Gaseous emissions from weaned pigs raised on different floor systems

Gaseous emissions from agriculture contribute to a number of environmental effects. Carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) are greenhouse gases taking part to the global problem of climate change. Ammonia (NH₃) emissions are responsible of soil acidification and eutrophication and contribute also to indirect emissions of N₂O. This work evaluated the influence of the type of floor on the emissions of these gases in the raising of weaned pigs. Two trials were carried out. In the first trial, the animals were kept either on fully slatted floor or on straw-based deep litter and, in the second one, either on fully slatted floor or on sawdust-based deep litter. For each trial and on each type of floor, 2 successive batches of weaned pigs were raised without changing the litter or emptying the slurry pit between the 2 batches. The rooms were automatically ventilated to maintain a constant ambient temperature.The performance of the animals was not significantly different according to the floor type. In trial 1, the nitrogen contents of the straw deep litter (including the substrate) and slurry were respectively 276 and 389 g pig⁻¹. In trial 2, the sawdust deep litter and slurry nitrogen contents were respectively 122 and 318 g pig⁻¹.Raising pigs on straw deep litter produced proportionately around 100% more NH₃ than raising pigs on slatted floor (0.61 g NH₃-N d⁻¹ pig⁻¹ vs. 0.31 g NH₃-N d⁻¹ pig⁻¹; P < 0.05). Differences in CO₂, H₂O and CH₄ emissions were not significant between systems. Raising pigs on sawdust deep litter produced also proportionately more NH₃ (+52%; 0.55 g NH₃-N d⁻¹ pig⁻¹ vs. 0.36 g NH₃-N d⁻¹ pig⁻¹; P < 0.01) but also more CO₂ (+25%; 427 g d⁻¹ pig⁻¹ vs. 341 g d⁻¹ pig⁻¹; P < 0.001) and H₂O (+65%; 981 g d⁻¹ pig⁻¹ vs. 593 g d⁻¹ pig⁻¹; P < 0.001) and less CH₄ (−40%; 0.52 g d⁻¹ pig⁻¹ vs. 0.86 g d⁻¹ pig⁻¹; P < 0.001) than raising pigs on slatted floor. Practically no N₂O emission was observed from rooms with slatted floor while the N₂O emissions were 0.03 and 0.32 g N₂O-N d⁻¹ pig⁻¹ for the straw and sawdust deep litter respectively. The warming potential of the greenhouse gases (N₂O + CH₄), were about 22, 34 and 168 g CO₂ equivalents per day and per pig on fully slatted floor, straw or sawdust deep litter respectively.In conclusion, pollutant gas emissions from rearing of weaned pig seem lower with fully slatted plastic floor system than with deep litter systems.     

中国海洋垃圾监测与评价工作的思考

海洋垃圾污染问题是一个国际性的难题,海洋垃圾污染防治是改善中国近岸海域环境质量的一项重要内容.目前中国的海洋垃圾监测尚处于起步阶段,仍有许多工作需进行研究和实践.鉴于此,本文对中国海洋垃圾业务现状及需求进行分析,对海洋垃圾监测与评价体系存在的有关问题进行了探讨,并进一步提出了相关对策和建议,以完善中国海洋垃圾监测与评价体系,制定具有针对性的预防和控制措施,为中国的海洋环境保护工作提供技术支持.     

大气臭氧浓度增加对湿地松幼苗的影响

采用开顶式气室(open top chambers,OTCs)装置,研究O<,3>浓度增加(E-O<,3>约150 nL·L<'-1>)对湿地松幼苗的影响,包括伤害症状、植株生长、针叶光合色素含量、气体交换速率与叶绿素荧光、丙二醛(MDA)以及主要抗氧化剂含量变化.经过E-O<,3>处理一个生长季后(AOT40值为38...     

Organic residue decomposition: The minicontainer-system a multifunctional tool in decomposition studies

The Minicontainer-test, first described by Eisenbeis (1993), was designed to study the kinetics of organic residue decomposition at a microsite level. It is derived from the litterbag technique and consists of polyethylene minicontainers (volume about 1.5 cm³) filled with a test substrate (litter, straw, cellulose, etc.). The minicontainers (MCs) are closed at either end with plastic gauze discs of variable mesh size (e.g. 20 μm, 250 μm, 500 μm or 2 mm). A definite number of such units are inserted into PVC-bars, which can be implanted into the soil horizontally or vertically, or be exposed on the soil surface horizontally. The bars are very stable and can be exposed in different environments for months to years. If required, the bars can be removed temporarily and stored, e.g. during soil cultivation. Should fresh litter be used, two phases of decomposition can be distinguished: a fast initial phase, which can be mainly related to the effect of leaching, and a second slow phase depending mainly on the activity of soil organisms and litter quality. Several questions can be addressed to investigations using MCs, e.g. 1) parts of the soil fauna which are involved in decomposition (nematodes, microarthropods, and smaller specimens of the macrofauna, e.g. enchytraeidae, diplopods and dipteran larvae) can be extracted from the litter substrate using a miniscale high gradient extractor, 2) the organic mass loss of litter can be determined, 3) microbial biomass (C_mic, N_mic) can be assessed by fumigation extraction and 4) microbial activity (respiration) in the test substrate can also be assessed by use of standardised methods. Compared to litterbag studies, the larger number of small replicate units improves the statistical evaluation. Until today the Minicontainer-test has been applied in forestry and agriculture, e.g. studying the effects of liming, soil restoration and the application of insecticides, e.g. Diflubenzuron (Dimilin) and Btk (Bacillus thuringiensis var.kurstaki).     

缙云山马尾松林和柑橘林土壤微生物PLFA沿海拔梯度的变化

土壤微生物群落是土壤生态系统的重要组成部分,对环境变化敏感.本文运用磷脂脂肪酸法(PLFA)研究缙云山马尾松林和柑橘林土壤微生物群落结构沿海拔梯度的变化特征.结果表明,从6个海拔土壤中共检测到48种PLFA,其中i16:0、10Me17:0、10Me18:0 TBSA在6个海拔中含量均最高,且柑橘林土壤PLFA种类和含量明显高于马尾松林.随着海拔升高马尾松林土壤微生物种类和含量逐渐增加,柑橘林则逐渐降低,各海拔间细菌、真菌、放线菌、革兰氏阴性菌(G~-)及革兰氏阳性菌(G~+)含量差异显著.土壤微生物群落多样性研究结果表明,马尾松林低海拔丰富度指数(R),多样性指数(H')、均匀度指数(J)均显著高于高海拔,而柑橘林R在低海拔最高,H'、J则在高海拔最高.不同海拔土壤细菌、放线菌、G~-及G~+与土壤酶和环境因子之间存在相关性,细菌、放线菌、G~-及G~+与脲酶(Ure)、转化酶(Ive)、过氧化氢酶(CAT)、林分类型均呈极显著正相关,真菌与Ure、Ive、CAT呈显著正相关;而细菌、真菌、放线菌、G~-及G~+与海拔呈极显著或显著负相关.Ure、Ive、CAT、林分及海拔是影响土壤微生物PLFA变化的重要因子.     

Effects of visible light radiation on macrophyte litter degradation and nutrient release in water samples from a eutrophic shallow lake

Visible light is a major fraction of the solar spectrum; however, information on visible light radiation of macrophyte detritus is lacking. In this study, we conducted a microcosm experiment to assess the effects of visible light radiation on degradation of two litter species: Potamogeton malaianus (P. malaianus) and Phragmites australis (Ph. australis). This research represents an investigation of mass loss, microbial activity and nutrients released over a period of 168 days. Overall, we found that visible light radiation had significant effects on litter decomposition, but it did not affect the microbial activities which degrade cellulose and lignin. The decomposition rate order of the three components in P. malaianus and Ph. australis in treatments was: cellulose?>?hemicellulose?>?lignin. The visible light radiation mainly affected the degradation of lignin, which is the primary compound in litter susceptible to photodegradation. The exposure to visible light radiation up to 17.6?Wm^?2 stimulated the dissolved organic carbon release and reduced the molecular weight to less reactive. Meanwhile, no obvious difference in nutrient contents (TP, TN, NO₃–N, NO₂–N, and NH₃–N) was observed among different visible light intensities. The results of this study contribute to better understanding of the photochemical behaviour of macrophyte litter in shallow lakes.     

Removal of congo red and basic violet 1 by chir pine (Pinus roxburghii) sawdust,a saw mill waste: batch and column studies

The efficiency of chir pine sawdust (CPS) for adsorptive removal of the dyes, congo red (CR) and basic violet 1 (BV), from aqueous solution was evaluated using batch and column studies. The equilibrium was attained in 60 min for CR and 45 min for BV. The adsorption of BV obeyed the Langmuir isotherm model while the Freundlich isotherm fitted the equilibrium data of CR adsorption. The Langmuir monolayer adsorption capacities (Q_o) of CPS for BV and CR were 11.3 and 5.8 g kg^?1, respectively. The kinetic data for CR were best fitted to the Lagergren pseudo-first-order model and for BV to the pseudo-second-order model. The intra-particle diffusion was found to be the rate-controlling step for CR adsorption, while the adsorption kinetics of BV were controlled by both intra-particle and liquid-film diffusion. The thermodynamic parameters indicated that the adsorption process was spontaneous and endothermic in nature. The adsorption activation energy (E_a) for CR (124 kJ mol^?1) implied chemical adsorption while that for BV (5.4 kJ mol^?1) indicated physical adsorption. An increase in the Thomas model constant (K_Th) with increasing flow indicated that for both dyes the mass transport resistance decreased during adsorption. Thus, CPS may be an efficient low-cost adsorbent for decolorization of dye-containing wastewaters.     

Does low N-mineralisation rate in soils under grass help limit nitrate leaching in summer?

This paper aimed to confirm the hypothesis that rates of ammonification and net mineral-N production in soils under grass in summer are low and this, rather than nitrate uptake by plants, reduces mineral leaching from soils in summer. Six sets of soil samples were collected from under mown grass on the University of York campus in the UK. Samples were taken from two depths in late summer (August) and late autumn (November) to compare seasonal differences in N species transformations when field-moist soils were incubated for a week at ambient outdoor temperatures after prior removal of vegetation. Ammonification and net mineral-N production rates were low in August in spite of warm temperatures. Net mineral-N production rates were also low in November. The results agreed with those of an earlier study in a different year after considering weather differences between years. They support the hypothesis that litter accumulated over autumn/winter will be minimally mineralised and retain N before the temperature rises in spring. The study shows the merit of measuring concentrations of mineral-N species in both fresh soils and soils incubated at ambient outdoor temperatures after removing plant material to eliminate plant N uptake effects. The results suggest that soil C% and N% are more important than soil C:N ratio alone in understanding controls on N transformations.     

红树植物凋落叶分解对土壤可溶性有机质的影响

研究红树林湿地土壤可溶性有机质（DOM）的来源、性质及其归宿对于揭示 DOM 在红树林湿地生物地球化学循环中的作用具有重要意义。采集了木榄（Bruguiera gymnoihiza）、秋茄（Kandelia candel）和桐花树（Aegiceras corniculatum）3种红树植物的新近落叶进行室内48 d分解实验,探讨了凋落叶分解过程对土壤可溶性有机碳（DOC）和可溶性总氮（TDN）含量、C/N比（DOC/TDN）及紫外-可见（UV-Vis）光谱特征（A280、A240/A420和A250/A365比值）的影响。在48 d分解期间,3种红树植物凋落叶的输入均明显增加了土壤DOC的含量,其变化在分解第6 d最为显著,各凋落叶添加组比对照组平均增加了149%（秋茄）~196%（桐花树）,随后各凋落叶添加组土壤DOC含量呈下降趋势。与土壤DOC的变化不同,凋落叶输入后土壤TDN的变化与对照组的差异不明显,但木榄和桐花树添加组的C/N比在分解初期（第6天）显著高于对照组（P<0.05）。凋落叶的输入亦在不同程度上增大了土壤DOM的A280值,降低了DOM的A240/A420和A250/A365比值。与土壤DOC的变化相似,凋落叶输入使DOM的UV-Vis光谱特征在分解初期（第6天）的变化最明显,其中桐花树凋落叶的影响最大,秋茄凋落叶的影响最小。结果表明：凋落叶输入使培养初期土壤DOM的含量和性质发生明显改变,DOM中大分子及芳香类组分增多、团聚化程度增加,DOM 的生物可降解性变小。然而,随着分解的进行,不同凋落叶处理组之间土壤DOM的变化差异性逐渐缩小,并在分解后期与对照组趋近。     

太湖湖滨带林草复合带草本植物枯落物量的变化特征

为减少湖滨带林带枯落物的产生,有效降低N、P随降水径流进入湖泊水体的风险,采用人工草坪替代林下杂草的方式,建立林草复合带.以5种草坪草为研究对象,设立3种种植密度,采用定位定期采集的方法,研究草坪建植后草本植物枯落物的变化以及不同种植密度对枯落物量的影响.结果表明:①间距15 cm高密度种植易导致草坪枯落物的产生,以白三叶和红花酢浆草较突出;草坪种植后林下草本植物枯落物量大幅度减少,平均枯落物量减少66%～95%.②草坪枯落物量随生长时间变化无明显规律,7—11月植物生长期间,白三叶草坪10月枯落物量最高;麦冬草坪、红花酢浆草草坪以及与其混种的其他草坪枯落物量最高时期均出现于8月.③白三叶高、低密度种植单种草坪产生的枯落物量大于与红花酢浆草混种草坪,而中密度种植则相反,单种草坪小于混种草坪.