Growth responses of Picea mongolica seedlings to defoliation rate

Picea mongolica W. D. Xu. is an endemic species in China. The spruce forest is only found in semi-arid habitat in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China. Based on the simulative defoliation experiment, it was proved that Picea mongolica seedlings had the compensatory and overcompensatory effects under the certain defoliation rate. The results of variance analysis on growth indexes showed that in PM I (natural regeneration seedlings under Picea mongolica forest), the differences of H1 (height in June 23 ) and H2 (height in September 3) were extremely significant, and the difference of D(diameter at the breast height) were not significant. In PM Ⅱ (artificial regeneration seedlings under Betula platyphylla Suk. forest), the difference of H1 was significant, the difference of H2 was not significant, and the difference of D was extremely significant. The regression equations were established and the compensatory and overcompensatory points were obtained. In PM I, the compensatory points of H1, H2, and D were 0.7628, 0.7436, 0.5725, and the overcompensatory points were 0.6056, 0.5802 and 0.2909 respectively. In PM Ⅱ, the compensatory points of H1, H2, and D are 0.5012, 0.3421, 0.2488, and the overcompensatory points are 0.4137, 0.2633 and 0.0747 respectively. These results suggested that the induction of compensatory growth mechanisms in spruce seedlings required a threshold level of defoliation, and the insects in Picea mongolica forest could be controlled in a certain de clree.     

Release of bioactive active iodine in kelp

The release process and influencing factors of bioactive iodine of kelp are systemically studied by leaching experiment. The results showed that the bioactive iodine of kelp can be released rapidly and the principal form of iodine in lixivium is I^- . There is a dynamic process between the release and absorption of iodine. With the increase of leaching water, the gross amounts of released iodine rise.There also exists a transforming process among I^- , IO3^- and organic iodine in lixivium.     

Degradation of H-acid in aqueous solution by microwave assisted wet air oxidation using Ni-loaded GAC as catalyst

A novel process, microwave assisted catalytic wet air oxidation( MW-CWO), was applied for the degradation of H-acid( l-amino8-naphthol-3, 6-disulfonic acid) in aqueous solution, Ni-loaded granular activated carbon (GAC), prepared by immersion-calcination method, was used as catalyst. The results showed that the MW-CWO process was very effective for the degradation of H-acid in aqueous solution under atmospheric pressure with 87.4% TOC (total organic carbon) reduction in 20 min. Ni on GAC existed in the form of NiO as specified by XRD. Loss of Ni was significant in the initial stage, and then remained almost constant after 20 min reaction. BET surface area results showed that the surface property of GAC after MW-CWO process was superior to that of blank GAC.     

A comparative study of classical and biochemical endpoints for phytotoxicity testing of chlorobenzoic acids

IntroductionChlorobenzoic acids ( CBAs ) are important chemicalproducts and extensive used as the intermediate and analysisreagent in many industrial fields(Zhang, 2001). Therefore,CBAs may directly and constantly release into environment,and it was a…     

Biodegradation of azo dyes by genetically engineered azoreductase

A azoreductase gene with 537 bp was obtained by PCR amplification from Rhodobacter sphaeroides ASI. 1737. The enzyme,with a molecular weight of 18.7 kD, was efficiently expressed in Escherichia coli and its biodegradation characteristics for azo dyes were investigated. Furthermore, the reaction kinetics and mechanism of azo dyes catalyzed by the genetically engineered azoreductase were studied in detail. The presence of a hydrazo-intermediate was identified, which provided a convincing evidence for the assumption that azo dyes were degraded via an incomplete reduction stage.     

Preliminary studies on nitrous oxide emissions from the ornithogenic soils on Xi-sha atoll, South China Sea

IntroductionNitrousoxide (N2 O)isoneofthemostimportantgreenhousegases ,anditplaysanimportantroleinthedepletionofstratosphericozone (Crutzen ,1977;Zhu ,2 0 0 4 ) .TheatmosphericN2 Oconcentrationshavebeenincreasingattherateof 0 2 %— 0 3%peryearandthegl…     

Biological pretreatment of Yellow River water

Bio-ceramic filter(BF) and moving-bed biofilm reactor(MBBR) were used for biological pretreatment of Yellow River water in this study. The BF only had slight advantage over MBBR for TOC and ammonia removal. However, like UV254, the average removal rate of THMFP in the BF was much higher than that in the MBBR. UV254 removal did not show obvious correlation with trihalomethane formation potential(THMFP) removal. Hexachlorocyclohexane could be effectively removed in both BF and MBBR. As for diatom and cyanobateria removal the MBBR had better performance than the BF, which was contrary to the average chlorophyll-a(Chl-a) removal rate. The proposal was made in this study that biological flocculation and sedimentation of sloughed biofilm should play a more important role on algae removal in the MBBR than in the BF. The BF and MBBR could effectively remove microcystins. Moreover, MBBR could be a promising technology for biological pretreatment.     

Cooperation between ligninolytic enzymes produced by superior mixed flora

Since the ability to degrade lignin with one kind of white-rot fungi or bacteria was very limited, superior mixed flora‘s ability to degrade lignin was investigated by an orthogonal experiment in this paper. The results showed that superior mixed flora reinforced the ability to degrade lignin, the degradation rates of both sample 9 and 10 were beyond 80% on the day 9. The cooperation between lignin peroxidase(LiP), Mn-dependent peroxidase(MnP) and laccase (Lac) for lignin degradation was also studied. By examining the activities of three enzymes produced by superior mixed flora, it was found that Lac was a key enzyme in the process of biological degradation of lignin but Lip was not; the enzyme activity ratios of Lac/MnP and Lac/LiP were significantly correlative with the degradation rate of lignin at the 0.01 level; and the ratio of MnP/LiP was an important factor affecting the degradation rate of lignin.     

Heavy-metal contents in suspended solids of Meiliang Bay, Taihu Lake and its environmental significances

Surface water was taken from river mouth to the central area of Meiliang Bay, Taihu Lake, a large shallow eutrophic lake in China. Suspended solids were condensed by centrifugation 25L surface water samples from each selected site. Suspended solids and surface sediments were further freeze-dried and microwave digested before determining the metals by ICP-AES. Among the metals analyzed in suspended solids and sediments, contents of Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, and Zn in suspended solids were significantly higher than those in sediments while contents of AI, Ba, Be, Ca, Co, Fe, K, Mg, Pb, and V in suspended solids were 10%-30% higher than those in sediments. Sr and Ti contents in suspended solids and sediments were very similar. Na content in suspended solids was lower than that in sediments. Heavy metals were significantly accumulated in suspended solids. From the river mouth to the center of Meiliang Bay, contents of Cr, Cu, Pb, and Zn in suspended solids showed a gradual decreasing trend indicating the river(Zhihugang River) still discharged large quantity of heavy metals to Meiliang Bay. The study suggests that the geochemical behaviors and ecological effects of heavy metals in suspended solids may serve as a good indicator for the pollution of lake.     

Upstream-downstream cooperation approach in Guanting Reservoir watershed

A case study is introduced and discussed concerning water dispute of misuse and pollution between up- and down-stream parts. The relations between water usage and local industrial structures are analyzed. Results show it is important to change industrial structures of the target region along with controlling water pollution by technical and engineering methods. Three manners of upstream-downstream cooperation are presented and discussed based on the actual conditions of Guangting Reservoir watershed. Two typical scenarios are supposed and studied along with the local plan on water resources development. The best solution for this cooperation presents a good way to help the upstream developing in a new pattern of eco-economy.