Stable isotope on the evaluation of water quality in the presence of WWTPs in rivers

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - We investigated the distribution of nitrogen compounds in Han River as well as two tributaries of Tancheon and Jungrangcheon. Particularly, we...     

Combined effects of nitrogen addition and organic matter manipulation on soil respiration in a Chinese pine forest

The response of soil respiration (Rs) to nitrogen (N) addition is one of the uncertainties in modelling ecosystem carbon (C). We reported on a long-term nitrogen (N) addition experiment using urea (CO(NH₂)₂) fertilizer in which Rs was continuously measured after N addition during the growing season in a Chinese pine forest. Four levels of N addition, i.e. no added N (N0: 0 g N m⁻² year⁻¹), low-N (N1: 5 g N m⁻² year⁻¹), medium-N (N2: 10 g N m⁻² year⁻¹), and high-N (N3: 15 g N m⁻² year⁻¹), and three organic matter treatments, i.e. both aboveground litter and belowground root removal (LRE), only aboveground litter removal (LE), and intact soil (CK), were examined. The Rs was measured continuously for 3 days following each N addition application and was measured approximately 3–5 times during the rest of each month from July to October 2012. N addition inhibited microbial heterotrophic respiration by suppressing soil microbial biomass, but stimulated root respiration and CO₂ release from litter decomposition by increasing either root biomass or microbial biomass. When litter and/or root were removed, the “priming” effect of N addition on the Rs disappeared more quickly than intact soil. This is likely to provide a point of view for why Rs varies so much in response to exogenous N and also has implications for future determination of sampling interval of Rs measurement.

     

Vehicle emission implications of drivers’ smart advisory system for traffic operations in work zones

Wireless communication systems have been broadly applied in various complicated traffic operations to improve mobility and safety on roads, which may raise a concern about the implication of the new technology on vehicle emissions. This paper explores how the wireless communication systems improve drivers’ driving behaviors and its contributions to the emission reduction, in terms of Operating Mode (OpMode) IDs distribution used in emission estimation. A simulated work zone with completed traffic operation was selected as a test bed. Sixty subjects were recruited for the tests, whose demographic distribution was based on the Census data in Houston, Texas. A scene of a pedestrian’s crossing in the work zone was designed for the driving test. Meanwhile, a wireless communication system called Drivers Smart Advisory System (DSAS) was proposed and introduced in the driving simulation, which provided drivers with warning messages in the work zone. Two scenarios were designed for a leading vehicle as well as for a following vehicle driving through the work zone, which included a base test without any wireless communication systems, and a driving test with the trigger of the DSAS. Subjects’ driving behaviors in the simulation were recorded to evaluate safety and estimate the vehicle emission using the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released emission model MOVES. The correlation between drivers’ driving behavior and the distribution of the OpMode ID during each scenario was investigated. Results show that the DSAS was able to induce drivers to accelerate smoothly, keep longer headway distance and stop earlier for a hazardous situation in the work zone, which driving behaviors result in statistically significant reduction in vehicle emissions for almost all studied air pollutants (p-values range from 4.10E-51 to 2.18E-03). The emission reduction was achieved by the switching the distribution of the OpMode IDs from higher emission zones to lower emission zones.

Implications: Transportation section is a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions. Many studies demonstrate that the wireless communication system dedicated for safety and mobility issues may contribute to the induction in vehicle emissions through changing driving behaviors. An insight into the correlation between the driving behaviors and the distribution of Operating Mode (OpMode) IDs is essential to enhance the emission reduction. The result of this study shows that with a Drivers Smart Advisory System (DSAS) drivers accelerated smoothly and stopped earlier for a hazardous situation, which induce the switch of the OpMode IDs from high emission zones to lower emission zones.     

川南山地林分变化对土壤物理性质和抗蚀性的影响

以川南天然林(TRL)及其转变成的毛竹林(MZL)、檫木林(CML)、柳杉林(LSL)、杉木林(SML)和水杉林(SSL)为对象,研究不同林分土壤物理性质和抗蚀性差异,以主成分分析法(ZCFM)和隶属函数法(LSHM)分别计算的土壤抗蚀性综合值Ⅰ(KSX-Ⅰ)和Ⅱ(KSX-Ⅱ)评价林分变化对土壤抗蚀性的影响,探索简便易行的土壤抗蚀性综合评价方法。结果表明,天然林转变为人工林后土壤物理性质和抗蚀性变差,呈现出有机质和0.25 mm水稳性团聚体含量、水稳性团聚体平均重量直径、团聚度、孔隙度及物理稳定性指数降低,而结构体破坏率、不稳定团粒指数、容重、分散率及侵蚀系数增加。各林分土壤KSX-Ⅰ和KSX-Ⅱ均呈现出TRLCMLSSLLSLMZLSML的规律变化。土壤抗蚀性指标间相关性均达到显著(p0.05)水平;土壤KSX-Ⅰ和KSX-Ⅱ之间呈显著相关关系(p0.05),且两者均与各抗蚀性指标间呈显著相关(p0.05)。说明天然林植被变化后会使土壤抗蚀性降低,影响原有植被水土保持功能,应该加强天然林及其生态功能保护;ZCFM和LSHM均可作为计算土壤抗蚀性综合值的有效方法,但考虑到计算过程的难易度,后者更简便易行。结果为土壤抗蚀性综合评价新方法的建立提供了参考。     

Movements of spotted seals (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Phoca largha</Emphasis>) in the Sea of Okhotsk according to satellite tagging data

For the first time, satellite tagging of spotted seals (Phoca largha) has been performed in three regions of the Sea of Okhotsk: Chkalov Island in Sakhalin Bay, Ptichy Island, and the Bolshaya River mouth on the western coast of Kamchatka. As a result, regions inhabited by the seals in different periods of their life cycle and differences in the pattern of water area use by animals from different regions have been revealed. The seals from the western Kamchatka coast have covered greater distances during the observation period, compared to the animals from Sakhalin Bay. In the reproductive period, the seals from the western coast spread over the entire northern part of the Sea of Okhotsk, whereas the animals from the Sakhalin Bay move only to the Tatar Strait, the Sea of Japan. None of tagged seals has been located in the “reproductive center” at the eastern coast of Sakhalin. The seals tagged in different regions of the Sea of Okhotsk have never been located in the same place during the entire annual cycle, suggesting that the sea is inhabited by two reproductively isolated groups of ringed seals.     

The ecology of the red fox (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Vulpes vulpes</Emphasis> L.) in the middle Lena River basin

The population of foxes in the central regions of Yakutia has grown by a factor of four to five during the period from 2000 to 2011–2012, following an increase in the abundance of voles from the genus Microtus. A total of 130 carcasses of foxes taken in 2007–2012 have been examined. Age- and sex-related variation in morphological features has been described. The demographic structure of the population has been studied by estimating animal age from annual layers in the recording structures. Changes in female fertility and involvement in reproduction depending on age and feeding conditions have been analyzed. Changes in the composition of fox diet caused by long-term population depression in the mountain hare and their effect on the dynamics of fox abundance have been revealed. Age- and sex-related characteristics of the condition factor in foxes and sex-related differences in their dietary preferences have been demonstrated.     

Plasticity in metamorphic traits of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rana kukunoris</Emphasis> tadpoles: The interactive effects of food level and rearing temperature

Larval amphibians are particularly likely to encounter variation in rearing temperature and resource availability due to variation in aquatic breeding habitats. In this study, plasticity in growth rates, larval mass, larval period, and size at metamorphosis were examined in Rana kukunoris Nikolskii, 1918 under different combinations of temperature and food level. Larval period and larval body mass was sensitive to food level, and varied with temperature. Tadpoles metamorphosed at an older age at low temperature than those reared at warm temperature. Food level was a significant affect on larval period at low temperature, but not at warm temperature. Mass was heavier for tadpoles reared at low temperatures than those reared at warm temperatures. The effect of food level depended on temperature, because larvae reared at low temperature that were offered a high food level achieved a larger size than larvae offered a low food level, but this did not occur at warm temperature. Therefore, we suggest that high food availability at low temperature prolonged developmental periods, thus larvae are larger as metamorphs than those reared at warm temperatures.     

Spatial population structure of rare orchid species in rich fens in the central part of Murmansk oblast

The spatial structure of 10 populations of rare orchid species (Dactylorhiza incarnata, D. traunsteineri, Listera ovata) has been studied in rich fens sporadically occurring in Murmansk oblast. Two levels of plant aggregation within populations have been distinguished: (1) clusters of individuals and (2) isolated population subsets consisting of clusters. General spatial demographic features of orchid populations in the fens are small area (77 m²) and low ecological density (0.009 ind./m²). Characteristics of the population subsets (their number, area, composition, and distance to the neighboring subset) are species-specific and reflect the degree of species rarity in plant communities.     

On ecotones as foci of ant species richness in a forest nature reserve (case study of the Voronezh Biosphere Reserve)

The role of ecotones with different (sharp or smooth) spatial boundaries between forest and meadow in ant biodiversity preservation was studied at the right-of-way of a power line in the Voronezh Reserve. The ecotone with a sharp boundary between forest and meadow (transitional zone 2 m wide) had higher species richness of ants compared to the ecotones (also 2 m wide) with smooth boundary between forest and meadow.     

Characteristics of stone moroko population dynamics at different stages of naturalization in lake- and steam-type Dnieper reservoirs

The probable source of stone moroko, Pseudorasbora parva (Temminck & Schlegel, 1846), populations in lake- and stream-type Dnieper reservoirs was revealed. The dynamics and specific growth rates of these populations over 20 years were analyzed. The dynamic phase portrait method was used to determine the timing of stages in the process of invader naturalization and the periods when its populations were in equilibrium. The potential growth rates of P. parva populations in the Kremenchug and Dneprodzerzhinsk reservoirs were estimated.