Rapid amino acid cycling in arctic and antarctic soils

Amino acids constitute one of the largest inputs of organic nitrogen (N) to most polar soils and have been hypothesized to be important in regulating vegetational succession and productivity in Arctic ecosystems. Our understanding of amino acid cycling in these soils, however, is poor. The aim of this study was to investigate the size and rate of turnover of the amino acid pool in a range of Arctic and Antarctic soils. Our results indicate that in polar soils with either high or low ornithogenic inputs the amino acid pool is small in comparison to the inorganic N pool (NO^–₃ and NH⁺₄). The free amino acid pool constituted only a small proportion of the total dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) pool in these soils. Here we show that these low concentrations may be due to rapid use by the soil microbial community in both Arctic and Antarctic soils. The turnover of the amino acid pool in soil was extremely rapid, with a half-life ranging from 2 to 24 h, indicating that this N pool can be turned over many hundred times each summer when polar soils are frequently unfrozen. The implications of amino acids in N cycling and plant and microbial nutrition are discussed.     

Applying metabolic fingerprinting to ecology: The use of Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy for the rapid screening of plant responses to N deposition

The potential for metabolic fingerprinting via Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy to provide a novel approach for the detection of plant biochemical responses to N deposition is examined. An example of spectral analysis using shoot samples taken from an open top chamber (OTC) experiment simulating wet ammonium deposition is given. Sample preparation involved oven drying and homogenisation via mill grinding. Slurries of a consistent dilution were then prepared prior to FT-IR analysis. Spectra from control, 8 and 16 kg N ha^–1 yr^–1 treatments were then subjected to cross-validated discriminant function analysis. Ordination diagrams showed clear separation between the three N treatments examined. The potential for using Calluna vulgaris (L.) Hull as a bioindicator of N deposition is further evident from these results. The results also clearly demonstrate the power of FT-IR in discriminating between subtle phenotypic alterations in overall plant biochemistry as affected by ammonium pollution.     

Impact of Land Use on Soluble Organic Nitrogen in Soil

Although it has been hypothesized that soluble organic nitrogen (SON) plays a central role in regulating productivity in some terrestrial ecosystems, the factors controlling the size of the SON pool in soil remain poorly understood. Therefore our principal aim in this work was to assess the impact of seven different land use systems (rough and managed grassland, deciduous and coniferous woodland, heathland, wetland and tilled land) on the size of the SON and inorganic N (NO ₃ ^– , NH ₄ ⁺ ) pools in the surface soil layer (0–15 cm). After extraction with deionised water, we found that in most cases the size of the water extractable organic N (WEON) pool was similar in size to the inorganic N pool. In contrast, the KCl extractable organic N (KClEON) pool constituted the dominant form of soluble N in soils under all land uses, perhaps indicating that significant amounts were held on the soil exchange phase. In contrast to inorganic N, which varied significantly with land use, the size of the KClEON and WEON pool was similar for all land uses with the exception of KClEON in tilled land, where significantly lower amounts were observed. We conclude that SON constitutes an important soil N pool in a broad range of land uses, and that its role in microbial N assimilation, plant nutrition and ecosystem responses to atmospheric N deposition warrants further attention. SAFRD, University of Newcastle, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE1 7RU, U.K.     

西部大开发中水资源保护的战略意义

水是生命的源泉，水资源具有维持生命与健康功能，生态系统组成与演化功能，景观组合与美学功能：水能及其服务功能；水介质的传输与净化功能；社会生活与经济服务功能等。西部水资源具有发挥各种功能的区域条件。保护西部水资源的战略意义在于：(1)它是实施西部可持续发展战略的迫切需求；(2)西部是全国水资源富集区，对其保护具有全国战略意义；(3)水资源保护是西部生态建设的重要内容，是建成西部生态屏障的重要措施；(4)西部水资源是产业发展的支撑，对其保护对全国产业发展及其布局，有特殊功能和意义；(5)水资源昌西部农业命脉，保护水资源是西部农业持续发展的保证；(6)西部水资源保护具有跨流域的功能，有广泛的国际影响；(7)水资源保护是发展我国西部旅游产业的重要支撑。总之。西部大开发需要水资源的利用和保护，而水资源的保护和利用又是西部大开发的重要内容和成功的重要标志。     

垃圾填埋场渗滤液回流技术研究进展

垃圾填埋场渗滤液回流能有效降低渗滤液中污染物的浓度，提高填埋场稳定化程度，具有广泛的应用前景。本文综述了国内外学者对该技术的研究情况，包括技术特点及相关机理、渗滤液特性研究及回流效果的影响因素，指出了该技术现存的不足之处和尚待解决的理论和技术问题。     

多级模糊综合评判方法在泥石流评价中的应用

介绍了多级模糊综合评判方法在泥石流评价中的应用, 指出了在进行模糊评判的时候,评判因子的选取以及隶属函数的构造应具体结合泥石流自身的特点来进行,并应用此方法对西南某拟建水电站坝址附近泥石流沟危险性做出了评价,评价结果与实际调查结果比较吻合.     

煤矿安全预评价的未确知测度模型及应用

矿井自然灾害的安全预评价涉及不确定因素众多.本文根据未确知数学理论,建立了预评价指标体系、置信度识别准则及评分准则,构造了矿井安全预评价未确知测度模型,并对矿井的各个安全指标进行了定量分析.用上述方法对黄陵二号井自然灾害的评定结果与实际耦合较好,从而为煤矿建设项目的安全预评价开辟了一条新途径.     

黄河积石峡水电站库区泥石流危险度评价

在选取一次(可能)最大冲出物方量、泥石流发生频率、流域面积、主沟长度、流域相对高差、流域切割密度、泥沙补给段长度比7个因子为泥石流沟谷危险度划分的主要因子的基础上,对评价因子隶属度的确定作了分析和阐述,并运用模糊综合评判法对黄河上游积石峡水电站库区16条泥石流沟进行了危险度划分.     

陕西佛坪、宁陕"6.9"山地自然灾害考察研究

2002年6月9日,陕西南部佛坪、宁陕等地因特大暴雨引发了极其强烈的泥石流、山洪等山地自然灾害.本文考察研究了这次泥石流、山洪等山地自然灾害产生的条件,分布与活动特点以及未来发展变化的趋势.     

SARS与灾变心理初探

本文初步讨论了SARS发生前、发生时和发生后,社会个体和社会群体的不同心理变化过程,以及各种不同心理活动产生的原因,希冀能从中找出人们在灾变面前的特殊心理过程,为政府的防灾救灾和正确决策提供服务.