Development of Layered Sediment Structure and its Effects on Pore Water Transport and Hyporheic Exchange

Hyporheic exchange is known to provide an important control on nutrient and contaminant fluxes across the stream-subsurface interface. Similar processes also mediate interfacial transport in other permeable sediments. Recent research has focused on understanding the mechanics of these exchange processes and improving estimation of exchange rates in natural systems. While the structure of sediment beds obviously influences pore water flow rates and patterns, little is known about the interplay of typical sedimentary structures, hyporheic exchange, and other transport processes in fluvial/alluvial sediments. Here we discuss several processes that contribute to local-scale sediment heterogeneity and present results that illustrate the interaction of overlying flow conditions, the development of sediment structure, pore water transport, and stream-subsurface exchange. Layered structures are shown to develop at several scales within sediment beds. Surface sampling is used to analyze the development of an armor layer in a sand-and-gravel bed, while innovative synchrotron-based X-ray microtomography is used to observe patterns of grain sorting within sand bedforms. We show that layered bed structures involving coarsening of the bed surface increase interfacial solute flux but produce an effective anisotropy that favors horizontal pore water transport while limiting vertical penetration.     

Polymeric Complexes from Casein and Starch Phosphate: Characteristics and Enzyme Susceptibility

Novel biodegradable materials were prepared from potato starch enriched in phosphato moieties (DS 0.018 and 0.033) and casein in defatted milk. The components were blended in proportions providing starch: casein ratios of 2:1, 1:1, and 1:2 and were then precipitated with hydrochloric acid. Aqueous solubility, water-binding capacity, infrared spectra, and thermal analysis (thermogravimetry[7] and differential thermogravimetry of the precipitates revealed that they were not simple physical mixtures of the components. The components interacted with one another electrostatically with involvement of the phosphate groups of starch and the peptide bond of casein, as documented by infrared spectra. Because of insolubility in 7 M aqueous urea solution, they might also be considered as complexes in which the components were chemically bound.     

Effect of selected and non-selected urban waste compost on the initial growth of corn

Brazil produces approximately 242,000 t of waste per day, 76% of it being dumped outdoors and only 0.9% recycled, including composting, which is an alternative still little known in Brazil. In search of a better destination for residues produced by domestic activities, composting stands as a feasible alternative. Organic compost from waste may be used for various purposes, among which are soil recovery, commercial production, pastures, lawns and reforestry and agriculture. However, the quality of the compost determines the growth and the development of plants. The effect of compost made from urban waste on corn plant (Zea mays L.) growth was investigated. Two types of compost were used: the selected compost (SC), produced from organic waste selectively collected; and the non-selected compost (NSC), taken from a 15-year-old cell from the Canabrava land-fill, located in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil (altitude 51 m, 12°22′–13°08′S, 38°08′–38°47′W). Corn was seeded in polyethylene pots, with soil-compost mixing substrate in the proportion of 0, 15, 30, 45 and 60 t ha⁻¹ equivalent doses. Chemical analyses of the compost and growth properties of the plant like chlorophyll content; height and stem diameter; aerial and radicular dry biomasses, were used to evaluate compost quality. Plants cultivated with SC presented a superior gain, being of 52.5% in stem diameter, 71.1 and 81.2% in root and stem biomasses, respectively. Chlorophyl content alterations were observed in plants from treatments using 30 t compost ha⁻¹ dose onwards. Conventional and multivariate statistical methods were used to evaluate these results. The beneficial action of organic compost in plant growth was confirmed with this research.     

BASE FLOW RECESSION RATES,LOW FLOWS,AND HYDROLOGIC FEATURES OF SMALL WATERSHEDS IN PENNSYLVANIA,USA1

This paper examines the relationships between measurable watershed hydrologic features, base flow recession rates, and the Q_7,10 low flow statistic (the annual minimum seven‐day average streamflow occurring once every 10 years on average). Base flow recession constants were determined by analyzing hydrograph recession data from 24 small (>130 km²), unregulated watersheds across five major physiographic provinces of Pennsylvania, providing a highly variable dataset. Geomorphic, hydrogeologic, and land use parameters were determined for each watershed. The base flow recession constant was found to be most strongly correlated to drainage density, geologic index, and ruggedness number (watershed slope); however, these three parameters are intercorrelated. Multiple regression models were developed for predicting the recession rate, and it was found that only two parameters, drainage density and hydrologic soil group, were required to obtain good estimates of the recession constant. Equations were also developed to relate the recession rates to Q_7,10 per unit area, and to the Q_7,10/Q₅₀ ratio. Using these equations, estimates of base flow recession rates, Q_7,10, and streamflow reduction under drought conditions can be made for small, ungaged basins across a wide range of physiography.     

A Lost Link between a Flightless Parrot and a Parasitic Plant and the Potential Role of Coprolites in Conservation Paleobiology

Late Quaternary extinctions and population fragmentations have severely disrupted animal‐plant interactions globally. Detection of disrupted interactions often relies on anachronistic plant characteristics, such as spines in the absence of large herbivores or large fruit without dispersers. However, obvious anachronisms are relatively uncommon, and it can be difficult to prove a direct link between the anachronism and a particular faunal taxon. Analysis of coprolites (fossil feces) provides a novel way of exposing lost interactions between animals (depositors) and consumed organisms. We analyzed ancient DNA to show that a coprolite from the South Island of New Zealand was deposited by the rare and threatened kakapo (Strigops habroptilus), a large, nocturnal, flightless parrot. When we analyzed the pollen and spore content of the coprolite, we found pollen from the cryptic root‐parasite Dactylanthus taylorii. The relatively high abundance (8.9% of total pollen and spores) of this zoophilous pollen type in the coprolite supports the hypothesis of a former direct feeding interaction between kakapo and D. taylorii. The ranges of both species have contracted substantially since human settlement, and their present distributions no longer overlap. Currently, the lesser short‐tailed bat (Mystacina tuberculata) is the only known native pollinator of D. taylorii, but our finding raises the possibility that birds, and other small fauna, could have once fed on and pollinated the plant. If confirmed, through experimental work and observations, this finding may inform conservation of the plant. For example, it may be possible to translocate D. taylorii to predator‐free offshore islands that lack bats but have thriving populations of endemic nectar‐feeding birds. The study of coprolites of rare or extinct taxonomic groups provides a unique way forward to expand existing knowledge of lost plant and animal interactions and to identify pollination and dispersal syndromes. This approach of linking paleobiology with neoecology offers significant untapped potential to help inform conservation and restoration plans. Un Eslabón Perdido entre un Loro No Volador y una Planta Parásita y el Papel Potencial de Coprolitos en Paleobiología de la Conservación     

石油降解菌的分离鉴定及4株芽胞杆菌种间效应

通过富集培养和分离纯化的方法,从天津大港油田石油污染土壤和渤海海上钻井平台洗油污水中分离出6株石油降解细菌,生理生化试验及16S r DNA序列分析鉴定表明,它们分别属于Bacillus芽胞杆菌属(S1、S2、S3、S4)、Pseudomonas假单胞菌属(W1)和Ochrobactrum苍白杆菌属(W2),其中,S3具有最高的烷烃(41.3%)和芳烃(30.9%)降解率,从石油污染场地中筛选出的内源微生物对本油田石油的降解效果优于外源物种.对4株芽胞杆菌属菌株构建微生物组进行石油降解实验,结果表明,由S1和S4构成的微生物组F3具有最高的烷烃(50.5%)和芳烃(54.0%)降解率,比单菌降解率分别提高了69.9%和156.1%,同时比最优降解单菌S3的降解率分别高出22.1%和74.6%,而由S2和S3构成的微生物组F4对烷烃和芳烃的降解率最低,分别为18.5%和18.9%,比单菌降解率降低了55.3%和39.0%,实验表明同菌属微生物种间对石油的降解同时存在协同促进和拮抗抑制作用,芽胞杆菌属内亲缘性近的菌株之间对石油降解主要表现为促进作用.     

山林地表慢渗系统处理农村生活污水厂尾水研究

利用山区污水处理厂周边森林植被构建慢速渗滤污水处理系统,用来处理山区农村生活污水厂尾水。结果表明,慢渗系统能够深度净化污水尾水,对COD_(Cr)、NH_3-N、NO_3-N、TN、TP的平均去除率分别为23.8%、40.2%、14.3%、11.3%和23.6%。并且土层越深,COD_(Cr)、TN、TP浓度越低,相应的去除率越高,而NO_3-N、TN去除率则呈降低趋势;山体坡度越大,COD_(Cr)、氨氮浓度有升高趋势,硝态氮、TN、TP有降低趋势;而坡长越大,COD_(Cr)、NH_3-N、NO_3-N、TN浓度有降低趋势,TP有升高趋势。此外,植被类型对水样化学性质有一定影响,竹林更利于COD_(Cr)、NH_3-N、TP浓度的降低,针阔混交林更利于NO_3-N、TN浓度的降低。     

维管束植物桂花树叶片对大气氮沉降的吸收研究

本文通过测定维管束植物桂花树叶片的氮含量和氮同位素组成,分析其对大气氮沉降的截留吸收机制。为期一年(2009.03～2010.03)的监测数据显示,桂花树叶片氮含量为1.33%～3.09%,平均值为2.18%;叶片δ15 N为+0.54‰～+3.78‰,均值为+2.29‰。桂花树叶片N%、δ15 N的季节性变化趋势,总体呈现春、冬高,夏、秋低的规律,这与已有的贵阳市雨水监测数据一致。对比不同树冠厚度的叶片样品,发现叶片N%随树冠厚度增加而降低,顶部叶片N%表现为最高(2.39±0.4%),说明桂花树的树冠层对大气氮沉降有明显的截留吸收作用。桂花树顶部叶片δ15 N最偏负,而上覆树冠层最厚的下方叶片的δ15 N最偏正,反映了树冠层在吸收大气氮沉降过程中存在选择性吸收,引起同位素分馏,即树冠层越厚,穿冠水δ15 N越偏正,且分馏程度与树冠厚度成正比,导致下方叶片δ15 N最高。     

Experimental investigation of the e ect of flow turbulence and sediment transport patterns on the adsorption of cadmium ions onto sediment particles

The mechanism of flow turbulence,sediment supply conditions,and sediment transport patterns that affect the adsorption of cadmiumions onto sediment particles in natural waters are experimentally simulated and studied both in batch reactors and in a turbulencesimulation tank.By changing the agitation conditions,the sediment transport in batch reactors can be categorized into bottom sediment-dominated sediment and suspended sediment-dominated sediment.It is found that the adsorption rate of bottom sediment is much lessthan that of suspended sediment,but the sediment transport pattern does not affect the final(equilibrium)concentration of dissolvedcadmium.This result indicates that the parameters of an adsorption isotherm are the same regardless of the sediment transport pattern.Inthe turbulence simulation tank,the turbulence is generated by harmonic grid-stirred motions,and the turbulence intensity is quantifiedin terms of eddy diffusivity,which is equal to 9.84F(F is the harmonic vibration frequency)and is comparable to natural surfacewater conditions.When the turbulence intensity of flow is low and sediment particles stay as bottom sediment,the adsorption rateis significantly low,and the adsorption quantity compared with that of suspended sediment is negligible in the 6 h duration of theexperiment.This result greatly favors the simplification of the numerical modeling of heavy metal pollutant transformation in naturalrivers.When the turbulence intensity is high but bottom sediment persists,the rate and extent of descent of the dissolved cadmiumconcentration in the tank noticeably increase,and the time that is required to reach adsorption equilibrium also increases considerablydue to the continuous exchange that occurs between the suspended sediment and the bottom sediment.A comparison of the results ofthe experiments in the batch reactor and those in the turbulence simulation tank reveals that the adsorption ability of the sediment,andin particular the adsorption rate,is greatly over-estimated in the batch reactor.     

Rainfall Interception Based on Indirect Methods: A Case Study in Temperate Forests in Oaxaca,Mexico

Rainfall interception represents the amount of water trapped in natural cover that is not drained directly to the ground. Intercepted rainfall may evaporate after a rain event, making it one of the main drivers of water balance and hydrologic regionalization. This process can be affected by factors such as climate, altitude, vegetation type, and topography. Here is a simple method of calculating rainfall interception in temperate forests using in Santa Maria Yavesia, Oaxaca, and Mexico as an illustrative study area. We used two rain gauges to measure net precipitation (N_p) under the canopy at each study site and one gauge outside the canopy to obtain gross precipitation (G_p). Throughfall (T_h) was indirectly measured using hemispherical photographs. Rainfall interception was obtained through a combination T_h and G_p and N_p. The mean rainfall interception was 50.6% in the Abies forests, 23%–40% in the coniferous‐mixed forests, and 27.4% in the broad‐leaved forests. We classified rainfall events by intensity to determine the effect of canopy structure and precipitation and found that 75% of the events were weak events, 24% were moderate events, and 1% were strong events. In addition, we found that rainfall interception was lower when the intensity of precipitation was higher. Our method can be replicated in different ecosystems worldwide as a tool for assessing the influence of rainfall interception in terms of ecological services.