Monitoring of Gin Drinkers' Bay landfill,Hong Kong: II. Gas contents,soil properties,and vegetation performance on the side slope

This second part of the study concerned the plant cover, gas contents, and soil properties of the side slope area of the landfill, which is not protected against gas infiltration. Five different sites on the slope and a control site outside the landfill were chosen, and pipes were installed in the region. Gas contents were tested, and plant cover recorded by quadrat analysis Over 20 species of grasses, herbs, and vines were present on the slope The relative adaptabilities of the species were ranked according to the abundance of the plants Plant cover was found to be negatively correlated with landfill gas contents. The landfill soil had elevated contents of nitrogen, organic carbon, and extractable metals Total nitrogen, ammonia nitrogen, and extractable lead were further identified to be negatively correlated while available phosphate was positively correlated with plant cover     

A first alternative for estimating the physical carrying capacities of natural areas for recreation

Utilizing an adaptation of the Universal Soil Loss Equation, this article discusses a method for approximating the physical carrying capacity of natural areas for outdoor recreation. Classification of forested woodland and field environments is based upon the conversion of ground cover coefficients to the percentage of ground cover required to maintain soil productivity over time. Four canopy types, three canopy densities, and two general types of ground cover are recognized in the equation as well as soil characteristics, topographical variations, and rainfall velocities and intensities. The method requires that the areal distribution of soils occurring within natural areas be mapped. Approximations will vary according to the intensity of the planning desired, and may range from a general classification of large land areas to highly site-specific evaluations. Data generated from over 40 years of cooperative research form the basis for classifying natural areas according to their relative physical capacities to accommodate outdoor recreation.     

A review of major factors influencing plant responses to recreation impacts

This article reviews some of the more important factors found to influence the susceptibility of plants to trampling impacts associated with recreational use of natural areas. A three-way interaction mediates plant responses to impacts: plant x environment x stress level(s). Plant responses vary in part according to the genetic constitution of the plant, life and growth form, the adaptive flexibility of the plant, and anatomical differences inherent to growth habit and morphology. Other factors that influence plant sensitivities to impacts are the habitat environments in which plants grow, since a number of conditions such as moisture excesses or deficiencies, nitrogen or oxygen starvation, late frosts, etc., cause physiological injury and may increase plant sensitivity to impacts. Among the environmental factors that may increase or lessen plant sensitivities to impacts are soil moisture levels, canopy density, elevation, aspect, microclimate, soil drainage, texture, fertility and productivity. Seasonal influences also bear consideration since environmental changes and phonological and physiological events are mediated by time of year. Stresses are caused by both direct and indirect forms of impact and vary according to season of use, frequency and amount of use, and the type of activity. These interactions are further complicated by evidence that inter- and intraspecific competition, antagonism, and commensalism may influence differences in the sensitivity of plant communities to impacts.     

达县百节"水保生态园区"水土流失治理与生态环境保护

本文反映了严重的水土流失是导致达县百节河小流域生态环境恶化的主要原因。阐述了通过实施水土流失治理三大措施：工程措施、生物措施、农耕措施,有效地控制了水土流失等生态问题,极大地改善了当地生态环境,取得了显著的三大效益：经济效益、生态效益和社会效益。同时陈述了百节河小流域生态园区的建设特色：组织协调部门资金捆绑使用,集中投入：业主参与,责、权、利统一,投资渠道多元化,为水土保持和生态环境建设注入了生机与活力。     

Socioeconomic Factors Affecting Farmers’ Perceptions of Land Degradation and Stonewall Terraces in Central Palestine

Land degradation by soil erosion is a socioeconomic and environmental problem facing many developing countries. Application of stonewall terraces for soil moisture conservation is vital to reducing the environmental impacts of this phenomenon. To this end, a field plot experiment was conducted in the study area along with the use of a closed-ended questionnaire. The object of the experiment was to study the socioeconomic impacts of soil erosion on local farmers and their adoption of the stonewall terrace technique. The study showed a higher net profit in areas that had implemented terrace conservation practices than in areas that had not (i.e., 3.5 to 6 times higher net profit). Correlation analysis indicated that the farmers’ perceptions, land ownership, and geomorphology were significantly related to the farmers’ incentives and willingness to adopt terraces as soil conservation measures (P < 0.05), although the correlations were negative. Smallholder farmers (52% of the interviewed farmers) were involved in the sale of the agricultural land for urban uses, largely because of the high price and immediate returns offered. However, the associated land use changes warrant greater involvement of both the private and public sectors. This cooperation may be accomplished through the introduction of a long-term agricultural loan system and the development of proper legislation accompanied by a comprehensive and durable infrastructure and service system with the goal of reducing the negative impact of land use changes and encouraging sustainable use of resources.     

Comparative sensitivity of 20 bioassays for soil quality

Increasing evidence suggests that the use of a single bioassay will never provide a full picture of the quality of the environment. Only a test battery, composed of bioassays of different animal and plant species from different trophic levels will reduce uncertainty, allowing an accurate assessment of the quality of the environment. In the present study, a test battery composed of 20 bioassays of varying biological endpoints has been compared Apart from lethality and reproductive failure in earthworms, springtails, nematoda, algae and vascular plants, these endpoints also included bioavailibility of metals (bacteria), heat-shock induction (nematodes, algae), DNA damage (bacteria, earthworm, vascular plants), β-galactosidase (Daphnia) and esterase activity (algae) and a range of immunological parameters (earthworm). Four chemicals (cadmium, phenol, pentachlorophenol and triflurahn) — each representing a different toxic mode of action — were applied in a dilution series (from 1 mg/kg up to 1000 mg/kg) onto OECD standard soil. The tests have been performed both on these artificially contaminated soil samples and on aqueous extracts subsequently obtained from these soils. The results show that the immunological parameters and the loss of weight in the earthworms were among the most sensitive solid phase assays. Esterase inhibition and heat-shock induction in algae were shown to be extremely sensitive when applied to soil extracts. As previously shown at the species level, no single biological endpoint was shown to be the most sensitive for all four modes of toxic action.     

Recovery of Danish coastal dune vegetation after a wildfire

The initial recovery of vegetation after a wildfire in a coastal dune area in NW Jutland, Denmark, was studied over a 5-yr period by means of permanent plots representing various dune communities along a topographical gradient. The impact of the fire varied with the position of the plots. Fens and south-facing dunes were little affected while dune heath plots were severely affected including loss of the O-horizon. Post-fire conditions included presence of remaining soil organic matter, a soil seed bank and surviving below-ground plant parts. The soil surface remained stable during the study period. The initial five years of recovery comprised of an initial three-year recruitment phase during which cover and number of species increased and the quantitative species composition changed markedly, followed by two years of a declining rate of change. 38 species of vascular plants were recorded, 35 are regular components in dune, dune heath and heath fen and were recruited from the seed bank, from locally dispersed seeds and/or by sprouting from surviving vegetative parts. The remaining three species were ‘aliens’, dispersed from sources outside the area. Crustose lichens had an important role in the initial recovery by stabilizing the surface and probably inhibiting seed germination, whereas mosses mostly had a subordinate role. The seral position of the plots, as well as the expected time needed for full recovery of pre-fire vegetation, vary with topography and initial soil conditions. Five years after the fire the fen and the south-facing dune probably need less than a decade for full recovery. The remaining plots are judged to be relatively early seral; their full recovery into mature dry or moist dune heath vegetation and O-horizon is expected to need several centuries.     

Which Formalism to Model the pH and Temperature Dependence of the Microbiological Processes in Soils? Emphasis on Nitrification

We compared three formalisms derived from (1) medical sciences, (2) environmental, and (3) agronomic models to simulate the effects of pH and temperature on the nitrification rate in arable soils. We evaluated these formalisms by implementing them in a simple growth model by comparing modelled and measured nitrate contents of soil samples with different initial soil pH after incubation at two temperatures. We found that the formalisms derived from medical sciences were more accurate and easily adapted to the data, suggesting that such formalisms may be profitably used in agronomic or environmental models.     

Detailed characterization of polar compounds of residual oil in contaminated soil revealed by Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry

Effects of remediation technologies on polar compounds of crude oil in contaminated soils have not been well understood when compared to hydrocarbons. In this study, ultrahigh resolution Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) was used to characterize the changes in NSO polar compounds of crude oil and residual oil after long-term natural attenuation, biostimulation and subsequent ozonation following biostimulation of contaminated soils. N₁ and O₁ species, which were abundant in the crude oil, were selectively biodegraded, and species with higher double bond equivalent values and smaller carbon numbers appeared to be more resistant to microbial alteration. O₂-O₆ species were enriched by biodegradation and contained a large number of compounds with a high degree of unsaturation. Ozone could react with a variety of polar compounds in residual oil after biodegradation and showed high reactivity with polar species containing aromatic or multi-aliphatic rings, including the residual N₁ and O₁ species, naphthenic acids and unsaturated O₃-O₆ compounds. Fatty acids and O₃-O₈ species dominated by saturated alkyl compounds were resistant to ozonation or the primarily incomplete ozonation products. Principal component analysis of identified peaks in the FT-ICR MS spectra provided a comprehensive overview of the complex samples at the molecular level and the results were consistent with the detailed analysis. Taken together, these results showed the high complexity of polar compounds in residual oils after biodegradation or ozonation in contaminated soil and would contribute to a better understanding of bioremediation and ozonation processes.     

Histopathological and biochemical alterations of the earthworm (Lumbricus Terrestris) as biomarker of soil pollution along Porsuk River Basin (Turkey)

This study investigated biomarker responses of the earthworm Lumbricus terrestris in order to evaluate the soil pollution along Porsuk River Basin. Samples consisted of animals from six sites that are agricultural regions and a forested control. Histopathological and biochemical alterations were examined. Significant histopathological alterations were observed in animals from three of the sampling sites. There was an enlargement of epithelial cell lining, mucus cell hyperplasia and increase in mucus secretion. Circular and longitudinal muscles lost their structural integrity. Chloragogenous tissue was dilated and vocuolized. Necrosis was observed in the cells and tissues of some affected worms. A load of heavy metals in tissues of animals was determined. Heavy metals were found to be accumulated particularly in longitudinal muscles of animals. CAT activity was found to be increased in animals from three of the experimental sites. GST activity was also increased in five sites while it was stable in one site. The results have shown that animals from locations particularly that are close to urbanized and industrialized regions were seriously affected from the soil pollution around the basin. These results are reflecting the biological effects of soil pollution around Porsuk River Basin on the indicator organism L. terrestris and constitute an early warning of ecological change in relation to human health.