Diversity of crude oil-degrading bacteria and alkane hydroxylase (<Emphasis Type="Italic">alkB</Emphasis>) genes from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

The aim of this study was to survey the response of the microbial community to crude oil and the diversity of alkane hydroxylase (alkB) genes in soil samples from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP). The enrichment cultures and clone libraries were used. Finally, 53 isolates and 94 alkB sequences were obtained from 10 pristine soil samples after enrichment at 10 °C with crude oil as sole carbon source. The isolates fell into the phyla Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Bacteroidetes, with the dominance of Pseudomonas and Acinetobacter. The composition of degraders was different from polar habitats where Acinetobacter sp. is not a predominant responder of alkane degradative microbial communities. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the alkB genes from isolates and enrichment communities formed eight clusters and mainly related with alkB genes of Pseudomonas, Rhodococcus, and Acinetobacter. The alkB gene diversity in the QTP was lower than marine environments and polar soil samples. In particular, a total of 10 isolates exhibiting vigorous growth with crude oil could detect no crude oil degradation-related gene sequences, such as alkB, P450, almA, ndoB, and xylE genes. The Shannon-Wiener index of the alkB clone libraries from the QTP ranged from 1.00 to 2.24 which is similar with polar pristine soil samples but lower than that of contaminated soils. These results indicated that the Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter, and Rhodococcus genera are the candidate for in situ bioremediation, and the environment of QTP may be still relatively uncontaminated by crude oil.     

Quality assessment of groundwater from the south-eastern Arabian Peninsula

Assessment of groundwater quality plays a significant role in the utilization of the scarce water resources globally and especially in arid regions. The increasing abstraction together with man-made contamination and seawater intrusion have strongly affected groundwater quality in the Arabia Peninsula, exemplified by the investigation given here from the United Arab Emirates, where the groundwater is seldom reviewed and assessed. In the aim of assessing current groundwater quality, we here present a comparison of chemical data linked to aquifers types. The results reveal that most of the investigated groundwater is not suitable for drinking, household, and agricultural purposes following the WHO permissible limits. Aquifer composition and climate have vital control on the water quality, with the carbonate aquifers contain the least potable water compared to the ophiolites and Quaternary clastics. Seawater intrusion along coastal regions has deteriorated the water quality and the phenomenon may become more intensive with future warming climate and rising sea level.     

G C/MS法测定环境空气中痕量POPs类有机氯农药及降解产物

采用快速溶剂萃取-氟罗里硅土柱净化-气相色谱/质谱联用法测定环境空气中POPs类有机氯农药及其降解产物.艾氏剂、狄氏剂、异狄氏剂、六六六、滴滴涕,七氯、氯丹、灭蚁灵及其降解产物的检出限为2.0 ng～4.6 ng,空白加标回收率为62.1%～118%,RSD为6.8%～15.2%.     

盲样考核浓度预判及稀释方法——以原子荧光法测定水中砷为例

以原子荧光法测定水中砷为例,探讨了实验室盲样考核浓度预判及稀释方法.分析了3个砷盲样考核实例,归纳了“直接稀释法”“系列稀释法”“最大稀释法”3种方法,分别适用于盲样浓度范围窄、适中、宽3种情况,检测人员可根据考核机构给定的浓度范围合理选用.     

Effects of fomesafen on soil enzyme activity,microbial population,and bacterial community composition

Fomesafen is a diphenyl ether herbicide that has an important role in the removal of broadleaf weeds in bean and fruit tree fields. However, very little information is known about the effects of this herbicide on soil microbial community structure and activities. In the present study, laboratory experiments were conducted to examine the effects of different concentrations of fomesafen (0, 10, 100, and 500 μg/kg) on microbial community structure and activities during an exposure period of 60 days, using soil enzyme assays, plate counting, and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). The results of enzymatic activity experiments showed that fomesafen had different stimulating effects on the activities of acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, and dehydrogenase, with dehydrogenase being most sensitive to fomesafen. On the tenth day, urease activity was inhibited significantly after treatment of different concentrations of fomesafen; this inhibiting effect then gradually disappeared and returned to the control level after 30 days. Plate counting experiments indicated that the number of bacteria and actinomycetes increased in fomesafen-spiked soil relative to the control after 30 days of incubation, while fungal number decreased significantly after only 10 days. The DGGE results revealed that the bacterial community varied in response to the addition of fomesafen, and the intensity of these six bands was greater on day 10. Sequencing and phylogenetic analyses indicated that the six excised DGGE bands were closely related to Emticicia, Bacillus, and uncultured bacteria. After 10 days, the bacterial community exhibited no obvious change compared with the control. Throughout the experiment, we concluded that 0–500 μg/kg of fomesafen could not produce significant toxic effects on soil microbial community structure and activities.     

Distribution,sources, and ecological risk assessment of SVOCs in surface sediments from Guan River Estuary,China

The contamination of semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) in the surface sediments of the Guan River Estuary, China was fully investigated. Total concentrations of 56 species of SVOCs ranged from 132 to 274 ng/g with an average of 186 ng/g (dry weight). Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations were positively correlated with clay content and negatively correlated with sediment grain size. Source identification indicated that PAHs originated mainly from pyrolytic sources. However, intense ship traffic in the estuary may provide sources of petrogenic PAHs. Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) mainly originated from direct input of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs) during some industrial processes. The SVOC concentrations were also compared with International Sediments Quality Guidelines and Sediments Quality Criteria, and the results indicated that negative biological impacts may originate from high concentrations of FLO, p,p′-DDE, and total DDTs.     

Contamination assessment of arsenic and heavy metals in a typical abandoned estuary wetland—a case study of the Yellow River Delta Natural Reserve

Coastal and estuarine areas are often polluted by heavy metals that result from industrial production and agricultural activities. In this study, we investigated the concentration trait and vertical pattern of trace elements, such as As, Cd, Ni, Zn, Pb, Cu, and Cr, and the relationship between those trace elements and the soil properties in coastal wetlands using 28 profiles that were surveyed across the Diaokouhe Nature Reserve (DKHNR). The goal of this study is to investigate profile distribution characteristics of heavy metals in different wetland types and their variations with the soil depth to assess heavy metal pollution using pollution indices and to identify the pollution sources using multivariate analysis and sediment quality guidelines. Principal component analysis, cluster analysis, and pollution level indices were applied to evaluate the contamination conditions due to wetland degradation. The findings indicated that the concentration of trace elements decreased with the soil depth, while Cd increases with soil depth. The As concentrations in reed swamps and Suaeda heteroptera surface layers were slightly higher than those in other land use types. All six heavy metals, i.e., Ni, Cu, As, Zn, Cr, and Pb, were strongly associated with PC1 (positive loading) and could reflect the contribution of natural geological sources of metals into the coastal sediments. PC2 is highly associated with Cd and could represent anthropogenic sources of metal pollution. Most of the heavy metals exhibited significant positive correlations with total concentrations; however, no significant correlations were observed between them and the soil salt and soil organic carbon. Soil organic carbon exhibited a positive linear relationship with Cu, Pb, and Zn in the first soil layer (0–20 cm); As, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn in the second layer (20–40 cm); and As, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn in the third layer (40–60 cm). Soil organic carbon exhibited only a negative correlation with Cd (P?I _geo values), which averaged less than 0 in the three soil layers, this finding indicates that the soils have remained unpolluted by these heavy metals. The mean concentrations of these trace elements were lower than Class I criteria. The degradation wetland restoration suggestions have also been provided in such a way as to restore the reserved flow path of the Yellow River. The results that are associated with trace element contamination would be helpful in providing scientific directions to restore wetlands across the world.     

Improving artificial forest biomass estimates using afforestation age information from time series Landsat stacks

China maintains the largest artificial forest area in the world. Studying the dynamic variation of forest biomass and carbon stock is important to the sustainable use of forest resources and understanding of the artificial forest carbon budget in China. In this study, we investigated the potential of Landsat time series stacks for aboveground biomass (AGB) estimation in Yulin District, a key region of the Three-North Shelter region of China. Firstly, the afforestation age was successfully retrieved from the Landsat time series stacks in the last 40 years (from 1974 to 2013) and shown to be consistent with the surveyed tree ages, with a root-mean-square error (RMSE) value of 4.32 years and a determination coefficient (R ²) of 0.824. Then, the AGB regression models were successfully developed by integrating vegetation indices and tree age. The simple ratio vegetation index (SR) is the best candidate of the commonly used vegetation indices for estimating forest AGB, and the forest AGB model was significantly improved using the combination of SR and tree age, with R ² values from 0.50 to 0.727. Finally, the forest AGB images were mapped at eight epochs from 1985 to 2013 using SR and afforestation age. The total forest AGB in seven counties of Yulin District increased by 20.8 G kg, from 5.8 G kg in 1986 to 26.6 G kg in 2013, a total increase of 360 %. For the persistent forest area since 1974, the forest AGB density increased from 15.72 t/ha in 1986 to 44.53 t/ha in 2013, with an annual rate of about 0.98 t/ha. For the artificial forest planted after 1974, the AGB density increased about 1.03 t/ha a year from 1974 to 2013. The results present a noticeable carbon increment for the planted artificial forest in Yulin District over the last four decades.     

Using ecological memory as an indicator to monitor the ecological restoration of four forest plantations in subtropical China

A large area of plantations has been established worldwide and especially in China. Evaluating the restoration status of these plantations is essential for their long-term management. Based on our previous work, we used an ecological memory (EM) approach to evaluate four 26-year-old plantations that represent four common kinds of plantations in subtropical China, i.e., mixed broad-leaved plantation (MBP), mixed coniferous plantation (MCP), eucalyptus plantation (EP), and mixed legume plantation (MLP). Comparing them with the regional climax community, i.e., monsoon evergreen broad-leaved forest (BF), all four plantations accumulated nearly the same pattern of EM during succession. EM was >50 % for soil minerals, light conditions, soil age, soil animals, and soil microbes. EM was about 25 % for soil pollen and 10 % for birds, soil seed bank, and plant species. The total EM value of the four plantations ranged from 50.96 to 52.54, which indicated that all four plantations were in the regional, natural trajectory of succession and between the early and medium successional stages. The results indicated that natural succession processes are unlikely to be accelerated by planting late-stage tree species without sufficient EM. The results also demonstrated that all four plantations were in positive successional trajectories, and the positive succession dynamics were greater in the MLP and MCP. We suggest that the entire natural succession trajectory be used to evaluate the restoration of a site and that the ultimate restoration target be divided into several milestones along the reference trajectory to monitor progress. Forest restoration may be accelerated by starting with a minimum dynamic unit supporting sufficient EM.