L, respectively. The health risk of surface waters with heavy metals was high. Therefore, the chemical carcinogenic substance (Cr) health risk index was five or six times higher than that of chemical non-carcinogens (Pb, Zn, Cu, and Ni). The average health risk indices of non-carcinogenic substances were in the order Pb > Cu > Zn > Ni. The correlation and principal component analysis of surface water showed that the six heavy metal elements were composed of three main components in the main surface waters of the county. The first principal component was comprised of Fe and Ni (33.28%), which was mainly from internal pollution. The second component was comprised of Cu and Cr (26.98%), which was primarily due to industrial waste water, rainwater leaching mineral waste produced by heavy metal mining, and smelting enterprises. The third component, resulting from geochemical pollution, was Zn (17.10%). The health risk indices triggered by heavy metal in surface waters was high. Heavy metal pollutants in the research area need to be controlled in the order Cr, Pb, Cu, Zn and Ni. © 2018 Science Press. All rights reserved.