Heavy metal pollution in soil and plants at bone char site

This study determined the heavy metal concentration in soil and plants at a bone char site in Umuahia, Nigeria. Soil and plant samples collected in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) were analyzed for zinc (Zn), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni), and arsenic (As). The concentration of metals in soil and plants in the vicinity of the bone char site are as follows: Zn (172?mg?kg^?1) and Ni (0.62?mg?kg^?1) in soil were highest at site P₃, Pb (2.37?mg?kg^?1) and As (0.08?mg?kg^?1) at site P₁, and Cd (18.30?mg?kg^?1) at site P₂. In plants, the concentrations of Zn (41.17?mg?kg^?1) and Cd (3?mg?kg^?1) were highest in Albizia ferruginea, Ni in Dialium guineense (0.09?mg?kg^?1), while Pb was in D. guineense (0.08?mg?kg^?1) and Spathodea companulata (0.06?mg?kg^?1). The levels of Zn, Cd, Pb, Ni, and As in soil ranged from 11.2 to 172, 2.68 to 18.2, 0.026 to 2.37, 0.33 to 0.62, and 0.02 to 0.08?mg?kg^?1, respectively. In plants, the concentration of Zn, Cd, Pb, and Ni ranged from 2.01 to 41.17, 0.12 to 3, 0.02 to 0.08, and 0.03 to 0.09?mg?kg^?1, respectively. There were significant correlations between Zn and Cd, and Pb and As in soil. The high concentration of Cd in soil might affect soil productivity.     

Oasis land-use change and its effects on the oasis eco-environment in Keriya Oasis,China

Land-use change in oases of arid zones play a significant role in the sustainable development and stability of oases. This paper presents a typical case of successful efforts to mitigate land-use change, its drivers and effects on the oasis eco-environment at Keriya Oasis in the western arid zone of China using remotely-sensed data, official statistics, and data collected by field investigation. Mathematical models were developed to quantify important elements related to land-use change, including net change and total change. The results indicate that: (1) approximately 17% of land-use types of Keriya Oasis changed between 1991 and 2002; (2) socioeconomic development, climate change, and economic polices contributed to land-use change in the oasis; (3) inappropriate human activities were the main cause of land-use change and eco-environmental degradation in the oasis; and (4) the stability of the oasis is threatened by land-use change and unexpected eco-environmental changes in the oasis and oasis–desert ecotone. The study suggests irrational human activity in arid zones, and that caution should be exercised to maintain stability and sustainable development of oases.     

Chemical composition of rivers and streams in the forest and savanna zones of Nigeria

The aim of this study is to investigate the differences in the chemical conditions of lotic waterbodies in the two major ecosystems in Nigeria, the forest and savanna zones. The forest waters were slightly acidic (mean±SD pH = 6.72±0.58) while the savanna waters were slightly alkaline (pH = 7.11±0.33). The cationic order of dominance in the forest waters was Na⁺ > Ca²⁺ > Mg²⁺ > K⁺ in contrast to Ca²⁺ > Mg²⁺ > Na⁺ > K⁺ in savanna waters. The forest waters were chlorided (typical of coastal and/or marine waters) whereas the savanna waters were carbonated in nature, typical of the worldwide freshwater. Organic carbon was significantly higher in forest waters than in the savanna waters (p < 0.05) while nutrient compounds were significantly higher in savanna waters than in forest waters. The seasonal variation of the chemical parameters was generally more evident in savanna than in forest waters. The differences in water quality between the two major vegetation zones reflect the differences in the biogeochemical processes and nutrient cycling that characterise forest and savanna ecosystems.     

铜陵铜矿尾矿的不良特性对植被重建的影响与治理对策

铜矿尾矿库是人为造成的类似沙漠化的景观,它占用土地并带来严重的环境问题,而植被重建是恢复矿区生态系统的主要措施。本文分析了铜陵铜矿尾矿的不良特性对植被重建的影响,提出了相应的治理对策     

民勤绿洲退耕地土壤微生物群落结构与功能多样性特征

为明确退耕阶段对土壤微生物群落结构和功能的影响,选取3个不同退耕阶段的荒漠绿洲区土壤为研究对象,通过宏基因组测序技术来研究不同阶段退耕地中土壤微生物群落的结构和功能多样性特征.结果表明,3个阶段退耕地土壤中放线菌门（Actinobacteria）、变形菌门（Proteobacteria）和芽单胞菌门（Gemmatimonadetes）的相对丰度存在显著差异,为优势菌门.与退耕前期相比,退耕修复后期增加了群体感应、卟啉与叶绿素代谢、泛酸盐和辅酶A生物合成以及苯乙烯降解的功能基因比例,且相对丰度存在显著差异（P<0.05）,表明不同退耕阶段改变了土壤微生物群落营养循环与能量代谢的功能潜力.RDA结果表明电导率（EC）、速效钾（AK）和全氮（TN）对土壤微生物功能组成具有显著影响,其中EC对微生物功能组成的影响最大.不同退耕阶段对土壤微生物群落结构和功能组成多样性具有显著影响,在民勤绿洲退耕地生态修复中,微生物群落结构和功能组成对不同阶段的土壤修复敏感性可综合相关指标进行考虑.     

基于Meta分析的煤矿区植被恢复对土壤有机碳储量的影响

煤矿开采是全世界应对不断增加的能源需求的主要手段.但随着煤矿开采,区域生态系统遭到不同程度的破坏,导致“碳汇”能力下降.植被恢复是矿区退化的生态系统和固碳功能恢复的基础.然而,目前尚未对全球范围内煤矿区植被恢复对土壤有机碳（SOC）的影响进行系统研究,因此无法准确预测全球SOC库对植被恢复的响应.通过搜集同行评议的112篇文章中植被恢复的土壤理化性质,以评估煤矿区植被恢复类型、土壤深度、恢复年份、年均温、年降水量和海拔等对SOC的影响,并明确相关的关键驱动因素.结果表明,受损煤矿区通过植被恢复能够显著改善土壤的理化性质,植被恢复后土壤相较于未恢复或自然恢复SOC储量提升了39.02%.当不考虑环境因素时,利于SOC储量积累的植被恢复类型为：农田>林地>草地>灌木林.4种类型的植被恢复对表层（0~20 cm）SOC储量均得到显著增加,草地和灌木能显著增加深层（>40 cm）的SOC储量,而林地和农田类型下深层的SOC储量与未恢复或自然恢复后的SOC储量无显著差异.植被恢复后SOC储量的增加趋势会随着土壤深度的增加而降低.具体的植被恢复策略应根据气候条件选择合适的植被类型.受损煤矿区在年均温<0℃和年均降水<500 mm的环境下,固碳效应较高的植被恢复类型为草地和灌木林,而在年均温>15℃和年降水量>800 mm的环境下,林地和农田恢复类型能够更好地增加SOC储量.TN、BD、AN和AK是影响土壤固碳能力的主要因素.研究可为量化受损煤矿区不同植被恢复措施的固碳效果和退化生态系统的恢复与重建提供理论参考.     

Inter-observer variation in habitat survey data: investigating the consequences for professional practice

Environmental assessments and land-use planning require reliable information on the botanical composition and distribution of habitats. There have been numerous academic studies of inter-observer variation in species-inventory and habitat mapping, but studies addressing the prevalence of inter-observer variation and consequences of poor quality data in professional practice are lacking. This paper addresses these questions via a questionnaire survey of environmental professionals, using the standard Phase 1 and National Vegetation Classification (NVC) survey methods in the United Kingdom. The survey revealed that misidentification of habitat types within survey reports was relatively common (approximating to 20% of all reports seen by respondents over the previous five years). Approximately 40% of respondents who had encountered erroneous reports stated that these had led to inaccurate initial site ecological assessments. Additional field surveys and discussions with surveyors were commonly used to resolve these issues, but for Phase 1 and NVC 26% and 34% of respondents, respectively, had encountered one or more cases where errors resulted in negative consequences for clients commissioning surveys (in terms of extra costs and project delays). Net loss of biodiversity arising from inaccurate reports was reported in at least one instance by 32% and 38% of respondents for Phase 1 and NVC surveys, respectively – results that may contribute to the attrition of natural capital within the UK. The study highlights the need to extend studies of inter-observer variation to consider impacts on environmental assessments and decision-making in professional practice. The potential benefits of introducing an accreditation scheme (favoured by the majority of respondents to the questionnaire) are discussed.     

Soil salinity evolution and its relationship with dynamics of groundwater in the oasis of inland river basins: case study from the Fubei region of Xinjiang Province, China

Soil salinization is an important worldwide environmental problem, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. Knowledge of its temporal and spatial variability is crucial for the management of oasis agriculture. The study area has experienced dramatic change in the shallow groundwater table and soil salinization during the 20th century, especially in the past two decades. Classical statistics, geostatistics and geographic information system (GIS) were applied to estimate the spatial variability of the soil salt content in relation to the shallow groundwater table and land use from 1983 to 2005. Consumption of reservoir water for agricultural irrigation was the main cause of a rise in the shallow groundwater table under intense evapotranspiration conditions, and this led indirectly to soil salinization. The area of soil salt accumulation was greater in irrigated than in non-irrigated landscape types with an increasing of 40.04% from 1983 to 2005 in cropland at ∼0.43 t ha⁻¹ year⁻¹, and an increase at ∼0.68 t ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ in saline alkaline land. Maps of the shallow groundwater table in 1985 and 2000 were used to deduce maps for 1983 and 1999, respectively, and the registration accuracy was 99%.     

基于MODIS时序数据北回归线(云南段)地区植被物候时空变化及其对气候响应分析

植被物候作为自然界规律性、周期性事件,对开展全球气候变化、植被长势观测等研究具有重要价值。以北回归线(云南段)穿过的县域为研究区,基于长时间序列MODIS EVI(Enhanced Vegetation Index,EVI)、土地利用类型和气候因子数据,采用S-G滤波、动态阈值、相关分析等方法分析19 a(2001—2019年)间植被物候的时空分布特征及其对水热因子的响应。结果表明,(1)海拔和地势起伏在物候地域分异中作用显著,植被物候存在明显的垂直地带性分布特征。山地与河谷、坝子、低海拔区的物候值差异较大,山地地区的植被生长季开始期(Start of Season,SOS)在192—240 d,生长季结束期(End of Season,EOS)在次年144—192 d,生长季长度(Length of Season,LOS)为272—304 d;河谷、坝子、东部低海拔地区的植被SOS在80—112 d,EOS在337至次年17 d,LOS在224—256 d。(2)19 a间植被物候年际变化总体特征为SOS显著提前(R²=0.51,P=0.001<0.05),平均提前1.14 d·(10 a)^?1;EOS推迟(R²=0.01,P=0.756>0.05),平均推迟0.07 d·(10 a)^?1;LOS显著延长(R²=0.47,P=0.001<0.05),平均延长1.07 d·(10 a)^?1。(3)不同植被类型的物候期及其变化趋势不同,研究区森林植被生长期最长,草地次之,耕地最短;19 a间SOS、EOS、LOS变化最大的分别是常绿阔叶林(?1.68 d·(10 a)^?1)、耕地(1.25 d·(10 a)^?1)、木本热带稀树草原(1.28 d·(10 a)^?1)。(4)水热组合对植被生长影响显著,河谷、坝子、东部低海拔地区的植被SOS、EOS分别主要受2月降水(负相关)和4月气温(正相关)、9月降水和气温(正相关)影响,山地地区植被SOS、EOS分别主要受6月降水(正相关)和5月气温(正相关)、5月降水(正相关)和4月气温(正相关)影响。