ZOOPLANKTON AND DREDGING: RESEARCH PERSPECTIVES FROM A CRITICAL REVIEW1

ABSTRACT: Studies on the responses of zooplankton to dredging are summarized and discussed. Design criteria for studies intended for impact assessment require careful consideration of sampling due to the highly variable spatial and temporal distributions of zooplankton. It is suggested that ocean dominated systems present different research requirements than those estuarine regions which have endemic zooplankton populations.     

The Role of Ground Water in Generating Streamflow in Headwater Areas and in Maintaining Base Flow1

Abstract: The volume and sustainability of streamflow from headwaters to downstream reaches commonly depend on contributions from ground water. Streams that begin in extensive aquifers generally have a stable point of origin and substantial discharge in their headwaters. In contrast, streams that begin as discharge from rocks or sediments having low permeability have a point of origin that moves up and down the channel seasonally, have small incipient discharge, and commonly go dry. Nearly all streams need to have some contribution from ground water in order to provide reliable habitat for aquatic organisms. Natural processes and human activities can have a substantial effect on the flow of streams between their headwaters and downstream reaches. Streams lose water to ground water when and where their head is higher than the contiguous water table. Although very common in arid regions, loss of stream water to ground water also is relatively common in humid regions. Evaporation, as well as transpiration from riparian vegetation, causing ground‐water levels to decline also can cause loss of stream water. Human withdrawal of ground water commonly causes streamflow to decline, and in some regions has caused streams to cease flowing.     

XDLVO理论解析不同离子条件下海藻酸钠微滤膜污染

应用extended Derjaguin-Laudau-Verwey-Overbeek(XDLVO)理论定量解析海藻酸钠微滤膜污染中界面微距作用力,探讨不同离子条件对膜污染影响的主控机制.结果表明,对于亲水性膜表面,范德华力促进膜污染,极性作用力阻碍膜污染;而对于疏水性膜表面,范德华力减缓膜污染,极性作用力加速膜污染.海藻酸钠与微滤膜接触时双电层作用力对膜污染贡献相对微弱.离子强度及钙离子对海藻酸钠微滤膜污染的影响主要是通过改变极性作用力来实现的.较高的离子强度会降低极性作用力的排斥性或升高极性作用力的吸引性,从而加重海藻酸钠微滤膜污染.虽然钙离子使出水通量急速下降,但钙离子的存在使得物理清洗效率提高.不同离子条件下初始阶段及后期阶段污染趋势K分别与膜-海藻酸钠粘附自由能及海藻酸钠-海藻酸钠粘聚自由能具有良好的线性相关性,表明XDLVO理论适用于描述不同离子条件下海藻酸钠微滤膜污染行为.     

Aphid and episodic O3 injury in arugula plants (Eruca sativa Mill) grown in open-top field chambers

Aphid attacks and tropospheric ozone (O₃) cause stress and considerable damage in both wild and cultivated plants. Induced defense responses to aphid attacks and O₃ exposure share signaling pathways with common points. We investigated the plant–aphid interaction under O₃ exposure using open-top O₃ chambers. Ozone leaf injury was lower in aphid-infested plants than in aphid-free plants, although herbivore damage was not evident. Aphid population growth was strongly affected by previous exposure to O₃ but no direct effect of O₃ was observed. The possibility that during O₃ episodes, herbivores may reduce O₃ damage on host plants and that the offspring of the exposed aphids have lower population growth rates opens new and intriguing questions about potential effects of future increased tropospheric O₃ levels on plant–insect interactions.     

Impact of variable nitrogen fertilisation on arthropods in cotton in Georgia, USA

Reducing fertiliser applications can reduce production costs for cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) growers, as well as nitrogen (N) leaching into the soil and contamination of surface and ground water. But altered N fertilisation may also affect pests and their natural enemies. In this study, plots with four different levels of fertiliser input (0, 45, 90 and 135 kg ha⁻¹ N) were used to investigate the influence of N on cotton pest and beneficial arthropod populations, and on cotton yield in Tifton, GA, USA. We predicted that (1) N fertilisation will correlate positively with cotton plant growth; (2) increased N fertilisation will increase pest populations because plants with more N will be more nutritious for and attractive to herbivores; (3) populations of beneficial arthropods and predation of pests will decline with increased N fertilisation because of reduced plant signaling; (4) increased N fertilisation will increase pest mortality due to parasitoids because of increased host quality. Cotton plant growth was enhanced by N fertilisation but yield was unaffected. N fertilisation significantly affected some pest arthropods but inconsistently. Mirids were most abundant in the high N treatment in 1 year of the study and cotton aphids were most abundant in the highest N treatment in the other year of the study. Arthropod predators were generally more abundant in the high N treatment but only spiders and Geocoris spp. were significantly affected by N treatment, with highest numbers present in the highest N treatment but the significant differences were each only in a single year. The greatest mortality of sentinel pest eggs (Spodoptera exigua) due to predation occurred under low N conditions. N fertilisation had no significant effects on parasitism of feral or sentinel caterpillars.