Impacts of atrazine in aquatic ecosystems

A portion of all herbicides applied to forests, croplands, road sides, and gardens are inevitably lost to water bodies either directly through runoff or indirectly by leaching through groundwater into ephemeral streams and lakes. Once in the aquatic environment, herbicides may cause stress within aquatic communities and radically alter community structure. Atrazine is one of the most effective and inexpensive herbicides in the world and is consequently used more frequently than any other herbicide. Atrazine is frequently detected in aquatic waters, and has been known to affect reproduction of aquatic flora and fauna, which in turn impacts on the community structure as a whole. This paper presents a summary of the reported direct and indirect impacts of atrazine on aquatic organisms and community structure. The information can be used for developing improved management guidelines and legislation. It is concluded that a single universal maximum limit on the atrazine application in catchments, as suggested by many regulatory authorities, does not provide adequate protection of the aquatic environment. Rather, it is advocated that flexible limits on the application of atrazine be developed in line with the potential risk of contamination to surface and subsurface water and fragility of the aquatic environment.     

Assessing Potential Removal of Low-Head Dams in Urban Settings: An Example from the Ottawa River,NW Ohio

This is a study of the scientific component of an effort to restore an urban river by removing a low-head dam. The Secor Dam is owned by a local government entity near Toledo, Ohio. The proposed removal of the last structure impeding flow on the Ottawa River has broad appeal, but the owner is concerned about liability issues, particularly potential changes to the flood regime, the presence of contaminated sediments behind the dam, and possible downstream transport of reservoir sediments. Assessing sediment contamination involved sediment sampling and analysis of trace metals and organic contaminants. Forecasting sediment transport involved field methods to determine the volume and textural properties of reservoir and upstream sediment and calculations to determine the fate of reservoir sediments. Forecasting changes in the flood regime involved HEC-RAS hydrological models to determine before and after dam removal flood scenarios using LiDAR data imported into an ArcGIS database. The resulting assessment found potential sediment contamination to be minor, and modeling showed that the removal of the dam would have minimal impacts on sediment transport and flood hazards. Based on the assessment, the removal of the dam has been approved by its owners.     

生态系统娱乐文化价值的评估研究——兼谈对我国贫困地区的意义

娱乐文化功能是生态系统向人类提供的重要服务功能之一。研究生态系统娱乐文化价值是研究生态系统服务功能的一个重要方面。了解娱乐文化价值的重要性对我国生态系统脆弱但旅游资源丰富的贫困地区的发展具有重要意义。阐述了生态系统娱乐文化价值的内涵与构成，利用国内外有关娱乐文化价值评估的数据资料，总结得出了娱乐文化价值量的重要性，并说明了其评估方法。最后提出了解决我国生态脆弱但旅游资源丰富的贫困地区的可持续发展之路——发展生态旅游，以及生态旅游管理的措施和建议。     

PnET-CN模型对东亚森林生态系统碳通量模拟的适用性和不确定性分析

东亚地区森林类型多样,开展区域生态系统碳循环模拟时应考虑森林类型的差异。论文利用基于叶氮浓度-最大净光合作用速率关系的PnET-CN模型,对东亚地区8 个森林生态系统通量观测站点的总生态系统碳交换（GEE）和生态系统呼吸（RE）进行模拟,以探讨模型的适用性并对不确定性来源进行分析。研究结果表明：①PnET-CN模型能较为准确地模拟东亚地区大部分森林生态系统站点的GEE和RE;②模型的适用性排序依次为温带、寒温带、亚热带、 热带,模型未能很好地模拟热带湿地森林GEE和RE 的季节与年际变异;③在同一气候区中,PnET-CN模型更加适用于针叶林碳交换的模拟;④PnET-CN模型比较准确地反映了东亚森林生态系统GEE、RE对气候因子（例如,温度或辐射）的响应,但在低温、较弱辐射条件下模型低估了GEE,在高温或较强辐射条件下高估了GEE;在低温条件下模型低估了RE,在高温条件下模型高估了RE。针对东亚多个森林通量站点的模拟情况,论文提出模型应在以下方面进行改进：①PnET-CN模型计算物候时除了考虑温度之外还应加入土壤湿度的影响,并对不同气候区森林生态系统赋予不同叶片凋落时长;②PnET-CN模型中温度对GEE的限制以及光合最适温度应该根据不同站点设置;③PnET-CN模型应该考虑森林生态系统对环境胁迫的适应性,加强对干旱等干扰的模拟;④同时对于拥有复杂水文条件的森林生态系统应该改进土壤含水量的算法,以准确反映该类型森林生态系统GEE和RE的季节变化。     

重庆市清水溪底泥中镉污染的潜在生态风险评价

采用地累积指数和Hakanson潜在生态风险指数法,通过分析清水溪18个采样点底泥中典型重金属镉的含量,定量确定了清水溪底泥中重金属镉的污染程度和潜在生态风险程度。结果表明,清水溪流域镉污染比较严重,上游比下游污染严重,而且在新桥到高滩岩段受到重金属镉的中强度污染,对周围环境存在极高的镉生态风险。在清水溪干流上采样点底泥中镉的质量浓度范围在0.38~1.48mg/kg之间,平均值0.88mg/kg,各支流底泥中镉的质量浓度范围为0.51~1.08mg/kg。对于清水溪各支流镉的污染程度与潜在生态风险程度由高到低的排序为杨家沟>金竹沟>芭蕉沟>关井沟>石碾盘沟。     

不同土地利用对溪流大型底栖无脊椎动物群落的影响

2010年4月调查了钱塘江中游区域29个样点的水环境特征和底栖动物。聚类排序将样点分为参照、农业和城镇3组,相似性分析表明不同组间底栖动物群落有显著差异(r=0.863,P=0.001)。环境因子的主成分分析表明,研究区域主要的环境胁迫是农业和城镇用地及其引起的水质变化,并能较好解释组间物种差异的关键环境胁迫因子为农业用地比例、城镇用地比例、溶解氧、总氮和平均底质得分(Rho=0.568,P=0.001)。底栖动物参数(总分类单元数、Shannon-Weaver多样性指数、BI指数和丰富度指数)和k-优势度曲线显示农业和城镇组的生物完整性遭到很大程度的破坏,且农业组较城镇组严重。     

重庆市清水溪河流沉积物重金属污染及潜在生态风险评价

采用单因子指数法和Hakanson潜在生态风险指数法,通过分析清水溪流域18个采样点沉积物中典型重金属污染物Cd、Cr、Cu、Pb和Zn的含量,定量确定了清水溪沉积物中重金属的污染程度和潜在生态风险程度。结果表明,清水溪流域污染非常严重,上中游河段受到重金属的高强度污染,主要的重金属污染因子为Zn,污染因子的高低顺序为：Zn>Cu>Cr>Cd>Pb;潜在生态风险指数RI平均值为255.58,清水溪处于高值潜在生态风险,且上中游河段潜在生态风险指数很高,主要的潜在生态风险因子为Cd,潜在生态风险因子的大小顺序为：Cd>Cu>Cr>Zn>Pb。     

Nitrate in shallow groundwater in typical agricultural and forest ecosystems in China, 2004-2010

The nitrate-nitrogen(NO 3-N) concentrations from shallow groundwater wells situated in 29 of the Chinese Ecosystem Research Network field stations,representing typical agroand forest ecosystems,were assessed using monitoring data collected between 2004 and 2010.Results from this assessment permit a national scale assessment of nitrate concentrations in shallow groundwater,and allow linkages between nitrate concentrations in groundwater and broad land use categories to be made.Results indicated that most of the NO 3--N concentrations in groundwater from the agroand forest ecosystems were below the Class 3 drinking water standard stated in the Chinese National Standard:Quality Standard for Ground Water(≤ 20 mg/L).Over the study period,the average NO 3--N concentrations were significantly higher in agro-ecosystems(4.1 ± 0.33 mg/L) than in forest ecosystems(0.5 ± 0.04 mg/L).NO 3-N concentrations were relatively higher(> 10 mg N /L) in 10 of the 43 wells sampled in the agricultural ecosystems.These elevated concentrations occurred mainly in the Ansai,Yucheng,Linze,Fukang,Akesu,and Cele field sites,which were located in arid and semiarid areas where irrigation rates are high.We suggest that improvements in N fertilizer application and irrigation management practices in the arid and semi-arid agricultural ecosystems of China are the key to managing groundwater nitrate concentrations.     

A Watershed-Scale Model for Predicting Nonpoint Pollution Risk in North Carolina

The Southeastern United States is a global center of freshwater biotic diversity, but much of the regions aquatic biodiversity is at risk from stream degradation. Nonpoint pollution sources are responsible for 70% of that degradation, and controlling nonpoint pollution from agriculture, urbanization, and silviculture is considered critical to maintaining water quality and aquatic biodiversity in the Southeast. We used an ecological risk assessment framework to develop vulnerability models that can help policymakers and natural resource managers understand the impact of land cover changes on water quality in North Carolina. Additionally, we determined which landscape characteristics are most closely associated with macroinvertebrate community tolerance of stream degradation, and therefore with lower-quality water. The results will allow managers and policymakers to weigh the risks of management and policy decisions to a given watershed or set of watersheds, including whether streamside buffer protection zones are ecologically effective in achieving water quality standards. Regression analyses revealed that landscape variables explained up to 56.3% of the variability in benthic macroinvertebrate index scores. The resulting vulnerability models indicate that North Carolina watersheds with less forest cover are at most risk for degraded water quality and steam habitat conditions. The importance of forest cover, at both the watershed and riparian zone scale, in predicting macrobenthic invertebrate community assemblage varies by geographic region of the state.